GERIZAL Reaction Paper on Bayaning Third World (2000) and Jose Rizal (1998) PDF

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Reaction Paper on “Jose Rizal: Bayaning Third World” and “Jose Rizal”

Reaction Paper on Bayaning Third World (2000) and Jose Rizal (1998) The first movie I watched was entitled “Bayaning Third World.” It starts with a montage of Philippine national symbols such as Anahaw as the national leaf, Sampaguita as the national flower, Lupang Hinirang as the national anthem, and so on. Essentially, the main focus of the movie is Dr. Jose Rizal as the national hero. Bayaning Third World is, I would say, a movie documentary with hints of drama and comedy. To be more specific, in the actual film, it is a movie about the making of a movie. Personally, I have never seen a movie like this—a contemporary film released in the year 2000 with the kind of cinematography from the early 1900s. This carefully thought out masterpiece was approached creatively by looking at Rizal’s life through a modern lens. Directed and co-produced by Mike de Leon, he was able to create a kind of art that depicts Jose Rizal’s life uniquely by delving into the intricacies and mysteries of his life. “‘Bayaning 3rd World’ humanizes our national hero José Rizal in ways we have never imagined. While it is a mockumentary and one that is part fantasy, the film is actually the most relatable and most believable we have seen Rizal in any medium we have encountered even. More importantly, even after two decades since its release, the film is still relevant, especially in this day and age of social media and fake news” (Chua, 2020). Primarily, the film is introduced by two protagonists: the two filmmakers, who are trying to create a film about Jose Rizal’s life that has never been done before. They explore the different aspects of Rizal’s life such as his religion and relationships in hopes of getting something new out of it. It closely examines the events behind it and Rizal's psyche,character consistency and motivations both as a patriot and a person. In the movie, the two filmmakers are seen conversing with the people acting as Rizal, as well as the people related with Rizal such as his supposed wife (Josephine Bracken), his mother (Dona Teodora Alonso), his sisters (Narcisa and Trinidad), his brother (Paciano), the priest who supposedly witnessed his retraction (Fr. Vicente Balaguer), his former teacher at Ateneo (Fr. Jose Villaclara). Subsequently, the conflict [or sub conflicts are] is then introduced as the two filmmakers question the validity of the characters’ stories. Although there is no exact central conflict, it can be seen that the two filmmakers try to investigate how exactly the hero in Rizal was made, or if there is any hero in him. It particularly talks about his supposed retraction to his attacks towards the Catholic Church in his novels and writings; and his relationship towards his supposed wife, Bracken. More particularly, it also makes them question whether the retraction issue diminishes Rizal in the eyes of the Filipinos with respect to his accomplishments and achievements for the betterment of the country. Rizal said, “Me retracto de todo corazón de cuanto en mis palabras, escritos, impresos y conducta ha habido contrario a mi cualidad de hijo de la Iglesia Catolica. Creo y profeso cuanto ella enseña y me someto a cuanto ella manda. (I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications and conduct has been contrary to my character as a son of the Catholic Church. I believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I submit to whatever she demands).” As a blog by Philosoffee (2011) excellently puts it, “We can only assume and postulate the possibilities in the gray areas of his life. But we can never truly tell for sure who the real Dr. Jose Rizal is. Not all people are perfect I must say; Jose Rizal is one. His life is also full of mysteries needing explanations, but those mysteries cannot be answered now because the enigma has been cemented by his departure from this world. What we would like to believe regarding Rizal is our own prerogative. And what we all have left to do is to build on what our history

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Reaction Paper on “Jose Rizal: Bayaning Third World” and “Jose Rizal”

