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Heneral Luna

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Heneral Luna
Official movie poster
Directed byJerrold Tarog
StarringJohn Arcilla
Mon Confiado
Arron Villaflor
Joem Bascon
Archie Alemania
Epi Quizon
Nonie Buencamino
Paulo Avelino
CinematographyPong Ignacio
Edited byJerrold Tarog
Production
company
Artikulo Uno Productions
Distributed byQuantum Films
Release date
  • September 9, 2015 (2015-09-09)
CountryPhilippines
LanguagesFilipino, English, Spanish
Budget₱ 80 million [1]
Box office₱ 160 million[1]

Heneral Luna (English: "General Luna") is a 2015 Filipino historical biopic film depicting General Antonio Luna's leadership of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine-American War. It opens with the beginning of hostilities with the American colonizers, and ends with the assassination of Luna on June 5, 1899 - a period in which Luna served as Supreme Chief of the Army under the First Philippine Republic.

Directed by Jerrold Tarog and produced by Artikulo Uno Productions, the film received critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike, praising its cinematography, writing, acting and plot. With an estimated budget of 80 million pesos,[1] it is one of the most expensive Filipino epic historical films ever released. On September 29, 2015, it broke previous record of PhP160 million to become the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time.[2][3] The film has been selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.[4][5]

Plot

President Emilio Aguinaldo (Mon Confiado) and his cabinet are debating the issue of the American presence in the Philippines. Felipe Buencamino (Nonie Buencamino) and Pedro Paterno (Leo Martinez) support the American occupation, while Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini (Epi Quizon) and General Antonio Luna (John Arcilla) want independence for the Philippines. Luna asks the cabinet to authorize a pre-emptive strike while the Americans have yet to land their ground troops. Aguinaldo however assured his cabinet that the Americans had promised him to win the country's freedom from their Spanish overlords. Unfortunately, the Americans have invaded key cities in Manila, declaring war against the Filipinos.

Luna and his trusted comrades – General José Alejandrino (Alvin Anson), Colonel Francisco “Paco” Román (Joem Bascon), Captain Eduardo Rusca (Archie Alemania), Captain José Bernal (Alex Medina) and Colonel Manuel Bernal (Art Acuña) – embark on an arduous campaign against the invading American forces. During an intense battle against troops led by General Elwell Otis (E.A. Rocha), Luna asks for reinforcements from the Kawit Battalion but its commander, Captain Pedro Janolino (Ketchup Eusebio), refuses to comply because the order did not come from President Aguinaldo. Luna angrily rides to Janolino's camp, humiliates him in front his men, and dismisses the battalion for insubordination. Luna then assembles an army of 4,000 soldiers by declaring his infamous "Article One", stating that all who refuse to follow his orders shall be executed without the benefit of a trial in a military court. He also forms an elite unit of sharpshooters, and assigns Lieutenant García (Ronnie Lazaro), his best marksman, as its commander.

As the war drags on, Buencamino and Paterno indicate their support of a proposal by the Americans for Philippine autonomy. Enraged by this, Luna orders their arrest. Luna’s campaign is undermined by General Tomás Mascardo (Lorenz Martinez), who opposes Luna's order for reinforcements, stating that he will only follow the President's direct orders. While the two generals are about to clash in Pampanga, the Americans advance steadily as other Filipino generals like Gregorio del Pilar (Paulo Avelino) retreat to the north. Luna visits Aguinaldo and Mabini to file his resignation, knowing that Buencamino and Paterno had been set free. Aguinaldo refuses to accept his resignation, but agrees to let Luna establish a headquarters for the Philippine Army in the north.

Later, Luna is summoned by telegram to the President’s headquarters in Cabanatuan. Although his officers are suspicious, Luna rides to Cabanatuan, bringing only Román and Rusca with him. Most of the soldiers had already left headquarters under President Aguinaldo's orders, with the exception of some elements of the Kawit Battalion. Luna discovers upon arrival that Aguinaldo had already left and only Buencamino remains in the office. As they exchange heated words, a single shot is fired outside. Luna investigates and encounters Janolino and his men, who attack him. Luna is shot, stabbed, and hacked repeatedly to death. Román is also killed while a wounded Rusca surrenders to the Kawit soldiers. All of Luna's remaining loyal officers are arrested, while some are killed, including the Bernal brothers.

