Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Lino Brocka, 1975)

My first attempt to watch the newly-restored Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag was futile. SM Megamall allocated only two screenings for the film on Thursday, 8 August. Dang, this is one of the greatest Filipino films and it merely gets a pair of early screenings?

I finally caught up with Brocka’s masterpiece yesterday, a rainy Sunday afternoon. There’s nothing like watching a great, almost-mint film on the big screen. The gorgeous colors come alive. The neon lights are truly dazzling and seductive even from afar. The gleaming yellow hard hat on slimy Balajadia’s head effectively exposes the lack of hard hats for the poor workers.

The restoration is surely worth it because of small, important things being uncovered by viewers. The best new thing I’ve discovered is that the story of star-crossed lovers was set in pre-martial law Philippines. A calendar on the background has December 1970 on it. This kind of information will surely be missed out when the film is seen on a small screen. Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. originally wrote the screenplay in 1970 for a scriptwriting course handled by Nestor Torre.

Another discovery for me is identifying the movie being watched by the two lovers. The film King of Kings alludes to the heavy cross borne by a suffering Ligaya Paraiso (Hilda Koronel). Ligaya takes care of her child with a man she does not love, Chua Tek. The cross can also refer to Ligaya's recruiter, Miss Cruz, who is the person responsible for bringing her to the infernal city of Manila.

Images of Manila in this film have been copied countless times in other movies. Maynila shows Luneta as a place frequented by sex workers. There is even a scene showing doves flying freely in the area. Maynila nga ang pugad ng mga kalapating mababa ang lipad. Manila By Night also features the city as a breeding hotspot of sex workers and shadowy characters.

Viewing the film (aka Manila In the Claws of the Neon) is easily one of the best film experiences I’ve had in a long time. The feeling I had is akin to seeing Gilas Pilipinas win over the South Korean basketball team or watching Manny Pacquiao knock out Ricky Hatton. All those great images and moments are etched firmly in my mind along with the film's final scene showing a cornered Julio Madiaga at a cul-de-sac.

I believe that the Taiwanese film Rebels of the Neon God has a few nods to Manila In the Claws of the Neon. Both films have the word Neon on their titles. Kang-sheng Lee's Hsiao-Kang is similar to the built and countenance of Bembol Roco's Julio Madiaga. The films' street chases are similar.

Brocka's film will be shown at the Sineng Pambansa Film Festival in September 2013.

Bayan Ko: Kapit Sa Patalim (Lino Brocka, 1984)

Scriptwriter Pete Lacaba shared several anecdotes about Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim during the film’s October 2008 screening at the Dekada Cinemanila. The script for the brilliant film was the first one he showed to Lino Brocka after getting out of prison in the late 1970s. The two decided it was not the right time to rock the boat. Martial law was still enforced. They settled on making the less controversial Jaguar.

After gaining some clout with the Cannes Festival participation of Jaguar, the duo hooked up with Toni Gonzales of Malaya Films to pursue the filming of Bayan Ko. Originally, the film was titled Kapit sa Patalim. But, with the increase in number of political rallies and demonstrations against President Ferdinand Marcos, the song Bayan Ko gained prominence. The filmmakers decided to use it as main title of their new film.

Ibon mang may layang lumipad,

Kulungin mo at pumipiglas,

Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag

Ang di magnasang makaalpas!

- Bayan Ko -

Brocka utilized amazing footages of actual opposition rallies. The rallies were huge and the participants were really brave and passionate. Majority of the exuberant demonstrators were wearing yellow T-shirts with portraits of Ninoy. There were no traces of fear in their faces. As the Bayan Ko lyrics state, a subjugated bird will try its best to break free. The key word is 'pumipiglas' and not 'umiiyak.'

The censors’ board eventually banned the public exhibition of Bayan Ko. The board used the flimsy excuse of nudity by Claudia Zobel to give the film an X rating.

With the help of some foreign supporters, the film was smuggled out of the country. It soon earned wide critical acclaim overseas. It was chosen to compete for the Palme d’Or. It was selected as most outstanding film at the British Film Institute Award.

More than two decades have passed but the film still evokes strong reaction from the audience. I was floored by the film’s strong statement against the regime of Marcos. Labor problems, health insurance woes, and the Ninoy Aquino assassination were the major issues brought out in the open by the film. 

Many of us can relate to the pharmacy scene wherein Turing Manalastas (Philip Salvador) bought only half of the prescribed medicines because of high prices. His pregnant wife is confined at the hospital. Faced with sky-high expenses, Turing takes part in a robbery.

This is a top-tier Brocka film.  It is better than the dated Brocka-Lacaba film, Jaguar. The dialogues are somewhat stilted in the latter film. Another good Brocka film that is anti-Marcos is Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak, which shows a Marcos-like couple wrecking havoc on a town they are governing.


* Originally posted in a Xanga blog

Re-posted in memory of the martyrs of Martial Law