The Resistance of Philippine Cinema Film Festival by B. Vergara
Ishmael Bernal’s Himala is the kind of film that, when the word “Himala” is uttered or written, is inevitably followed by “The Greatest Filipino Film Of All-Time, Forever and Ever”, or other superlative words to that effect, and it’s unlikely that it would be deposed from its canonical perch any time soon. How anyone could pick just one movie, I have no idea, and my knowledge of Philippine cinema is relatively sparse at best, so I can’t necessarily agree or disagree, but good lord, what an amazing movie Himala is. Its most famous lines, uttered by the incredible Nora Aunor in a performance mainlined straight from Maria Falconetti and delivered to a cast of thousands (okay, hundreds), are total spoilers, so I won’t repeat them here. Suffice it to say that they’re seared into the brain of every Filipino moviegoer who saw this in the ’80s and the decades since, and yours, if you come to the screening. Just thinking about that scene makes the hairs on my arms stand on end.
This year’s bumper crop of movies plus the inspired performances of old reliables and even, surprisingly, from greenhorns in the trade, made the task of critics and observers of the local movie industry a little harder than usual. Parade asked five critics, a television host-producer, and a prize-winning novelist for their choices as the pick for 1982. Not surprisingly, the Parade panel disagreed in some categories and were unanimous in others.
Wilfrido Nolledo novelist, screenwriter, film critic
Ding Nolledo belongs to the Scriptwriters Guild and so, for the past year, has confined himself to reviewing foreign movies. “For delicadeza,” so he patiently explains, after having thought of choices for 1982 (which turned to be a list of imported films, a result of miscommunication).
Pressed for his opinions, though, he confesses to liking Himala “very much” but mentions that he hasn’t seen Oro Plata Mata.
Himala, Ding justifies, because the film exudes “raw power,” not to mention the excellent acting and the direction, which was like early Fellini, especially the middle part.”
Ding doesn’t agree with Moral’s rave reviews because “I’ve seen Moral in about 369 other films.” It’s not that original, he implies.
As for best actress, it’ll have to be Nora in Himala. “She reminds me of the young Anna Magnani. Besides, the script fitted her to a T. The role practically coincides with what she is in real life.”
Mario Hernando film critic
Best Films: (in the order of preference)
1.Oro, Plata, Mata and Batch ’81 2.Relasyon and Himala 3.Moral
Best Directors: (in no particular order) 1.Ishmael Bernal for Relasyon and Himala 2.Peque Gallaga for Oro Plata Mata 3.Mike de Leon for Batch ’81
Actresses: 1.Vilma Santos for Relasyon 2.Nora Aunor for Himala and Uod at Rosas 3.Sandy Andolong for Moral and Oro Plata Mata 4.Gina Alajar for Moral
Actors: 1.Mark Gil for Batch ’81 and Palipat-lipat, Papalit-palit 2.Joel Torre for Oro Plata Mata 3.Christopher de Leon for Relasyon
“Most movies are usually flawed, and those in my list are no exception. However, apart from the standard criteria I am applying to them (the classic from and content balance), I am giving much weight on impact and emotional power. So, my top two are Oro and Batch. Himala is an ambitious film and much flawed, but it has visual beauty and emotional wallop. Relasyon is more modest in scope, but I think is more successful on its own terms. Moral has many good things going for it, from direction and writing, to performances, but it does not match the four other films in impact (though it has some moving moments) and originality.”
Hammy Sotto film critic
Hammy Sotto, Manunuri, must have been inspired by the witching hour (translate that into 1:05 a.m., 11th hour of presstime) so much so that he raves—and bewitching so—about his choices for the best of 1982.
Says Hammy on the phone: “I pick Oro Plata Mata as best film because it’s a landmark in Visayan dramaturgy. Never before has the carefree life of the sugar baron been so accurately and meticulously recorded on film.
“Peque Gallaga doesn’t pretend to any fixed ideology and the film can only be taken as a set of reminiscences of a ‘Golden Age’ forever gone. But Peque’s brilliant direction lifts the material above its nostalgia trip and makes out of it a vivid behavioral comment on the Saint/Beast known as the Filipino.”
His other choice is Batch ’81. States Hammy: “The most interesting aspects of Batch ’81 are the invisible ones. On the surface the film tackles the initiation of aspiring neophytes into quasi-tribal fraternities. But Mike de Leon consciously or unconsciously imbues the action with so much double meaning, the gory initiation rites become a disturbing metaphor of our times.
“I don’t find particular merit in any actor or actress but I must make special mention of Ariosto Reyes as a supporting actor in Uod at Rosas wherein his facial gestures measured to the milliliter the abrupt descent into suicide.”