As ordered by Aguinaldo, Luna and Román are buried with full military honors by the Kawit Battalion - the same men who killed them. Mabini, who is among the mourners, notices a bloodied machete of one of the soldiers; however, the Kawit Battalion would be exonerated thereafter. The Americans acknowledge Luna as a worthy adversary, laughing at the fact that the Filipinos killed the only real general they had.

In the mid-credits scene, del Pilar makes ready to cover Aguinaldo's retreat to the north. He gathers Luna's remaining men and orders his aide to select 60 of them.

Cast

Historical characters

Members of the Aguinaldo Cabinet

Antonio Luna's general staff

Members of the Cavite Faction of the Philippine Revolutionary Army

Other Philippine Revolutionary Army personnel

United States Army personnel

Civilian characters

Fictional or composite characters

  • Arron Villaflor as Joven Hernando, a journalist interviewing Luna
  • Mylene Dizon as Isabel, a composite character of several of the historical Luna's love interests.

Production

Screenplay

The first draft of Heneral Luna was written in 1998 by E.A. Rocha and Henry Hunt Francia, who chose to write about Antonio Luna after being hired by Cirio Santiago to write a television script for a television series in celebration of the centennial of Philippine independence. When the series failed to push through, Rocha and Francia were asked to rewrite the script as a feature-length film. The film did not go into production, however, and was shelved for seventeen years.[8] Eventually, Leo Martinez convinced Rocha to submit the script to the Film Development Council of the Philippines.[9]

Jerrold Tarog, who had separately developed an interest in making a Luna film after reading literature about Luna, learned about the Rocha and Francia script, and asked if he could use for his planned film. Tarog re-wrote the script, which was originally written in English, with fellow director Alvin Yapan helping translate the script into Tagalog.[8] Francia died before the film's release.[10]

Among Tarog's references during the rewriting of the script were Philippine National Artist Nick Joaquin's A Question of Heroes, which he used as a guide to the film's tone and in humanizing the character of the titular protagonist; and Vivencio José's The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna, which Tarog used as the primary source on Antonio Luna's life. [8]

Development

Before meeting with Rocha regarding revising the script for the film, Tarrog approached mainstream producers to do the film. Tarrog however said that these producers were reluctant to produce historical film, viewing such film with the genre as "boring" or hard to sell. Tarrog expressed difficulty into convincing them that his proposed movie is not boring.[8]

The film was bankrolled by businessman Fernando Ortigas' film production outfit Artikulo Uno Productions, which takes its name from the Philippine-American War military directive, prominently referenced in the Heneral Luna film. Ortigas himself makes a brief cameo in the film.[11]

Music

Aside from taking on duties as the film's director, co-writer, and editor, Tarog, who has a degree in Music Composition from the College of Music at the University of the Philippines Diliman,[12] also wrote the score of the film.[8]

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel, Tarog's fellow alumnus from the UP Rural High School in Los Baños, Laguna, was commissioned to write and perform the movie’s theme song.[13][14]

Release

Pre-release screenings

Heneral Luna had a pre-release screenings at selected venues in the United States; August 30, 2015 in Anthology Film Archives Cinema in New York City and AMC Rio Cinema in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.; August 31, 2015 in Marina Theater in San Francisco and Krikorian Monrovia Cinema in Los Angeles, California. The film was also screened at the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on August 30.[10]

Marketing

The film was released with the tagline "Bayan o Sarili" (Tagalog, "Nation or Self?"), a tagline later used by fans on social media to criticize theaters who had pulled the film out in favor of mainstream films.[10][15]

Much of the public interest in the film came from word of mouth and social media.[15]

By September 19, the film's official trailer posted on YouTube has garnered over 1 million views.

Theatrical release

Its general release in the Philippines nationwide began on September 9, 2015.[10][16]

After initially opening in about 100 theaters, Heneral Luna was pulled out in many theaters entering its second week, mostly to make way for the Hollywood and mainstream films that were scheduled to open. Down to around 40 cinemas, fans of the film rallied on social media and appealed to theater owners - especially the SM, Ayala and Robinsons cinema chains - to provide more venues for the film.[15]

On the opening of its second week, the film was shown to 79 theaters in the Philippines and then was increased to 94 by the weekends due to the increase of popularity.[citation needed] Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and social media coverage boosted the film's popularity, resulting in sold-out theaters nationwide - prompting cinema owners to show it again in their theaters.[15]

