4 | My thoughts on Heneral Luna
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Let me just say right away that I was able to watch the movie the first day it came out, so forgive me if I make a few mistakes when talking about it. I was already enthralled and curious the day Jerrold Tarog, John Arcilla, and the other men behind the movie went to Asia Pacific College (APC) to promote their movie. They promoted it in a way that made me want to support them. They were so convincing that me and my friend just had to watch the movie the first day it came out. I'm actually quite a fan of history. English history that is, not the history of the Philippines, which is why I didn't get that high a grade in my Philippine History subject in my first term. But Heneral Luna changed it all for me. It made me want to gain more knowledge with regard to my countries' historical figures and heroes that shaped my country into what it is today.
What makes this movie so unique and interesting is the fact that it does not portray the main protagonist as this saint that is devoid of flaws and mistakes unlike most historical movies that are shown in the local cinema. Most of them have this goal of glorifying the historical figures that star the movie. But Heneral Luna, on the other hand, tries to keep it real as much as it can with regard to General Luna's personality and attitude. It is known that General Luna was feisty and belligerent; and the movie showed just that with little to no sugarcoating and trying to cover up his personality.
It is also fascinating to see how this movie has been well received by the general public as it's a historical movie. We all know that most Filipinos are either uninterested or find historical movies to be boring since most of the movie-going masses prefer sermonic rubbish that are made to treat viewers as if they're kids who prefer visuals like soap operas for their stories rather than read from a textbook, often forgetting the fact that there is another form of historical cinema that, rather than providing the same answers over and over again, dares to ask more questions instead.
Heneral Luna, at least for me, is a film that went straight to the point of revealing details in history that were left out by those who caused the heroes' demise. You can tell that Jerrald Tarog desired to reveal what really happened and that he wasn't just fueled by quick profit. Another thing that I'd like to point out is the use of comedic elements to liven up the mood a bit to an otherwise serious movie. There are embellishes but never to the point of diverging into something that is altogether different. It is very Filipino because the characters find humor in situations that are challenging and bleak.
The script flows wonderfully without dragging the scenes, the casting is spot on, and the cinematography is pleasing to the eyes. My only complaint is that there were a few times where it seemed a bit too comical. Like that one scene where General Luna and his men were engaged in a battle against the Americans. It was very hilarious; but at the same time it felt as if the characters were invincible and obviously had plot armor at their side. Other than that, everything else was entertaining and enchanting enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen and my mind glued to the story.
Overall, the movie, to me, is simply a masterpiece.
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5 comments
An absolute masterpiece! :)
ReplyDeleteit was a great movie after all
ReplyDeleteFor me I love how humorous or comical it is. It really capture the eyes of the people especially the young ones. And it's really entertaining and I'm happy that this movie has a great review to people.
ReplyDeleteHeneral Luna was interesting movie! :) and you're right about that, Jan! Also, I'm very happy to see people who've watched the movie and I hope that they learned something from it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice movie. You will know what they do just to save our country.
ReplyDelete