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***SOURCE: The Urian Anthology 1980-1989
REVIEW: Himala
Alfred A. Yuson Philippine Daily Express, 1983
DEFINITELY WORLD CLASS
"Himala" shows how adequate financing, strong support, and sophisticated
choice of material and personnel can result in distinctively Filipino
films which are definitely world class.
Ishmael Bernal handles "Himala" masterfully, relying more on his superb
manipulation of acting talents than on fancy camera movement. Preferring
to stay low-key in visual terms, he allows his dramatization to unfold
on its own merits of story and characterization. He shuns flashiness of
technique in favor of quiet exposition and build-up, as befits the
flavor of his narrative. he hardly uses any reverse cutting, preferring
to draw out terrific acting through simple one-shots.
Nora Aunor is perfect as Elsa; she leaves nothing to be desired in her
interiorization and delivery. Gigi Dueñas is superlative as the
counterpoint character of Nimia, the town whore/madame. She stands up
stunningly as strong foil to Nora's central character.
"Himala" proves once again how we can upgrade film performance by
casting theater talents in supporting roles. The brilliant Aunor gets
all the solid backing she can ever get, this time from an array of
supporters drawn mostly from the Bulwagang Gantimpala stable. These
include the formidable Spanky Manikan in the crucial role of filmmaker,
Laura Centeno as the disciple Chayong, Amable Quiambao as the potential
successor Sepa, Ray Ventura as Sepa's stoic husband, and Pen Medina as
Chayong's boyfriend. All five render impeccable performances.
But it is Dueñas who appropriately steals the thunder with her colorful
role, and it is she who is given the best scenes by Bernal. His oblique
tribute to Bergman's "Seventh Seal" (also reminiscent of La Saraghina's
dance for the schoolboys in Fellini's "8 1/2") with Dueñas leading a
bunch of kids in a frolicsome dance up a sand dune, in magic hour, is so
simply and expressively beautiful. I hope Bernal doesn't mind so much
being compared to the world greats of film, for he has undoubtedly
earned the right to salute them in such a manner, nay, even slap
"appear!" palms with them.
The only point when I felt "Himala" took an unnecessary dip occurs
somewhere in the middle, from where Orly, the filmmaker, confesses to
his having witnessed and recorded on film the simultaneous rape of Elsa
and Chayong. Orly and the priest exchange dubious lines on the hoary
issue of art versus morality, reality versus illusion. Then we are shown
Chayong's suicide, evidently after much time had elapsed since her
traumatic rape, without any hint of the experience coming from her or
Elsa. Suddenly, there is a scene shift to two kids, dying with Elsa
powerless to help them. It is obviously meant to be a sequence of events
chronicling Elsa's fall from grace, and I feel there is a distinct error
in chronology here. The impact of her best friend Chayong's death is
severely diffused with the intrusion of the kid's dying scene which is
supposed to give more evidence of Elsa's wane. Perhaps, the two scenes
could have been interchanged, so that Chayong's death comes with more
mounting intensity. Then it could have flowed on the funeral scene more
logically.
As it is, the film takes time to pick up the pieces again, and reestablish
a chronological rhythm that progresses successfully to the
climactic assassination scene. The last gives ample evidence of Bernal's
mastery of form and situation, i.e., his establishment of atmosphere,
his crowd control, and the simple, remarkable editing. This sequence,
together with the rain sequence, are most memorable.
I much prefer Ricky Lee's scripting in "Moral," where the contemporary
set-up affords him all the chance to display his virtuous ear for
dialogue. In a quasi-universal settings like "Himala," or "Salome" for
instance, Lee is forced to lapse into thematic philosophizing, which
sound terribly abstract and/or platitudinal. The use of the filmmaker as
pivotal character in "Himala" is quite unoriginal, but I suppose there
was no other way to incorporate a distanced observer who, at the same
time that he is within the framework of the narrative, comments on the
turn of events as an observer.
contributed by Ron
REVIEW: Himala
Alfred A. Yuson Philippine Daily Express, 1983
DEFINITELY WORLD CLASS
"Himala" shows how adequate financing, strong support, and sophisticated
choice of material and personnel can result in distinctively Filipino
films which are definitely world class.
