Dr. Jose Rizal Film

There was an old Latin maxim that says: “You cannot give what you do not have.” In the same way, we cannot learn to love our cultural heritage as Filipinos, if we do not know our background and history as Filipinos. So, it is indeed helpful that there is a movie depicting the life of our national hero. It shows the great explanation of the Philippine history, the nationalism and heroism in a non-violent manner, though, there were times that the characters speak in Spanish and I couldn’t understand it unless I will read the subtitles. I could also say that the other characters weren’t having difficulties in reciting their Spanish lines.

One note, this movie is not for the faint of heart. There are scenes that depict violence and even torture. The opening few scenes depict some episodes from Rizal's novels. In one a Catholic priest rapes a Filipina. I guess I now know where the Mestizo class came from in the Philippines. In the other scene a Catholic priest beats a child for alleged stealing. It made me wonder how the Catholic Church could possibly retain any power in the country.

But what I have noticed is that the movie is fond of using a series of flashbacks, which may somehow stir the innocent minds of the viewers. But as an overall impression, I can say the movie is done intellectually. It isn’t one of the cliché Filipino movies. The presentation of the scenes is interesting though sometimes confusing. It takes a critical mind to understand what is implied and given stress in the movie. But let’s have enough of the production aspect of the movie. Let’s go over the details and look more closely on the essence of the movie.

One of the strengths of Jose Rizal is his way of incorporating the characters of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in his life and of the Filipinos in general. This only shows that the two books reflect the lives of the Filipinos during the Spanish regime. But the thought and ideas of the book do not only live in the past but it is also alive in the present manifesting the immortality of Jose Rizal’s ideas. There is a beautiful transition of Rizal’s time and the setting of the movie. I can say that in order to have a better appreciation of the movie, it is advisable that you read the books first. I guess everybody who had watched the film would have the logic of relating Dr. Jose Rizal to the character of Crisostomo Ibarra and Leonor to Maria Clara. If we analyze it, both Rizal and Ibarra come from a well-off family, both have studied in Europe, and both of them have sympathy for the oppressed.

The