If I will be asking you what is the greatest film you have seen maybe you would answer me "The Notebook" or "Titanic". Others might answer me "Saving Private Ryan" or "Apocalypto." Well, not to deny these are really great films. But going back to the 70's I would say that would be Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag.
The film stars Rafael Roco, popularly known as Bembol Roco as Julio Madiaga, and Hilda Koronel. as Ligaya Paraiso. Including Tommy Abuel, Lou Salvador, Spanky Manikan, and many others.
The story was based from Edgardo M. Reyes' novel serialized in Liwayway Magazine from 1966 to 1967. The movie shows injustice to the poor and uneducated people. Julio Madiaga is a poor fishermen who went to Manila to look for his love one, Ligaya. The search brought him to changes in his character. The originally poor boy naive boy from the province changed to an angry man quenching for justice. Julio experienced unfair labor practice in the construction site, and this resorted in becoming a prostitute. When Julio finally met Ligaya after the long search, he learned that Ligaya was a victim of an illegal recruiter who set her to white slavery. Ligaya became a slave of a Chinese businessman, and soon turned to be his husband. Knowing Ligaya's situation Julio persisted to escape with Ligaya. The escape turned the story to its bloody ending.
This film directed by one of the known greatest film directors, Lino Brocka, who was born (I would say proudly a product of Bicol Region) in Pilar, Sorsogon. Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag is considered to the greatest Philippine film ever made. Also the greatness of the film can be traced to the excellent cinematography of Mike de Leon.
Brocka and de Leon's excellence, including the casts brought the movie to won six major awards in the 1976 FAMAS Awards (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences): Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Bembol Roco), Best Cinematography (Mike de Leon), Best Director (Lino Brocka), and Best Supporting Actor. Manila in the Claws of Brightness (English name of the film) consistently placed in the world's top 100 film of all time. It is the only Filipino film included in the 1001 Movies You Should See Before You Die list.
After almost three decades Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag portraits the real situation that we experience in our daily lives. Practices of injustice, prostitution, illegal recruiting, unfair labor practice, and worst thing is discrimination. Marginalized people are being discriminated in their own home.
Going back to the story, it ended up Ligaya failed to meet Julio during their escape, Julio killing Ah Tek (Ligaya's Chinese husband), and Julio being attacked by by-standers in Misericordia. This eye opening film for us intended to show the bitterness of life for the marginalized. But the question is, to whom does this film intends to be delivered? It is for you and for me, for every body.
There are times that we see ourselves as Julio or Ligaya, or sometimes we forgot that we become Mrs. Cruz (illegal recruiter) and Mr. Balajadia (foreman in the construction site), or Ah Tek maybe. Julio and Ligaya have no chances of finishing studies because of financial constraints. Mrs. Cruz, Mr. Balajadia, and Ah Tek are well educated that they used their education to hoodwink others. Or sometimes we think that being marginalized will bring pity to us. Or we think that power is an edge. But thinking it again and again, whether we are Julio, Ligaya, Ah Tek, Mrs. Cruz, Mr.Balajadia, each of us has a role in our community, to practice what is right and just and to extend the joy of justice and fair.
Greed and injustice can never make you happy. We all might end up like Ligaya mar to death by her husband and Julio putting justice in his own hands. You and I has a role to perform. The movie is there to continue make us realize that life is always unfair but we have to do something for us to be happy just like Julio's patience in searching for Ligaya.
Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, greatest film of all times, and would still be great for its story never dies. I just finished the film Monday last week, but I took me a lot of time of putting words in this blog. For those who haven't watched the film, try it, and you'll love it too, just be patient with the color and the sound. Let us all practice justice in our land. We are Filipinos, we are brothers and sisters.
I'd like to thank the following sites for this review:
First of all, youtube for the videos.
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynila:_Sa_mga_Kuko_ng_Liwanag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lino_Brocka
geocities: http://www.geocities.com/philmovies/films/maynilasakuko/maynilasakuko.html
Next in line: Bangkang Papel sa Dagat na Apoy (1984) starring former President Joseph Estrada. The story written by Edgardo M. Reyes who was also the director of this.