Heneral Luna has made PhP163 million gross sales at the box office as of September 29, 2015, only PhP40 million short of the PhP200 million it needs to be able to break even at the box office, after cinemas' cut in ticket sales have been considered.[2][3] On September 29, 2015, it passed the PhP160 million mark to became the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time.[2]

As an independent film, Heneral Luna had a limited marketing budget, resulting in relatively low sales in its first week - PhP 15 million from September 9 to 15, 2015.[3]

Due to positive word of mouth, ticket sales surged at the beginning of Heneral Luna's second release week, despite the reduction in the number of theaters showing the film.[15] The distributor of the film, Joji Alonso, noted that “the 1st day gross of the second week is way higher than the 1st day gross of the 1st week. And to think the number of theaters was reduced by more than half!”[15] the film earned PhP 44 million from September 16 to 22.[3]

Critical reception

Heneral Luna received mostly positive reviews from film critics in the Philippines[17][18][19][20][21] and historians alike,[22][23] and is now considered to be one of greatest Filipino movies of all time.[citation needed]

Historian and former National Commission for Culture and the Arts chair Ambeth Ocampo strongly recommended the film,[22] calling it "an engaging narrative, supported by wonderful cinematography and grounded on sound historical research." He added that "When I previewed the film, I commented that it should not open with a disclaimer simply because it is a cinematic retelling of what many consider textbook history and is not a doctoral dissertation."[22]

However, Kevin Ansel Dy and Hansley Juliano, writing for Rappler, point out that the portrayal of Luna in the film, based largely on the account of historian Vivencio Jose, is largely sympathetic.[24] They also note that the audience reaction to the film is at times worrisome. Calling attention to a scene in which Luna, in a fit of rage, holds a random market chicken-vendor at gunpoint. "Seen from the vendor’s perspective," they point out, "the tragedy ceases to be merely of discord or tragic flaws. The tragedy is that the would-be liberator now holds us at gunpoint. Luna lacks understanding of who his enemy is. In his zeal, he shoots one of the vendor's chickens, declaring those he deems traitors (even if it be Aguinaldo himself) will suffer such a fate. Even his attempt at reconciliation remains insensitive: he merely paid the vendor off, and did not apologize for causing her distress. He has become the monster he fights."[24]

Comparisons have been drawn between Arcilla's portrayal of Luna in the film, and that of the character he played in John Sayles' 2010 film "Amigo", which was also set during the Filipino American War, albeit on a much smaller scale - depicting the war as it was experienced in a single Barrio.[25][26][27]

Philippine Daily Inquirer Arts and Books editor Lito B. Zulueta suggests that "By focusing on arguably the most rugged—and therefore the most dynamic—figure of the Philippine war against the American invaders, Jerrold Tarog’s 'Heneral Luna' revives the historical action movie and in effect, revitalizes two dormant genres—the action film and more important, the historical film."[28] Michael Kho Lim from the Daily Tribune also gave a positive review, saying “Timely as it is significant. John Arcilla breathes life to Luna. Complex. Poetic. Gripping.”[citation needed]

Rappler critic Oggs Cruz calls the film “precise in its storytelling and in its depiction of the major players of the revolution," furthering that "John Arcilla is excellent. Tarog makes his character human… and creates an essay of everything that is wrong with our nationhood. Tarog’s Heneral Luna is fascinating, beautiful to gaze at, and genuinely affecting.” ClickTheCity critic Philbert Ortiz Dy gave the film 5 out of 5 stars , saying "Beyond its obvious technical achievement, Heneral Luna is worth seeing for its audacious approach to tackling our country’s tragic history. All at once bold, artful, darkly funny, informed and deeply entertaining, it makes the revolution come alive in surprising, delightful ways. This film triumphs in capturing the spirit of its subject, the whole enterprise fueled with a heady mix of rage, irreverence and a genuine love of country. It is everything that an Antonio Luna biopic should be.”

Heneral Luna received a Grade A from Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines.[29]

Themes and symbolism

The Spoliarium

A number of visual motiffs throughout film have symbolic significance, particularly for audiences familiar with the History of the period and Filipino culture.

