Film Review
Rating: 5/5
Cast: Christopher De Leon, Gloria Diaz, Eddie Garcia
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| Kulas (played by Christopher De Leon) travels going nowhere as he enjoys his newly bought horse in exchange of his land property. Photo by Lorenz Roi Morales |
The film actually depicts the painful reality of life for "Indyos" during Spanish Era in the Philippines. An innocent "probinsyano", namely Kulas, turned into an epitome of wealth after helping a phony priest in saving his son and then in the end turning back to who he was at the beginning. The story uplifts and honors the label "Filipino" which shows who Filipinos really were and who we should be yesterday and today: dignified, innately benevolent and does good acts without asking for anything in return. In this film, I saw three main values: what happens when you do good unexceptionally, the honor of being a Filipino and the uncertainty of life's course.
When it comes to technicality and cinematography, I would rate it excellent: the script and lines were appropriate for the scenes; the setting and production design is above excellent; the audio is satisfactory (maybe because I saw the restored version); and the shots and camera angles are very impressive as well.
I am very grateful that the ABS-CBN Film Archives is spearheading the Film Restoration Project. Without it, youth today like me, who are film and literature enthusiasts as well, would not be able to have the chance to see such classic masterpiece.