books would say about him and embark on a quest to believe in the same goals he had, leaving the doubts aside, for what is important is his contribution to this country and not about his personal life. Not about ‘chismis’ in his personal and love affairs, but in his ideals which proved to be beneficial for the country.” At the end of the movie, Bayaning Third World insists that Jose Rizal is not the Philippine national hero for nothing. His life work attests to his profound commitment to the restoration of freedom and human dignity in his beloved motherland. And as far as many Filipinos are concerned, this is the kind of Catholic religion Rizal lived and died for (Sison, 2005). Quite frankly, I am very pleased that the ending came out that way. I saw how Rizal willingly died for the Philippines. Until his death, his heart was filled with love and devotion to the motherland—a true model for the younger generation to appreciate, respect, honor, and be proud of. Regardless of the mind-boggling script that leaves the audience astonished yet thinking and questioning the what ifs and what could be in the life of Rizal, I personally believe that José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda is my national hero. I believe that he deserves to be embedded in the Philippine peso, continuously written about by many writers, his story taught at school, and his legacy kept alive. He deserves to be known locally, and even so internationally. He is not a god of any sort but he is a great man, and Bayaning Third World explains just exactly that. The movie shows how human Rizal is despite all the praise and (intangible and tangible) symbols named after him. Rizal will always be one of the most significant figures in Philippine history. With this, I agree with Ravin’s (2001) statement that contrary to the intentions of the Spanish, Rizal's death only strengthened the movement toward revolution. Outraged by the death of their hero, Filipinos rallied to the cause of independence, starting the rebellion that would eventually end Spanish control of the Philippines. A true martyr, Rizal spoke out for injustice when others were complacent. His ideas helped formulate a national identity for the Philippines, which was a new concept in Asia, then under colonial rule. He defended his beliefs to his death. The second movie I watched was entitled “Jose Rizal.” Directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, the film was released in 1998. Jose Rizal was beautifully portrayed by the famous Filipino actor, film producer, and film director, Cesar Montano. Interestingly, at the time of Jose Rizal’s release, the movie was considered to be the most expensive film in the history of Filipino cinema with a budget of over ₱80 million. The cinematography, I would say, fits the setting and feel of the movie very well—a biographical film set during the Philippine’s colonial era. Wikipedia (2021) explains its plot as this: José Rizal was imprisoned in Fort Santiago under the abusive Spanish colonization. Meanwhile, in Balintawak, Andrés Bonifacio and his fellow secret organization, the Katipunan, commenced the uprising against the tyranny created by the Spaniards by tearing their cédula as a sign of freedom from Spanish slavery. Soon, a first lieutenant of the Artillery, Luis Taviel de Andrade, visits Rizal. Taviel de Andrade did not waste time studying Rizal's case. In just a short period of time, Rizal and Taviel captured each other's sympathy and eventually became friends as they had usual meetings in Rizal's cell in Fort Santiago. Taviel was even able to celebrate Christmas with Rizal in the cell where they drank pan get and sang together. After Christmas, Rizal was sent to the Real Audiencia, the colonial court of appeal, to hear the trial against him. Soon after, the magistrates decided to condemn him under firing squad on the 30th of the morning in

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Reaction Paper on “Jose Rizal: Bayaning Third World” and “Jose Rizal”

Luneta. On the night before the execution, Rizal hallucinates, seeing his alter ego—protagonist, Crisostomo "Simoun" Ibarra, from his second book, El Filibusterismo, tempting him to change the climax of the novel. On the morning of his execution, his kin receives a small alcohol stove (not a gas lamp as commonly portrayed) from his cell containing the last poem "Mi último adiós". Stopping at the place of execution facing the rising sun, Rizal requested the authorities for him to face the firing squad, but the request was denied. Calm and without haste, he requested to have his head spared instead and the captain agreed. At the moment the shooting squad pointed at his back, he readily uttered his final words: Consummatum est ("It is done"). In the events following Rizal's execution, members of the Katipunan begin their armed uprising, completely catching the Spanish forces off guard, seizing their mounts, munitions and rifles. After that, the organization captures a church and the members execute the friars in an act of vengeance. Later that night, Bonifacio and his top generals meet in their headquarters to plan a new offensive seeking to capture ten towns in a duration of one week from the Spaniards. As Bonifacio continues speaking, the camera pans to Rizal's picture at the wall of his headquarters before revealing Rizal's hat which sat by the shores of Manila Bay, concluding with the text of events that transpired after his death. The key question that the film seeks answers to is, “Who is a Filipino?” In essence, Rizal died for what he loved most—his country, his people. The film reminded me of how Dr. Jose Rizal sacrificed the things and the people he cherished just to see his fellow countrymen free of all the enslavement of the Spanish people during that time. The movie focused on two main themes: rebellion and betrayal, which emphasized how Rizal used his powerful writings and connections to publicly air his grievances against the Catholic church. Based on the film’s message, to be Filipino is to be a person of conviction to whatever is right and good. To be Filipino is to be loving yet just. I am reminded that José brought a new era for the Filipino people. His ability to inspire others and his compassion for his people made him a national hero. ... In joining this movement he inspired his fellow Filipinos to take nonviolent action against the Spanish. His words awakened new ideas throughout the Philippines. Moreover, the insertion of scenes from Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo also helps to remind the audience on how Dr. Jose Rizal assimilated the events of his own life to those of his characters. Rizal wrote both Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo to show the faults of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines. Rizal saw people bullied by soldiers, downtrodden job-seekers, exploited labourers, exploited children and women. He often spoke out against injustices during his travels around Europe. Dr. Jose Rizal wrote “Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not)” and “El Filibusterismo (The Filibuster)” for an overriding reason: to let the world know about how his motherland endured the behavior of Spanish friars, officials and their supporters in the Philippines, especially in the 19th Century. The two novels centered on the characters of Crisostomo Ibarra and Simoun, both of which are alluded to as the national hero, while the other characters in the story represent other symbols of the kind of society the Philippines had at a time. From hindsight, these two novels do not directly call for an outright revolution against the Spanish empire at the time. In fact, Dr. Rizal favored the diplomatic manner of settling differences with the Spaniards through just a favorable Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes. The story of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo gives off a societal message that the citizens should be the leaders of its governing body, and not the other way around. That strength