Justice is everybody's privilege.
The film stars Rafael Roco, popularly known as Bembol Roco as Julio Madiaga, and Hilda Koronel. as Ligaya Paraiso. Including Tommy Abuel, Lou Salvador, Spanky Manikan, and many others.
The story was based from Edgardo M. Reyes' novel serialized in Liwayway Magazine from 1966 to 1967. The movie shows injustice to the poor and uneducated people. Julio Madiaga is a poor fishermen who went to Manila to look for his love one, Ligaya. The search brought him to changes in his character. The originally poor boy naive boy from the province changed to an angry man quenching for justice. Julio experienced unfair labor practice in the construction site, and this resorted in becoming a prostitute. When Julio finally met Ligaya after the long search, he learned that Ligaya was a victim of an illegal recruiter who set her to white slavery. Ligaya became a slave of a Chinese businessman, and soon turned to be his husband. Knowing Ligaya's situation Julio persisted to escape with Ligaya. The escape turned the story to its bloody ending.
This film directed by one of the known greatest film directors, Lino Brocka, who was born (I would say proudly a product of Bicol Region) in Pilar, Sorsogon. Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag is considered to the greatest Philippine film ever made. Also the greatness of the film can be traced to the excellent cinematography of Mike de Leon.
Brocka and de Leon's excellence, including the casts brought the movie to won six major awards in the 1976 FAMAS Awards (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences): Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Bembol Roco), Best Cinematography (Mike de Leon), Best Director (Lino Brocka), and Best Supporting Actor. Manila in the Claws of Brightness (English name of the film) consistently placed in the world's top 100 film of all time. It is the only Filipino film included in the 1001 Movies You Should See Before You Die list.
After almost three decades Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag portraits the real situation that we experience in our daily lives. Practices of injustice, prostitution, illegal recruiting, unfair labor practice, and worst thing is discrimination. Marginalized people are being discriminated in their own home.
Going back to the story, it ended up Ligaya failed to meet Julio during their escape, Julio killing Ah Tek (Ligaya's Chinese husband), and Julio being attacked by by-standers in Misericordia. This eye opening film for us intended to show the bitterness of life for the marginalized. But the question is, to whom does this film intends to be delivered? It is for you and for me, for every body.
There are times that we see ourselves as Julio or Ligaya, or sometimes we forgot that we become Mrs. Cruz (illegal recruiter) and Mr. Balajadia (foreman in the construction site), or Ah Tek maybe. Julio and Ligaya have no chances of finishing studies because of financial constraints. Mrs. Cruz, Mr. Balajadia, and Ah Tek are well educated that they used their education to hoodwink others. Or sometimes we think that being marginalized will bring pity to us. Or we think that power is an edge. But thinking it again and again, whether we are Julio, Ligaya, Ah Tek, Mrs. Cruz, Mr.Balajadia, each of us has a role in our community, to practice what is right and just and to extend the joy of justice and fair.
Greed and injustice can never make you happy. We all might end up like Ligaya mar to death by her husband and Julio putting justice in his own hands. You and I has a role to perform. The movie is there to continue make us realize that life is always unfair but we have to do something for us to be happy just like Julio's patience in searching for Ligaya.
Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, greatest film of all times, and would still be great for its story never dies. I just finished the film Monday last week, but I took me a lot of time of putting words in this blog. For those who haven't watched the film, try it, and you'll love it too, just be patient with the color and the sound. Let us all practice justice in our land. We are Filipinos, we are brothers and sisters.
I'd like to thank the following sites for this review:
First of all, youtube for the videos.
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynila:_Sa_mga_Kuko_ng_Liwanag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lino_Brocka
geocities: http://www.geocities.com/philmovies/films/maynilasakuko/maynilasakuko.html
Next in line: Bangkang Papel sa Dagat na Apoy (1984) starring former President Joseph Estrada. The story written by Edgardo M. Reyes who was also the director of this.
Justice is everybody's privilege.
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