Peque Gallaga as director turned out as a real surprise in Oro, Hammy claims. “This is the first film of Peque that I saw. He shows a very solid grasp of blocking and his camera angles were perfect.” Hammy explains that “the first things I look for when I watch a movie is the blocking and positioning of camera because to me that reveals directorial command.”
Hammy adds: “Peque was able to bring the movie to life with rich details culled from his own experience, which was not, could not have been, scripted. He gives it an energy that could only have come from experience and firsthand knowledge.” Celso Carunungan screenwriter, novelist
Celso Carunungan makes it a point to see a movie once a month however busy he is serving on seven boards, just to “keep in touch.”
He considers Himala the best choice for 1982 for a lot of reasons: “For one thing, I believe it has what’s been lacking in our movies for a long time—a good story. Lack of good materials, stereotype characters, and predictable plots have been plaguing the local movie scene for a long time, and most movies are strengthened only by bold scenes.
“Himala is beautiful in the sense that it’s never been done before and it’s honest. It reminds me of Biyaya ng Lupa, a movie I wrote during the Sixties.
“To me, the acting of Nora is one of the highlights of the film. I didn’t expect her to act like that. She was very disciplined. There was no attempt to glamorize her and make her pretty. It was all honest.
“Dindo Fernado I consider the best actor in the land. It’s a pity that he’s never given a good vehicle.
“For the first time, I’m opening the subject: I’m doing the story for a movie on Rizal with Samuel Bronston (producer of El Cid, 55 Days in Peking) and of course, he’ll get an internationally famous actor-star for the title role but I want to have Dindo in the movie. I haven’t talked to him about the project yet, though.
“There is a kind of artistic integrity in Dindo that I don’t find in others. It comes from his confidence, his maturity.
“I think Ishmael Bernal is the best director and I’m looking forward to work with him. He is more sensitive and more poetic than the others.”
Nestor Torre Jr. film critic
Nestor Torre gave a pretty little speech of apology for “Not having seen most of the movies shown the past year since I’ve been busy with my stage and theater productions, “but of the ones he’s seen, he qualifies, he finds Batch ’81 the best movie made in 1982.
“The movie had something very important to say and it communicated it very well.” His choice of best director naturally ties in with his choice of film. “Mike de Leon did his job so well,” he reiterates.
As for his choice of best actor, it’s Mark Gil, “unless I’ve forgotten somebody else.” It’s Mark Gil because “he was perfect in that role as somebody who was waiting to discover the violence within him.”
As for the best actress, it’s Nora Aunor in Himala. “It was a good role, and she communicated it very well. At least, Nora wasn’t api here for a change, It was quite a complicated role, but she handled it very well.”
Other choices were Gina Alajar and Lorna Tolentino in Moral. “Gina was very good in Moral, and she would have been perfect, but the problem was her makeup and costume which made her look freakish in the movie. I mean, no one looks like that in real life.” (Just for the record, this writer disagreed. Try Angeles City.)
Vilma Santos, Nestor notes, is admittedly a “very hard worker but her physical structure really makes it difficult for her to be really effective—hindi malalim—and her voice is not that expressive.”
Nestor adds, though, that, once in a while, Vilma “transcends her physical limitations, as in Rubia Servios.”
Behn Cervantes filmmaker, film critic
Behn’s choice for best movie of 1982 comes easy, with one qualification (he has not seen Oro, Plata, Mata). “It’s Batch ’81 because it was innovative and more daring. The technical aspect was also great. The cinematography was good and the film was very well edited. Everything in it was tightly woven in. Also, it’s the kind of film which leaves you gaping. I mean there are films which you can’t just watch and be satisfied with what you’ve seen. Batch ’81 is one such movie. You have to discuss it afterwards.”
Behn puts Moral in second place “because it presented a contemporary view not only of women in society but society as a whole.”
Behn’s third choice is Himala. “I enjoyed watching it. It had that certain texture, you know, the superimposition of the supernatural with the mundane. Further, it was a powerful reflection of capitalistic tendencies in society and of the materialistic greed that results from it.”
For best actor, “it’s Mark Gil, especially in Batch’81. While Christopher de Leon is also one of my favorites, being very good in Relasyon, Mark showed more guttered reaction in Batch ’81 than Christopher did in any movie. With Mark, it seemed to come from his guts.”
As for the choice of best actress, “mahirap iyan,” Behn admits spontaneously. “It’s a difficult choice between Gina Alajar in Moral and Nora Aunor in Himala. Gina was beautifully flamboyant and effective as the funky character in Moral, while Nora was very cinematic in Himala. Nora is one actress who knows how to use her medium.