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Reaction Paper on “Jose Rizal: Bayaning Third World” and “Jose Rizal”

lies in numbers of people who want to change something that is inappropriate, or give voices to those who suffer injustices. The film then expresses that Rizal was a remarkably educated man; not only was he a writer, but he was also a painter, sculptor, doctor and surgeon, teacher, natural scientist, economist, engineer and theologian. He was an excellent fencer and marksman; he studied at colleges in Europe, America and Asia, traveled to many different nations and could speak twenty-two languages. He was a champion of his country’s independence, a Filipino Gandhi who faced the firing squad at the age of thirty-five for inciting rebellion. He was the instigator of the Philippine revolution of 1896-98, the first national uprising against a colonial power in Asia. He also wrote two books, Noli me tangere and El Filibusterismo, which sought to increase his people’s political awareness. This is who Rizal is. In conclusion, the two movies, Bayaning Third World and Jose Rizal, showed that José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda is, in fact, worthy to be called our National Hero. His significance to this nation is heavy, hence the protection and commemoration of his legacy must be of critical importance until the end of time. The two award-winning films that I have talked about in this paper are just a very small part of the massive curation of Rizal-dedicated masterpieces there is in our country. I personally believe that in order for someone to truly understand their national identity, one must study and acknowledge the fact that Rizal is one of the most significant figures that define who we are as a Filipino nation. Without movies like this, or without any other form of art to remember Rizal’s life and legacy, we Filipinos would (very much) possibly forget who we truly are—worthy of respect, capable, and free. Maybe, just maybe, it is in art forms like these that might unite us as a nation. If we only remember what Rizal has fought for, our present generation, present government, and present ambition in life would revolve more around fighting for what is just and what is right. So, with utmost respect and honor for my hero, let me end this paper by saying, Mabuhay at salamat, Dr. Jose Rizal! References: Chua, J. (2020, May 13). Bayaning 3rd World (3rd World Hero): Movie Review. Reel Advice Movie Reviews. Retrieved on July 22, 2021, from https://www.reeladvice.net/2020/05/bayaning-3rd-world-3rd-world-hero-movie.html Philosoffee. (2011). Bayaning Third World: A Reaction Paper. Tumblr. Retrieved on July 22, 2021, from https://philosoffee-blog.tumblr.com/post/1227721435/bayaning-third-world-a-reaction-pa per Ravin T. (2001, February). José Rizal Philippine National Hero and Ophthalmologist. American Medical Association. Retrieved on July 22, 2021, from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/265463 Sison, A. (2005, July). 3rd World Hero: Rizal and Colonial Clerical Power Through the Lens of Philippine Third Cinema. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved on July 22, 2021, from https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2005/feature-articles/3rd_world_hero/ Wikipedia. (2021, March 6). José Rizal (film). Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved on July 28, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal_(film)

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