Kisapmata (film)
| Kisapmata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Mike de Leon |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | The House on Zapote Street by Quijano de Manila |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Rody Lacap |
| Edited by | Jess Navarro |
| Music by | Lorrie Ilustre |
Production company | Bancom Audiovision |
| Distributed by | Bancom Audiovision |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Filipino |
Kisapmata (English: In the Wink of an Eye)[1] is a 1981 Filipino psychological horror film directed by Mike de Leon, with a screenplay by de Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., and Raquel Villavicencio. It stars Vic Silayan, Charo Santos, Jay Ilagan, and Charito Solis.
The plot was inspired by the crime reportage "The House on Zapote Street" written by Nick Joaquin.[2] The piece chronicles the events leading up to the highly publicized familicide committed by Pablo Cabading, a retired policeman.[3]
Premiering at the 7th Metro Manila Film Festival, the film received positive reviews. It won 10 of the festival awards, including Best Film, and was screened at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight, alongside de Leon's Batch '81. The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Film Critics) included it in their list of Ten Best Films of the Decade. In 2020, the film was digitally restored with a subsequent theatrical screening at the 34th Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, Italy.
Controversial upon release, it is the first major treatment of incest in Philippine cinema and has been viewed as a commentary against the patriarchy and the regime of then President Ferdinand Marcos.[4]
Plot
The film opens with Mila Carandang (Charo Santos) reluctantly telling her domineering father Diosdado "Dadong" (Vic Silayan), a retired policeman, that she is pregnant. Mila asks permission from her father to marry her co-worker Noel Manalansan (Jay Ilagan). Dadong begrudgingly gives his permission when his unreasonable demands for a hefty dowry are met.
After the wedding, Dadong insists that the newlyweds stay in his house. Despite protestations, the young couple acquiesce. During their time living in the Carandang house, Mila tells Noel that she must stay with her sick mother Adelina "Dely" (Charito Solis), much to Noel's annoyance as he wants to move out with Mila as soon as possible. One evening, Noel is forced to find other accommodations after he is locked out of the house.
Although still fearful of her father, Mila decides to escape. She and Noel stay with Noel's father (Ruben Rustia). The young couple, however, return to the Carandang house to gather their belongings. Dadong pleads with Mila to stay, saying he has an interest in the baby she is carrying (suggesting that he has been carrying an incestuous relationship with his daughter). As Mila and Noel stand firm on leaving, Dadong is driven to desperation, pulls out his gun, and shoots Dely, Noel, Mila, and finally himself.
Cast
- Vic Silayan as Sgt. Diosdado Carandang
- Charito Solis as Adelina Carandang
- Charo Santos as Milagros Carandang
- Jay Ilagan as Noel Manalansan
- Ruben Rustia as Peping Manalansan
- Aida Carmona as Onyang
- Juan Rodrigo as Ernie
- Cora Alforja as Cynthia
- Dino Angeles as Mario
- Edwin O'Hara as Policeman 1
- Mandy Bustamante as Policeman 2
- Mely Mallari as Diomy
- Monette Alfon as Landlady
- Teresita R. Sanchez as Dra. Trinidad
Production
Inspiration
The film was inspired by the "The House on Zapote Street" written by Nick Joaquin under the pen name Quijano de Manila. The report was first published in the Philippine Free Press on January 28, 1961. It was later included in Joaquin's collection Reportage on Crime: Thirteen Horror Happenings that Hit the Headlines, published in 1977.[5] Joaquin's piece chronicles the familicide committed by retired police detective Pablo Cabading. Divided into six "episodes," it was written based on the journalist's own primary research and investigation, including witness interviews.[6]
On January 18, 1961, Cabading had shot his daughter, Lydia Cabading-Quitangon, and her husband, Leonardo, both of whom were medical doctors. After killing the newly-weds, Cabading shot himself. His wife, Asuncion, survived and would later attempt to stop the release of the film.[7]
Joaquin's reportage is silent about any rape that may have been committed by the father, but academic Joyce Arriola states that "the text suggests that possibility."[8] Arriola additionally claims that de Leon was also influenced by the 1978 novel Blood Secrets by Craig Jones, which further developed the theme of incest.[9]
The original version of the film omitted Joaquin's name, but the journalist was credited in the restored copy.[7]
Development
Director Mike de Leon was interested in adapting Nick Joaquin's article as early as 1978 but experienced difficulty in finding a producer who was willing to back a film with such dark themes. It was eventually produced by Bancom Audiovision, a subsidiary of Union Bank, which had previously produced Lina Brocka's Jaguar and Eddie Romero's Aguila, on which de Leon was cinematographer.[7][10] Kisapmata would be Bancom Audiovision's final production.[10]
The screenplay was written by de Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., and Raquel Villavicencio, the same creative team behind de Leon's then-on-production-hiatus Batch '81.[11]