“Vilma is also good. She knows her craft, but somehow, at the moment of truth, physically she doesn’t quite hit me. There’s something very cutesified about it.
“As for best director, it’s Mike de Leon, of course. For me, the best film should tie in with the best director.”
Armida Siguion Reyna film actress, producer
Armida has said it in her TV show Let’s Talk Movies and she’s saying it again: her choice for best movie not only for the filmfest but for the entire 1982 is Moral.
“It’s very ‘today,’ NOW. You really get to identify with the characters in the movie. Like, in any case, there is a little of myself in each of the four characters, from Gina to Lorna and to Sandy and Anna. Technically, there’s a little flaw, but the camera work was adequate; bagay sa movie and that’s what counts. Editing is good, and the music, although nothing outstanding, was okay. Overall, the script and acting were very good, and for me, the story and direction carry the burden of the weight of the movie.”
Certainly, Armida admits, the movie can still stand improvement, but she particularly rates Marilou Diaz Abaya, her choice for best director, for having been able to orchestrate the performers so well so that “you’re not aware anymore that they’re acting. You just get involved in the movie.”
Armida adds: “Marilou knows her medium, and she enjoys the advantage of having her husband as editor of the movie. She also handles her actors very well, she can compete with… no, she equals Lino Brocka already.”
After Moral, Armida chooses Oro, Plata, Mata and Cain at Abel, respectively, as among 1982’s best. She does not dislike Batch ’81, “it’s just that I don’t like those types of movies.” To her, one has to be able to identify with the movie. “It’s also a kind of instinctive reaction. If I don’t like it, I don’t like it.”
Armida chooses Vilma Santos as best actress for her performance in Relasyon. “I can’t explain my choice in the beautiful language of the Manunuri but I go by gut and alam kong maganda.” She is also more inclined toward Vilma because the actress made a number of good movies last year.
For best actor, “I choose Mark Gil in Batch ’81 and Palipat-lipat, Papalit-palit and Katas ng Langis. He was a revelation and he showed skill. He knows what tools to use, the techniques.” Armida sort of disqualifies Christopher de Leon from the picking “simply because napaka-competent na ni Chris.” ●
Tally of Scores for Best Actress
1.Nora Aunor in Himala: 4 votes and 1 runner-up vote 2.Vilma Santos in Relasyon: 2 votes 3.Gina Alajar in Moral: 1 vote and 2 runner-up votes 4.Nora Aunor in Mga Uod at Oras: 1 runner-up vote 5.Lorna Tolentino in Moral: 1 runner-up vote 6.Sandy Andolong in Moral: 1 runner-up vote
Source: Parade, January 19, 1983, 4-7
Himala vies for the CNN APSA Viewers Choice Award for All-Time Favorite Film from the Asia Pacific. (Link to the CNN poll)
I had the rare pleasure of watching Himala by Ishmael Bernal last night on Cinema One. Though I have seen the film more than ten times already, I never could get my eyes off it when I see it running on television.
In the sleepy, cursed and forgotten town of Cupang, a young simpleton named Elsa (Nora Aunor) announces that she has seen the Virgin Mary in an apparition and consequently demonstrates a newfound ability to heal the sick. The claim turned the impoverished village into an attraction for both the good and the bad. It has become an attraction as people come from all over for statues of the saints and bottles of the village's holy water. Soon, prostitution, drugs, crimes, politics and other forms of worldly corruption pervaded the otherwise sleepy village.
Made some 25 years ago, the film, arguably the best Filipino film ever made, has never lost any of its power. The film is worth watching for, among others, three important film elements.
First, Nora Aunor's now legendary performance as the visionary Elsa. Aunor plays Elsa with subtlety and holds back for the most part of the film until the last quarter where she explodes with an avalanche of emotions that will drown you. It is an otherworldly performance that can be played only by an actress of her caliber.
Second, Ricky Lee’s inspired and tightly written script. Comparable to the scripts of other Filipino classics like Insiang (1976), Kisapamata (1981) and Batch ’81 (1982), everything in the script is a necessary element for its cohesive wholeness. Nothing in the story is unimportant.
The third best element of the film, and perhaps its greatest achievement, is its direction. Ishmael Bernal uses all his cinematic genius to build crescendo, a frenzy of Third World desperation—poverty, sickness, death—with resulting tension that inevitably explodes in the end. From the start of the film, you can already sense a master at work. One could get a sense of the cinematic vision that he has for the story that he wants to tell and how he intends to tell it. When Elsa gathers her followers near the end of the film, we are awed by this vision that the director wants us to see.
