Hero | The Manila Times CSI On The Go! - video Dailymotion

The Manila Times

Hero | The Manila Times CSI On The Go!  National Artist Ricky Lee and Cesar Montano reflect on the process of making 'Jose Rizal' (1998), which was restored this year and featured in a special screening at the Cinemalaya Film Festival at the Metropolitan Theater. With Dr. Jose Rizal’s story known to most, this movie delves deeper into the many layers of the National Hero’s life, introducing audiences to his life before he inspired the revolution. It was directed by National Artist Marilou Diaz-Abaya and written by Lee, Jun Lana, and Peter Ong Lim.  Video by Iza Iglesias  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net   Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #TheManilaTimes #TMTCSI #JoseRizal #CinemalayaXX

Transcript

00:00I'm sad because Marilu is not here with us today.

00:11After Marilu and I finished our trilogy on women, Brutal, Moral, Carnal,

00:17she wanted to make a trilogy on men.

00:20And she wanted Cesar Montano to be in the three.

00:25So that's how we were able to make Cesar Rizal first,

00:29and then Muro Ami, and then Magong Buan.

00:33Jose Rizal's life is very broad,

00:37so when we met to discuss how to give focus,

00:40we decided, as Dennis said earlier,

00:43to focus on Jose Rizal's life as an artist,

00:48as a playwright.

00:50And then, when we instructed,

00:52we decided that we would do a trial of an artist.

00:57We would put Jose Rizal on trial.

01:01And so, in the film,

01:04he was put on trial by the Spanish government,

01:08by his counsel, Taviel Ver,

01:12by his family,

01:15by the people around him,

01:17by the incidents that happened to him in the past,

01:20and eventually, by the person,

01:22by Simon, that he loved.

01:25He was the only fictional character in the entire film,

01:28the prison servant.

01:30We decided to make such a fictional character

01:34so that there would be a retribution to him,

01:38to the common people.

01:40He would be retributed if he became a taxi driver in the city or not,

01:44if he committed a crime in his city.

01:47It took us three months of research

01:50to prepare,

01:52to write the script.

01:54Marilu forced us,

01:56not really.

01:58She made us read scary books,

02:01titles that I don't remember,

02:03documents, writings,

02:05everything that can be read,

02:07including Spanish versions of novels

02:09that we couldn't understand.

02:11She made us read them

02:13so that we could get the rhythm

02:15of the writing of Jose Rizal.

02:17It took us three months to do research

02:19and another three months to finish the script.

02:22By the way, I wrote the script with

02:24Jun Poblaslana

02:26and Peter Ong Lim.

02:29That's all.

02:31When I joined the Sabadilapeng Festival,

02:33which was held earlier this year,

02:35there were 18 nominations that night.

02:40Of those 18,

02:4217 were won by Jose Rizal.

02:49He didn't win Best Actress,

02:51even though there was no female lead

02:53in the movie.

02:56After that, he won several Best Picture,

02:58Best Actor at César,

03:00and several other awards

03:02here in the Philippines.

03:04Eventually,

03:06he went to the Berlin International Film Festival

03:08to compete there.

03:10I hope you enjoy watching this movie.

03:12Thank you very much for coming here.

03:14It's an honor to be here

03:16this afternoon.

03:19It's a great opportunity for me

03:23to make this movie

03:25and for Jose Rizal to understand me.

03:28At that time,

03:30in 1998,

03:32I was thinking of making action films.

03:35I was making action films at that time.

03:38Our beloved director,

03:42Jose Rizal,

03:46he was the dream of almost all actors

03:50in the Philippines

03:52who were able to work.

03:54He was the best director in the country.

03:57Suddenly, Jose Rizal contacted me.

04:01I said,

04:03this is the only movie that I can remember.

04:06If I'm gone,

04:08why won't I accept this?

04:10I accepted it.

04:12I said,

04:14this is easy to make.

04:16I was accompanied by national artists.

04:20I made it.

04:23I didn't know that

04:25my mother was a perfectionist.

04:31I studied Spanish for 7 months.

04:36I said,

04:38in school,

04:40I couldn't even speak Spanish.

04:42I didn't know how to use it.

04:44I only learned it in grade school.

04:47I was forced to study Spanish.

04:50I made all the pictures of Jose Rizal

04:54in Mati Tison 2.

04:56I printed them out

04:58and pasted them on the walls of our house.

05:01My house?

05:03Thank God,

05:05I didn't tell anyone.

05:07The TV in my house

05:09was on the Spanish Channel

05:11while I was there.

05:13Even if I learned it,

05:15my father would change it

05:17when I left the house.

05:19That's how I processed it

05:21so that I could learn it.

05:23And I learned it.

05:25Our national artist,

05:27Ricky Lee, said

05:29the League Group is real.

05:31We would go to the house

05:33of Director Mario Diaz.

05:36His table for dining

05:38was full of books

05:40from Ateneo,

05:42USC, and Madrid.

05:44There were so many.

05:46The books were almost out of stock.

05:48We would go and sit down

05:50and read.

05:52We would share what we read.

05:54From morning to night,

05:56that's all we would do.

05:58These books are about our history,

06:00not only about Jose Rizal.

06:03It was a difficult time

06:05before Jose Rizal came

06:07and we were still studying.

06:09That's how deep

06:11we studied

06:13with Director Mario.

06:17I have no regrets.

06:19Actually,

06:21it's a great honor

06:23and I'm thankful

06:25that I was able to rise

06:27as an actor

06:29after working here

06:31and give my opinion.

06:33That's why I became

06:35a director

06:37and I also wrote

06:39and I was eager to write

06:41for the movie.

06:43I am also happy

06:45and sad at the same time

06:47like Ricky

06:49because my beloved

06:51director is no longer here.

06:53I hope she is also here.

06:55I am happy and thankful

06:57to GMA Films

07:00I'm so curious

07:02about this movie,

07:04just like you.

07:06Maybe in this movie,

07:08Jose Rizal is alive

07:10and executed.

07:12We don't know, right?

07:14Thank you very much.

07:20Good evening.

07:22My name is Mario Rodriguez Amaya.

07:24We are thankful to his family

07:26for restoring

07:28GMA Films

07:30as one of the masterpieces

07:32of Director Mario.

07:36A good story is a good story.

07:42A good story

07:44can become a great story

07:46depending on how

07:48you tell the story.

07:50In this case,

07:52in the movie,

07:54driven by the passion,

07:56the devotion,

07:58the hard work of the filmmakers,

08:00the actors, everybody

08:04that is part of the filmmaking process

08:06and technology.

08:08So, as we said,

08:10I am very curious to see

08:12what GMA Films has done.

08:16But I know and I'm grateful

08:18to GMA Films

08:20for making

08:22one of my mother's greatest films

08:24accessible

08:26to this generation

08:28and to future generations.

08:30Thank you very much.

Hero | The Manila Times CSI On The Go!

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