In order to avoid lawsuits, the names of the people in Joaquin's report were changed from the Cabading family to the Carandang family, as well as the profession of the young couple from doctors to accountants.[12] Beyond the Joaquin article, De Leon did original research on the crime, uncovering details that were never released to the public, including the fact that the father hid under the young couple's bed while they were sleeping, that the father had two wives, and that after he had shot the others, the father laid down on his daughter's bed before shooting himself, although these were not incorporated into the film.[7] Vic Silayan, who plays Dadong Carandang, had asked de Leon if the character could be changed to a step-father as he was uncomfortable with the incest issue, but they both acknowledged it would ultimately change the film.[10][13]
Filming
The film was shot while production on de Leon's Batch '81 was on hiatus due to budget problems. In May 1981, four months into principal photography for Batch '81, its producer, Marichu Maceda, announced that filming would have to pause. Maceda's other production, Pakawalan Mo Ako starring Vilma Santos, was behind schedule and financing two films simultaneously was too expensive. Production on Batch '81 continued three months later; by that time de Leon and his creative team had filmed Kisapmata.[11]
The house used as the Carandang house in the film was located in Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City and had the design of the prevailing domestic architectural style: a split-level suburban home. It was considered the first and biggest production requirement of the film, providing a crucial function to establish the setting and mood.[14] Production designer Cesar Hernando had come across the house while looking for a location to film the riot scene of Batch '81. Hernando and his team filled the house with furniture, including adding the barbed wires on the gate and the taxidermy deer in the living room, both of which would serve as a visual metaphor in the film. The set was completed in three weeks, with shooting lasting a mere 18 days.[15][16]
Kisapmata explores the concept of strongman rule as exemplified by the character of Dadong, ang Tatang, the psychotic padre de familia, rendered monstrous by the unforgettable performance of Vic Silayan. The father has incestuous relations with his daughter—the ultimate corruptiuon. That the film was interpreted as an allegory of the regime of Ferdinand Marcos was no coincidence, though the crime happened in 1961. Nevertheless, many elements in this allegory were present in the original story. The policeman was an Ilocano, and so was Marcos. He ruled with an iron fist and subjected his family to unmitigated terror, just as Marcos did to the country.
Themes
Kisapmata is generally viewed as an allegory of the dictatorial regime of then President Ferdinand Marcos, a theme director Mike de Leon explores in his films Batch '81 and Sister Stella L.[17][18] Academic Nicanor Tiongson found the violent and unreasonable relationship of Dadong Carandang, the over-possessive father, with Mila, his incest victim, as a microcosm of Marcos' rule. Released one year before martial law was lifted, during a time of growing political upheaval, the desperation and breakdown of the father as his daughter slips away subtly points towards the fragile condition of the Philippine nation.[19]
Release
On December 24, 1981, a day before the opening of the 7th Metro Manila Film Festival, a temporary restraining order was filed by Asuncion Cabading to stop the screening of Kisapmata. Cabading was the widow of the deceased police detective written about in "The House on Zapote Street." Director Mike de Leon admitted that the production team had forgotten that she survived the massacre. The issue was quickly resolved and the film was able to premier on schedule the following day.[7]
During the 7th Metro Manila Film Festival, Pierre-Henri Deleau, a Cannes organizer, invited de Leon to show Kisapmata along with the director's then-work-in-progress Batch '81 at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. The two films screened at the Directors' Fortnight later that year.[20]
Censorship
Due to its controversial theme, only subtle references to incest are used throughout the film.[21] Nevertheless, Kisapmata was subjected to the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures, then headed by Senator Maria Kalaw Katigbak, who required de Leon to remove a scene where Dadong Carandang enters his daughter's room as she fearfully waits for him come in. Academic Nicanor Tiongson found that as a result "the point of the scene – the horror of incest – was obscured."[22] The scene was re-added for the screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
De Leon has referred to the Metro Manila Film Festival copy as the "theatrical version" and the Cannes Film Festival copy as the "final cut."[7]
Restoration
The digital restoration of the film was originally funded by de Leon and used an original print the director had kept at the Asian Film Archive in Singapore. This print used was of the "final cut" that screened at the Cannes Film Festival, not the edited and censored version shown at the Metro Manila Film Festival. The restoration itself was done by L’Immagine Ritrovata, the same film lab De Leon worked with for the restoration of his 1982 film Batch '81, as well as Lina Brocka's 1975 film Manila in the Claws of Light, on which de Leon was cinematographer and co-producer.[23] While Kisapmata was in the process of being restored, Union Bank, the parent company of the defunct production company Bancom Audiovision, reimbursed de Leon half of the restoration cost and offered co-ownership.[7]