Himala is a very good film because of its achievements in the aforesaid elements. However, what makes it not only a good film but a great one are the questions it dares to ask. Celebrity, religious hyprocrisy and commercialism, poverty, and fanaticism collide in Himala. In a country overwhelmingly spoon-fed with Catholicism, Himala dares to question the institutions and truths we've created and challenges us to do the same.
A story of the timeless struggle of man in his quest to find something to believe in, it is a serious commentary on how poverty and desperation make people cling to false idols in the hope that these can save them from their misery.
Nora Aunor shines as Elsa, in one of the most important Filipino films of all time. Aunor’s most remarkable quality is her ability to express a myriad of emotions through her eyes, without even saying a word. This quality is scarce, even more so at present, where new actors and actresses are born out of reality shows and thrust into the limelight by sheer looks alone.
Himala tells the story of religious fanaticism, faithlessness, and how people rediscover real faith.
Set in the desolate town of Cupang, where poverty-stricken residents await a miracle. Hope comes in the person of Elsa, who claims to have seen the Virgin Mary. With mysterious healing powers, she starts to cure the residents of their ailments. Her fame quickly spreads, and soon, an avalanche of tourists from all over the country visit the town to see Elsa. People quickly succumb to greed as they build businesses for the tourist’s money. Trouble escalates as a cholera epidemic takes the lives of children, while Elsa herself experience loss in the death of her friend Chayong, who hung herself after she was raped. Because of the deaths, the tourists leave town.
In her final act, Elsa gathers the people in the desert-like dunes where she had her visions. Before the crowd she finally confesses, “Walang himala! … Ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao …” A shot is heard, and Elsa falls to the floor, clutching her bloody chest. All hell breaks loose as a stampede ensues and many people perish.
With the loss of Elsa and the others, the people of Cupang finally pray and discover the true meaning of their faith.
Nora’s Sterling Performance in ’Merika by Ernie Pecho
Super actress Nora Aunor gives another sterling performance in Gil Portes’s ’Merika. The entire movie is a veritable showcase of her amazing power to convey every emotion—in this case those called for by the script written by Doy De Mundo. It is in ’Merika that we witness once more La Aunor’s control of her craft.
Nora Aunor as the bored and lonely Filipina nurse, Milagros Cruz, in ’Merika is truly unforgettable. No other actress, not even Ms. Charito Solis, has delineated a movie role more flawlessly.
Movie critic turned scriptwriter Ricky Lee was also so impressed with Nora’s acting that he announced it was the superstar and nobody else he’d have for the lead female character in Minsa'y May Isang Pangarap. The award-winning script written by Lee will soon be filmed.
Even some movie writers known for being stingy with praise have been rendered speechless by Nora Aunor’s splendid portrayal in ’Merika. The same group of scribes is predicting that ’Merika will catapult the actress to the top once more.
An Interesting Film Showcasing the Igorot Tribe and How the Banaue Rice Terraces Came To Be
by Jennifer Lapis
Though it doesn’t really show how the rice terraces were formed, how the idea started was conveyed through the tribe and their leader. You might even think that since Nora Aunor’s character is named Banaue, the rice terraces was named after her.
The characters were portrayed in a way they were before, complete with their costumes of the ‘bahag’ for men and being topless for the women. Even the personalities of the characters were accurate, with the men being brutal with each other and to their women.
Speaking of brutality, this film shows how it was during those times. All the raw and obscene details were shown, from the numerous beheading of the tribes people to the way the men hurt and treated the women. It showed how it really was before when there was already a system yet the people were not as civilized as today. In one moment, the leader of the other tribe would whip at Banaue. Immediately after, he would kiss and make love to her passionately.
Banaue’s character was very well-defined, a strong woman who is also passionate about her lover and her love for the tribe. Showing the romance that blossoms between her and Sadek (played by Christopher de Leon), the film expresses how one feels for the other, through the difficulties and challenges that they go through.
The acting of the cast was commendable and I really praise the crew, writers and director for making this film a beautiful yet dramatic film. A blast from the past, it can also teach you how our ancestors were during the time of the making of the Banaue Rice Terraces. Definitely a movie that a chosen few will be able to enjoy.
(According to Mr. Albert Sunga, Star Home Video is likely to release this film soon on DVD. Abangan!)
****** Noranians are people smitten by a talent extraordinaire: Ms. Nora Aunor, a singer with golden voice, world-class film artist, cultural icon, living legend—the ultimate multimedia Superstar of the Philippine entertainment industry.
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