'Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag' film forum happening tomorrow | New Day - video Dailymotion

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A Lino Brocka classic masterpiece is front and center of a film forum this weekend.   We're talking about none other than "Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag" which won several major awards at the 1976 FAMAS Awards.  These include Best Picture, Best Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.   The film forum will be held tomorrow, August 26th at the RCBC Plaza in Makati city. To tell us more about this, with us now in the studio are the award-winning persons behind the film. 1976 FAMAS Best Actor Bembol Roco and Screenwriter Doy del Mundo, Jr.   Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 a Lino Broca classic masterpiece is front and center of a film forum this weekend.

00:05 And we're talking about none other than Maynila sa mga kokun ng liwanag,

00:08 which won several major awards at the 1976 FAMAS Awards.

00:13 And of course, these include Best Picture, Best Director, Screenplay, Cinematography,

00:17 Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.

00:19 Now, the film forum will be held tomorrow, August 26, at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City.

00:24 And to tell us more about this, well,

00:26 we have none other than two of the award-winning persons behind this film here.

00:31 Please welcome 1976 FAMAS Best Actor, Bembol Roco,

00:34 and screenwriter, Doy Del Mundo, Jr.

00:36 Good morning, gentlemen.

00:37 What an honor to have you both in the studio.

00:41 Okay, I mean, we were just talking about this, you know, before we went on cam.

00:46 You know, how does it feel for both of you to, you know, to have this conversation still present?

00:56 I mean, to this day, how many years has it been?

00:58 It's coming on 48, coming on, or it's 48 coming on 50, I believe.

01:01 Yep, yep.

01:02 So, it must be such an achievement to have a piece of work that stands the test of time.

01:10 It must be amazing.

01:11 Oh, definitely.

01:12 I mean, after almost 50 years, they're still talking about it,

01:18 discussing about how well the film was made.

01:21 Sure.

01:22 And I do believe it's...

01:23 And it's continued relevance.

01:25 Yeah, yeah, up to now.

01:26 Yeah.

01:27 And of course, for you, Doy, I mean, how putting this script together,

01:33 it was originally what, a Liyy series to a novel?

01:38 Right, right.

01:39 And you created this masterpiece, and it has been re-edited.

01:43 Yeah, the screenplay is based on the novel by Edgar Durea,

01:49 so I was in school then, in graduate school in '69, '70,

01:56 and I took a course in literature with Bien Lubera,

02:02 and he assigned this novel, and I thought it would translate into a good film.

02:09 And then I had a course, a tutorial course in script writing with Nestor Torre,

02:16 and I did this project.

02:19 But like this film, I mean, during that time,

02:22 I mean, let's focus on that time, and then coming out with a film such as this,

02:27 I mean, what were the challenges that you had to face in coming out with this film?

02:32 It was a very scathing commentary, obviously, on this particular era of life in the Philippines,

02:38 and like we said, it continues to have relevance,

02:41 but really working and talking about those conditions in that period, in that time,

02:45 must have been quite a thing.

02:48 It was. I mean, for me, it was my second film,

02:53 and I really didn't know much about filmmaking yet at that time,

02:58 so it was all new to me.

03:00 I just followed what the director asked me to do.

03:03 I think much like Julio, you probably came into this sort of blind with eyes wide open,

03:07 and maybe a little bit naive as to what the filmmaking really was all about.

03:11 In fact, there were some things there that I really didn't know about.

03:16 I mean, like, yeah, the prostitution then for men, I didn't know it existed.

03:24 It was a rude awakening for all of us, for many of us.

03:27 Really?

03:28 You didn't know about it?

03:29 No, not really.

03:31 Well, you find out one way or another,

03:33 and this film was certainly one way to open the eyes of the whole nation to what life really was like.

03:38 Absolutely.

03:40 There were a lot of challenges at that time,

03:42 because in the '60s and in 1970, the industry was in the pits.

03:48 Sure.

03:49 1970, the bomba film craze, off-core pornography became the craze,

03:55 and so a new generation of filmmakers came in,

03:59 Lino Broca, Ishmael Bernal, Mike DeLeon, and ourselves,

04:02 and those were the challenges of what to do,

04:05 and we were all fired up to do something in the industry,

04:09 and we were exposed to world cinema, the French New Wave at that time,

04:16 and other classic films.