A Philippine revolutionary flag is displayed prominently in the film's bookend scenes, becoming dirtier and more ragged when the film reverts to its framing device as the events of the film unfold.[30] The burning flag during the end credits is an poignant experience for Filipino audiences, as flag-burning is not legal under the 1987 Filipino constitution.[17]

In a scene towards the end of the film, the bodies of Luna and Román are dragged across the courtyard in a manner highly reminiscent of the Spoliarium, a painting which has served as artistic icon of Filipino nationalism, painted in 1884 by Luna's own brother, Juan Luna.[31]

Historical accuracy and significance

According to Tarog, "The film itself is an attempt to identify the ills of our society. It’s a certain disease that’s been plaguing us even before the Spaniards [and Americans] came. We have a cycle of betrayal. Hanggang ngayon nandiyan pa rin. We want to emphasize that our biggest problem is ourselves, not being colonized." [8]

In one of the press conferences for the film's release, Tarog noted that the film took minor creative liberties such as Antonio Luna's frequent usage of the Filipino profanity such as the word putang ina (roughly translated as bitch) in the film in an effort to connect the film to the Filipino millenial generation which was the film's target audience.[10]

Historian and Columnist John Nery notes that an important part of Luna's personal history, his non-support of the first phase of the Philippine revolution - is not mentioned in the film, although he also notes that the event takes place outside the movie's timeframe, and the film does not contradict it. Notes Nery, "Luna’s atonement is not part of the movie’s backstory (although on viewing the movie a second time I imagined it would easily fit the movie’s main narrative). Does this lessen director Jerrold Tarog’s work, or lead actor John Arcilla’s art? I do not think so, because the movie approaches the Luna story on its own terms."[32]

One of the creative liberties taken by the film with the historical timeline is that it portrays Apolinario Mabini as still holding a position of leadership at Luna's funeral, in June 1899. Historically, however, Mabini had been pressured by his political adversaries into resigning from government a month earlier, in May 1899, replaced in his post as Prime Minister by Pedro Paterno. The film portrays the relationship between Mabini and Pedro Paterno as amicable.[33]

Controversies

Given the socio-political nature of the film's themes, and the production's success relative to the majority of the Philippines' indie films and historical films, numerous aspects of the public reception to the film have been covered in media.

Early pull-out

One of the more unusual aspects of the public response to Heneral Luna was the successful campaign to put the film back in theaters. At first, more than half of the theaters that premiered the movie on September 9 had pulled it out after less than 5 days, which is typical practice for commercial movie theaters showing independent Filipino films. By September 16, only 40 of the 101 theaters that premiered it were still showing it. This resulted in a clamor among netizens and artists to bring the film back.[34] This helped create word of mouth publicity for the film after its first week, resulting in packed cinemas on the film's first weekend. As a result, cinemas decided to screen the film again, with second and third week box office results significantly higher than the first. By the end of the film's first weekend, Heneral Luna was showing in 120 cinemas - higher than the number of cinemas that originally screened it.[15]

"Why is Mabini just seated?"

The film's popularity has also led to some criticism of the Philippine educational system, due to reports of numerous incidents - including one during a Q&A with actor Epy Quizon, who portrayed Apolinario Mabini in the film - in which school-age youths asked why Mabini never stood up throughout the film, implying a lack of familiarity with the famously paralytic statesman.[35]

Even President Benigno Aquino III remarked on the implications of the lack of awareness among students, saying "even if only a few students said this, we can say that this is a reflection of how little some of the youth know about history. Later, I will call up (Education Secretary) Armin (Luistro) to act on this." Aquino further remarked that "we cannot question the depth and breadth of the contribution to our country of the man we call the ‘Sublime Paralytic’ and the ‘Brains of the Revolution.’ He represented the intelligence and convictions of the Filipino people. His sharp mind was his weapon to strengthen the foundation of our democratic institution."[36]

Portrayal of Aguinaldo

A number of historians have noted that the Film's portrayal of Emilio Aguinaldo is more negative than it ought to be.[37][38] However, the director has indicated that one of the hopes of the planned trilogy is to present a more rounded portrayal of Aguinaldo.[39]