Ishmael Bernal handles "Himala" masterfully, relying more on his superb
manipulation of acting talents than on fancy camera movement. Preferring
to stay low-key in visual terms, he allows his dramatization to unfold
on its own merits of story and characterization. He shuns flashiness of
technique in favor of quiet exposition and build-up, as befits the
flavor of his narrative. he hardly uses any reverse cutting, preferring
to draw out terrific acting through simple one-shots.
Nora Aunor is perfect as Elsa; she leaves nothing to be desired in her
interiorization and delivery. Gigi Dueñas is superlative as the
counterpoint character of Nimia, the town whore/madame. She stands up
stunningly as strong foil to Nora's central character.
"Himala" proves once again how we can upgrade film performance by
casting theater talents in supporting roles. The brilliant Aunor gets
all the solid backing she can ever get, this time from an array of
supporters drawn mostly from the Bulwagang Gantimpala stable. These
include the formidable Spanky Manikan in the crucial role of filmmaker,
Laura Centeno as the disciple Chayong, Amable Quiambao as the potential
successor Sepa, Ray Ventura as Sepa's stoic husband, and Pen Medina as
Chayong's boyfriend. All five render impeccable performances.
But it is Dueñas who appropriately steals the thunder with her colorful
role, and it is she who is given the best scenes by Bernal. His oblique
tribute to Bergman's "Seventh Seal" (also reminiscent of La Saraghina's
dance for the schoolboys in Fellini's "8 1/2") with Dueñas leading a
bunch of kids in a frolicsome dance up a sand dune, in magic hour, is so
simply and expressively beautiful. I hope Bernal doesn't mind so much
being compared to the world greats of film, for he has undoubtedly
earned the right to salute them in such a manner, nay, even slap
"appear!" palms with them.
The only point when I felt "Himala" took an unnecessary dip occurs
somewhere in the middle, from where Orly, the filmmaker, confesses to
his having witnessed and recorded on film the simultaneous rape of Elsa
and Chayong. Orly and the priest exchange dubious lines on the hoary
issue of art versus morality, reality versus illusion. Then we are shown
Chayong's suicide, evidently after much time had elapsed since her
traumatic rape, without any hint of the experience coming from her or
Elsa. Suddenly, there is a scene shift to two kids, dying with Elsa
powerless to help them. It is obviously meant to be a sequence of events
chronicling Elsa's fall from grace, and I feel there is a distinct error
in chronology here. The impact of her best friend Chayong's death is
severely diffused with the intrusion of the kid's dying scene which is
supposed to give more evidence of Elsa's wane. Perhaps, the two scenes
could have been interchanged, so that Chayong's death comes with more
mounting intensity. Then it could have flowed on the funeral scene more
logically.
As it is, the film takes time to pick up the pieces again, and reestablish
a chronological rhythm that progresses successfully to the
climactic assassination scene. The last gives ample evidence of Bernal's
mastery of form and situation, i.e., his establishment of atmosphere,
his crowd control, and the simple, remarkable editing. This sequence,
together with the rain sequence, are most memorable.
I much prefer Ricky Lee's scripting in "Moral," where the contemporary
set-up affords him all the chance to display his virtuous ear for
dialogue. In a quasi-universal settings like "Himala," or "Salome" for
instance, Lee is forced to lapse into thematic philosophizing, which
sound terribly abstract and/or platitudinal. The use of the filmmaker as
pivotal character in "Himala" is quite unoriginal, but I suppose there
was no other way to incorporate a distanced observer who, at the same
time that he is within the framework of the narrative, comments on the
turn of events as an observer.
contributed by Ron