Customer Reviews

Jose Rizal The Movie - Philippine Tagalog

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's nice to see a movie about historical figures in Asia because there is quite a bit of fascinating history there that simply doesn't get told outside the individual countries.Jose Rizal The Movie - Philippine Tagalog tells the story of Filipino nationalist leader Jose Rizal. Overall, it keeps a good dramatic pace while managing to stay historically accurate.

If I had one complaint, at times, the plot and timeline were a bit unclear, as it occasionally jumps back and forth in time. It doesn't give much context to viewers unfamiliar with Philippine history - even after taken a course on the Philippines, I was still unfamiliar with much of the historical context - so it took a bit of time to really settle into the movie. Once I did, it was well worth the effort.

Provocative film making. Amazing cinematography taking you back in a forgotten time. Acting was top notch and as a filipina, I felt more connected to my past. Jose Rizal is an Abe Lincoln of our time.

You ever hear of someone having a "martyr complex"? Jose Rizal had it in spades. He was willing to sacrifice everything including life itself for this patriotic ideal of a more democratic Philippines. The irony of course is that the ideals he fought for, i.e., national unity and a national identity seem to have been forgotten after the Americans left in 1946. Unlike most of his countrymen of his era, Jose Rizal was an intellectual and he was prescient enough to realize that there could never be a country unless each Filipino recognized the need for self-sacrifice and putting aside differences for the common good. Sad to say that since his death, the country has degenerated into rival political clans and families - pretty much the same way Filipinos used to be before the Spaniards arrived. Sure, most everybody including Juan dela Cruz on the street will pay lip service to the idea of a common identity as "Filipinos" but, in practice, it's every man for himself. Self-sacrifice? Fuhgeddaboutit!!

My main complaint with this movie is that it's rated PG, but is not at all suitable for children. It should be rated R for the nudity, sex, violence and gore. I bought it hoping to show it to my adopted filipino sons to teach them about their country's history. But after viewing it myself, I will not be able to show it to them.
As for the movie itself, it's not too bad considering it was produced in a third world country. But by American standards, it's not that terrific.