Jose Rizal : On Focus

The film “Jose Rizal” was a movie directed by Marilou Diaz-Abar. Veteran actor Cesar Montano portrayed the life of Jose Rizal. He brought his talent to one of the most divisive movies of all time. This film was produced by GMA Films, and it was their entry to the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. It was one of the most successful movies of the production because it grossed up to 136.7 million pesos.

In the movie, Dr. Rizal (Montano) was accused of treason and awaited trial and meets his counsel, Luis Taviel de Andrade. The latter constructed the case and the arguments that they will need for their defense. After hearing the life of Rizal, Taviel realized that Rizal was not just innocent, but also an ordinary man who truly loves his country. When the mock trial began, Taviel defended his client, despite him, being a Spanish native himself. In the interim, the Spanish authorities had already planned to give Rizal a guilty output. Then started a revolution led by the katipunan founded by Andres Bonifacio, where bloods were shed.

The movie, generally, is a great one. The fact that it won several awards in the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival including Best Picture, it was truly a must see movie. Only a few directors would gladly, remarkably do these kinds of films nowadays. But it made me realized some things, like Rizal didn’t actually want freedom for our country, but reforms through education. The concept of being one, in my opinion, was just made because of his vendetta when his proposal was turned down by the Spanish officials. Despite of those things, for it wasn’t for Rizal; the Philippines would not achieve its freedom from the cruel Spaniards. We would still be under the imperial power of Spain. It just so happens that in our society today, I believe that things are turning upside down. Our minds are being madly influenced of what we see that is something “in” in the Western. We are foremost failing to remember our culture and our being nationalist. Successful countries do not have these kinds of traits in their people. Successful countries use one word, one language, so that every can understand what one is saying, instead of blabbing things out, but majority could not perceive it. Better yet, let us promote our culture; enrich it, because nobody else in this world would ever do that. It would plunk a big shame on us if somebody would.