Sequel

The mid-credit scene of film showed General Gregorio del Pilar, hinting that he would be the focus of the sequel of the movie. Jerrold Tarog stated in an interview that "Heneral Luna" is the first film of a planned trilogy, the second film centered on del Pilar and the third film focusing on Manuel L. Quezon, who was also shown briefly on the film. "There would be sequels if this movie is going to be successful commercially," Tarog said.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Atty. Joji Alonso (Sept. 29). "HENERAL LUNA's countdown to achieve the 200M break even point". Facebook.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c http://kickerdaily.com/heneral-luna-mark-third-week/
  3. ^ a b c d http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/09/30/15/heneral-luna-continues-charge-hits-p160m
  4. ^ "Philippines Sends 'Heneral Luna' To Battle for Foreign-Language Oscar". Variety. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  5. ^ "'Heneral Luna' is PH official entry to Oscar best foreign language film category". Interaksyon. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  6. ^ http://www.nbrcnparks.org/instagram-image/1068541782342403943_342022976
  7. ^ Miguel Faustmann. "March 26 post by Miguel Faustmann on his role as Arthur MacArthur". Facebook.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Concepcion, Pocholo (31 August 2015). "How the film 'Heneral Luna' finally saw the light of day" (in English and Filipino). Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 26 September 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  9. ^ E.A. Rocha, Jerrold Tarog (Jul 28, 2015). [www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kw_VOgidIE HENERAL LUNA Behind the Scenes: Screenplay]. {{cite AV media}}: Check |url= value (help)
  10. ^ a b c d e Sallan, Edwin (31 August 2015). "'Heneral Luna' to have global premiere on National Heroes Day". InterAksyon. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Biz Buzz: Ortigas in 'Heneral Luna'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  12. ^ 2011. DVD Commentary, Confessional (2007)
  13. ^ Sallan, Edwin (12 June 2015). "Ebe Dancel: 'It's easy to misunderstand a passionate man like Antonio Luna'". InterAksyon.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  14. ^ "Ebe Dancel sings theme song for 'Heneral Luna'". ABS-CBNnews.com. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "How did John Arcilla-starrer, Heneral Luna, fare in the box office?". PEP.ph. Philippine Entertainment Portal Inc. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  16. ^ "'Heneral Luna' to be screened in SF before general release". Philippine Daily Inquirer. INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  17. ^ a b Yuson, Alfred (17 August 2015). "And the enemy is us". KRIPOTKIN. The Philippine Star. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  18. ^ Alejo, Annie (31 August 2015). "Hero. Human. Heneral Luna". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  19. ^ Mayuga, Sylvia (9 September 2015). "'Heneral Luna': Hero for the millennial generation". GMA News. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  20. ^ Hawson, Fred (21 September 2015). "Review: Hot-headed and heroic 'Heneral Luna'". Fred Said. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  21. ^ Tordesillas, Ellen (21 September 2015). "Aquino, Del Rosario and Gazmin should watch 'Heneral Luna'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  22. ^ a b c Ocampo, Ambeth (9 September 2015). "Antonio Luna and his temper". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  23. ^ Nery, John (22 September 2015). "Apolinario Mabini vs General Luna". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  24. ^ a b Juliano, Hansley; Dy, Kevin Ansel. "The Imagined Luna". X Rappler. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  25. ^ Lo, Ricky (30 August 2015). "John in the Company of Heroes". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  26. ^ Visaya, Momar (24 July 2015). "Heneral Luna & Pamanhikan premiere at the AAIFF". LifeEASTyle Magazine. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  27. ^ http://entertainment.inquirer.net/140758/game-of-the-general
  28. ^ http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/205799/epic-movie-shows-how-the-revolution-assassinated-heneral-luna
  29. ^ Carvajal, Dolly (2 September 2015). "John Arcilla presents hero's human side". Inquirer Entertainment. Inquirer.net. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  30. ^ henerallunathemovie.com/files/Heneral-Luna-Study-Guide.pdf
  31. ^ Santiago, Katrina Stuart (22 August 2015). "Heneral Luna burns the flag". The Manila Times. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  32. ^ http://opinion.inquirer.net/88960/what-we-still-dont-know-about-antonio-luna
  33. ^ Keat, Gin Ooi (2004), Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1-57607-770-5
  34. ^ "Netizens lament pull-out of 'Heneral Luna' from cinemas". INQUIRER.net. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  35. ^ "'Why is Mabini just seated?' Epy Quizon stands up to the confused". INQUIRER.net. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  36. ^ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/726449/aquino-cant-believe-question-asked-why-mabini-was-seated-throughout-luna-movie
  37. ^ http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/09/25/abaya-does-not-believe-in-luna-storyline/
  38. ^ http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/09/28/15/hero-or-traitor-historian-weighs-aguinaldo-luna
  39. ^ http://www.mb.com.ph/the-most-important-filmmaker-of-our-era-is-jerrold-tarog/
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