On August 31, 2020, the restored version premiered at the 34th Il Cinema Ritrovato, a festival dedicated to recovered and restored classics, in Bologna, Italy.[23]
Reception
Noel Vera, writing for BusinessWorld, called Kisapmata "easily Mike de Leon's masterpiece" and "one of the greatest Filipino films".[24] Similarly, critic Oggs Cruz considered the film de Leon's "masterpiece" and went on to say "the characters in de Leon's films are real human beings – they work, they interact with other people, they have needs and ambitions. It is that factor that turns this nightmare even far more chilling that Hitchcock's masterpiece [Psycho]."[7][25]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Metro Manila Film Festival | Best Film | Kisapmata | Won |
| Best Director | Mike De Leon | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Vic Silayan | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jay Ilagan | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Charito Solis | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Mike De Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., and Raquel Villavicencio | Won | ||
| Best Story | Mike De Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., and Raquel Villavicencio | Won | ||
| Best Editing | Jess Navarro and Ben Pelayo | Won | ||
| Best Production Design | Cesar Hernando | Won | ||
| Best Sound Engineering | Ramon Reyes | Won | ||
| 1982 | FAMAS Awards | Best Actor | Vic Silayan | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jay Ilagan | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Charito Solis | Nominated | ||
| Gawad Urian Awards | Best Picture (Pinakamahusay na Pelikula) | Kisapmata | Nominated | |
| Best Direction (Pinakamahusay na Direksyon) | Mike De Leon | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor (Pinakamahusay na Pangunahing Aktor) | Vic Silayan | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktor) | Jay Ilagan | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktres) | Charito Solis | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay (Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula) | Mike De Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., and Raquel Villavicencio | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing (Pinakamahusay na Editing) | Jess Navarro | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography (Pinakamahusay na Sinematograpiya) | Rody Lacap | Won | ||
| Best Production Design (Pinakamahusay na Disenyong Pamproduksiyon) | Cesar Hernando | Won | ||
| Best Music (Pinakamahusay na Musika) | Lorrie Ilustre | Won | ||
| Best Sound (Pinakamahusay na Tunog) | Ramon Reyes | Won |
See also
References
- ^ Vibal & Villegas 2020, p. 372.
- ^ Romulo, Erwin T. (February 26, 2010). "Pop crimes: Quijano de Manila's 'Reportage on Crime'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 275–277.
- ^ Tajan, Menchie; Gatchalian, Elmer (2021) [1994]. "Kisapmata". Cultural Center of the Philippines Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 272.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 275.
- ^ a b c d e f g h De Jesus, Totel (December 15, 2020). "The Saga of 'Kisapmata'". GMA Network. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 276.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 279.
- ^ a b c Hunt, Aaron (December 17, 2020). ""Nobody Knew About the Vinegar Syndrome at That Time": Mike De Leon On His Newly Restored Kisapmata". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Gomez 2017, p. 50–52.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 278.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 283.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 287.
- ^ Gomez, Jerome (September 6, 2020). "This house birthed a Filipino movie classic". ANCX. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Quiling 2018, p. 75.
- ^ David, Joel (2011). "Primates in Paradise: Critical Possibilities of the Milieu Movie" (PDF). Kritika Kultura. 17: 96.
- ^ Campos 2006, p. 48, 51.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 296–297.
- ^ Gomez 2017, p. 59.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 282.
- ^ Arriola 2010, p. 296.
- ^ a b De Jesus, Totel (August 13, 2020). "Restored 'Kisapmata' to be shown in Bologna this month, to be streamed in December". ABS-CBN.
- ^ Vera, Noel (March 27, 2020). "All in the family". BusinessWorld. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Cruz, Oggs (October 27, 2006). "Kisapmata (1982)". Lessons From the School of Inattention. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
Works cited
- Arriola, Joyce (2010). "A third way to film the story: a Filipino film adaptation of a work of literary journalism". South East Asia Research. 18 (2): 271–300. doi:10.5367/000000010791513120. JSTOR 23750939. S2CID 147506590 – via JSTOR.
- Campos, Patrick (2006). "Looming Over the Nation, Uneasy with the Folks: Locating Mike de Leon in Philippine Cinema". Humanities Diliman: A Journal on Philippine Humanities. 3 (2): 35–73.
- Gomez, Jerome (2017). Batch '81: The Making of a Mike de Leon Film. Singapore: Asian Film Archive. ISBN 978-981-11-5223-8.
- Quiling, Tito (2018). "House of Cards: The One-and-a-Half Story House in Kisapmata (1981)". UNITAS. 90 (1): 55–78.
- Vibal, Gaspar; Villegas, Dennis (2020). Philippine Cinema, 1897–2020. Quezon City: Vibal Foundation. ISBN 978-971-97-0717-2.
Further reading
- David, Joel (1990). "Exceptions". The National Pastime. Pasig, Metro Manila: Anvil Publishing. pp. 28–32. ISBN 978-621-96191-2-7.
- Quiling, Tito (2013). "Projecting Homes: Domestic Spaces in Three Filipino Films". Humanities Diliman: A Journal on Philippine Humanities. 10 (2): 85–105.
