Unhistorical bits and
details that bother



THE CONTROVERSY over the recent Film Festival forced me to see the two most-talked about entries "Mano Po" and "Dekada '70," which I will not review since much space has been devoted elsewhere for or against these two films. There are, however, two points I want to get off my chest.

First, I never realized how difficult it would be for a Film Festival juror to decide on a mixed bag of entries. While one can compare and contrast escapist fantasy films: "Agimat ni Lolo" and "Spirit Warriors" you cannot do the same with "Lastikman" and "Dekada '70."

If it is hard to compare films that are so different, it is much harder to compare acting performances. Much has been said about Vilma Santos losing out to Ara Mina and I want to add my two cents' worth. After viewing both films, my conclusion is that Santos can surely tackle Mina's role but can Mina do justice to Santos' complex character? But then a die-hard Ara Mina fan would surely reply: Can Santos wear Mina's sexy red dress with the open back so low it teases the viewer with a butt crack? Of course, Santos can wear the same thing but the question is: Can she get away with it? A die-hard Vilmanian will answer: Can Mina, even with a wig, play a mother tormented and confused by martial law? The bottom line is, can we, or should we, compare the proverbial apples and oranges?

My greatest disappointment was not finding a venue in Makati City screening "Lapu-lapu." The producers of this film have brought the Film Festival organizers to court and argue that "Lapu-lapu," despite its poor box-office showing, has the most Filipiniana content. From the newspaper ads I knew what to expect of this historical film and I do not care to add to the beating it already got from other reviewers. Lito Lapid was not wearing the historically correct costume. He carries a bad copy of a Kalinga shield when one can order a good reproduction and cheaply, from Baguio City souvenir shops.

While one can stretch the imagination and think that Lapu-lapu of Mactan used a Cordillera shield, the problem is that he carries it upside down. From this alone I am afraid to see the film and confirm my worst expectations. This brings me to the second point I want to make about the Film Festival entries: There was little or no research involved.

Last Sunday, someone detailed the production errors of "Mano Po," I will add just one last item they missed out on. I have many friends of Chinese descent, my grandmother was Chinese, and yet nobody I know wears those brocaded silk outfits that can be found in abundance in Hong Kong tourist traps. At most, we wore those imitation-silk brocaded pajamas that were brought home as "pasalubong" [coming-home presents] from the so-called "Red China store" in Hong Kong. We only wore these when we were children and we never wore Chinese outfits publicly as adults until Shanghai Tang came along and made it trendy.

While the intention of the film was to help Filipinos understand the culture that makes Chinese-Filipinos different, the costumes reinforce misleading stereotype images. Most amusing is the fact that some of the costumes worn by the women in this supposedly rich Chinese-Filipino family have a cut that is reserved to amahs or servants. A little research and attention to detail would have gone a long way.

As a historian I am particular about details. Maybe I am nitpicking but having watched director Mike de Leon at work on "Bayaning Third World," I realized that most films are careless about details. In "Dekada '70" there is a scene showing a demonstration outside the old Congress building, the camera pans over the building and the facade is clearly marked, "National Museum." Surely one could cover the sign with the correct one physically or correct this through a computer during post-production or simply avoid it. It's a negligible split-second, I doubt if most people noticed or even cared, but if we are to believe in subliminal messages or that the eye notices more than we think, then it does matter.

To enjoy a film we suspend disbelief, a difficult feat if the film does not cooperate. I could not suspend disbelief when the "mestizo"[Spanish-Filipino] Penshoppe boy Cogie Domingo tried to pass himself off as a full-blooded Chinese from pre-revolution China. Makeup and heavy accent were not enough. "Mano Po" made me wonder whether our pool of talent was so shallow that casting directors had no choice.

I was a martial law baby and "Dekada '70" should make me nostalgic, but the actors in those funny wigs made me cringe. Most of the production design here was superb and the flaws I saw were negligible. My favorite, aside from the National Museum passing off as the old Congress building occurs in a dramatic part of the movie. Most people were too touched by the scene showing the Bartolome family visiting their son detained in a military camp to notice a glaring gap in continuity. It's supposed to be Christmas Eve and they show this very well, but then two characters go out for a smoke and when they step out of the door, it's bright as day. So, it's night indoors and day outdoors? Maybe it's a visual pun -- jail is darkness, freedom is light? Now that's over-reading.

Good or bad, the film Festival provided entertainment and momentary respite from the depressing state of the country. For this alone I should be grateful, gloss over the flaws and look forward to the next festival.

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Comments are welcome at ambeth@admu.edu.ph