04:18 So we wanted to do our part in producing something good.

04:21 Yeah, and of course the creative process that actually went to doing this film.

04:27 I mean, way back when, I don't know how it was done,

04:29 or how long a film actually took, and all of the--how long?

04:34 I mean, tell me about the experience that you went through doing this film.

04:38 I think it took us about two months.

04:40 Two months?

04:41 I think.

04:42 Two months?

04:43 Okay, two months.

04:44 Yeah, well, and then there were, well, a lot of scenes done in the construction area.

04:52 Yes, we saw that.

04:53 Also in Manila.

04:54 What was it like to work with Lino Broca?

04:56 You know, there are many stories about his process

05:00 and how uncompromising he was when it came to his work, his craft.

05:05 What was it like to work with a master?

05:06 As far as I'm concerned, Lino is a very direct director.

05:12 Okay.

05:13 And he motivates his actors really deep and well.

05:19 So as far as I'm concerned, I realized and understood what he wanted for me to do.

05:29 So it was clear.

05:30 Lino was already a big name at that time.

05:33 He started in 1970 doing films with Leia Productions, commercial movies,

05:38 and then he established his own company in around 1973.

05:42 They produced Tinimbangkang, Ngunit Kulang, which was a critical success.

05:47 That film inspired other producers to make their films.

05:52 So Mike De Leon was inspired to produce.

05:56 And he did Manila, Sa Mga Kokonan Liyuanag, in 1974.

06:01 We did the shoot.

06:02 So you said--I mean, there are already so many luminaries being active and existing at that time,

06:08 but what actually sets this film apart from the rest?

06:11 Why is it so relevant to this day?

06:14 So much so that it has, as you said, it's been re-edited.

06:17 There's been a musical.

06:18 It's been in the CAD Film Festival.

06:20 It's been one of the movies that you have to watch before you die.

06:25 You know, I mean, all of these things.

06:27 The only film.

06:28 And of course, Martin Sorksese also helped redo the film once again.

06:35 So what is it?

06:37 What's the heart of this film?

06:39 It was a serious attempt at making a good Filipino film.

06:47 And it's unusual that a material would be based on a novel in the commercial industry.

06:55 So it was something different, too.

06:57 And then the casting.

06:58 So Benbo was--that was his second film.

07:02 You weren't supposed to be--yes, right!

07:05 I was just supposed to be one of the callboys.

07:09 Callboys or construction workers?

07:15 Well, we'll certainly have to see the film to figure out what we're talking about here.

07:20 And a whole generation will continue to see the film.

07:23 I think it's more of the content of the film that makes it really relevant and important up to this day.

07:30 It was during martial law when we did it, 1974.

07:34 And there's a scene in the film, a demonstration.

07:38 Which we did without permit.

07:42 And the police thought that it was a real demonstration.

07:47 Until they saw the cameras.

07:50 And it really captured the spirit of the time.

07:53 It really, like I said, continues to have relevance.

07:55 And I think everybody should see this.

07:57 I was so proud when my daughter, who is 18 years old, said, "Oh, Papa, I saw this amazing film."

08:03 Maynila sa mga kukunin ni Mareng.

08:04 And I was like, "Wow, great. Congratulations.

08:06 You can check that off your must-do list."

08:10 Because it is such an important film for all of us.

08:13 In film.

08:14 Which is why we're still talking about it.

08:16 Whether you are a fan of films or just somebody who wants to be attuned to what the world really is

08:23 and continues to be about this film, it's really so important.

08:27 Which is why the film forum, we're having a forum to continue talking about this.

08:32 And of course, this will be held tomorrow, August 25th, at the Uchenko Museum, RCBC Plaza, in Makati City.

08:38 Wonderful, wonderful.

08:40 I know we have a lot to talk about.

08:42 We could go on forever and continue chatting about this.

08:45 Let's just say, "Tinimbang kayo at hindi kayo nagkulang."

08:48 Thank you so much, Bembol, and thank you for joining us this morning here on New Day.

08:52 What a pleasure and an honor to have you both.

08:54 Thank you.

08:55 We're showing the film tomorrow, too.

08:56 Wonderful.

08:57 Yes, we can come out and watch it and get tickets.

08:59 All right.

09:00 Thank you so much.

'Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag' film forum happening tomorrow | New Day

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