tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post115391805206128720..comments2024-01-26T00:54:19.338+08:00Comments on Lessons From the School of Inattention: Maicling Pelicula Nañg Ysañg Indio Nacional (O Ang Mahabang Kalungkutan ng Katagalugan) (2005)Oggs Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-2768080809638468652010-01-16T15:05:14.999+08:002010-01-16T15:05:14.999+08:00Thank you for the response. I think that is very w...Thank you for the response. I think that is very well expressed -- and indeed it does help to think about the film as a history for those without it. Rereading this part in particular: "He fashions a film that could have been made by any native Filipino, if handed a video camera while in the midst of the Philippine Revolution. He will not capture the drafting of treaties or the promulgation of constitutions or other grandiose moments in written history. Instead, he will capture are the ordinary, the droll and mundane, non-effects of the War. There will be an abundance of religious articles, simply because that is what he was force-fed with. There will be numerous deaths, because that is the logical repercussion of poverty and slavery. There will be humorous sketches that display the Filipinos' ignorance and deprivation of knowledge."<br /><br />I still, however, feel uncertain. Why did he pick the sketches he did? Is there nothing symbolic to them beyond re-creation? Why the sun between the legs, for instance? I feel like maybe I am thinking about this in the wrong way, and the more it as replaced history, the more it grows on me.<br /><br />Thanks for the help! I hope to see more of Raya Martin's films in the future.Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00895954861189795272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-50985198293803047832010-01-15T11:16:49.630+08:002010-01-15T11:16:49.630+08:00Hi Ian,
Thanks for the message. The interesting t...Hi Ian,<br /><br />Thanks for the message. The interesting thing about Maicling Pelicula, in my opinion, is that while it is specific with the Filipino experience, it is still pertinent with all nations with colonial pasts. The Philippines was a colony of Spain for 3 centuries, leading to a revolution spearheaded by the Filipino elite (although the founder of the revolution, Andres Bonifacio (whose execution by fellow revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo is the subject of Martin's Autohystoria) is a commoner). As with all cultures, history is written from the point of view of the powerful. There are barely any records as to how the peasant folk lived or participated during the revolution. The beauty of Martin's film is that it envisions history through that marginalized point of view.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-90632845888379166292010-01-09T08:28:20.513+08:002010-01-09T08:28:20.513+08:00I recently watched this and have been looking thro...I recently watched this and have been looking through blogs for insight. Your thoughts have been the most insightful, so I thought I would query here --<br /><br />As an American with almost no knowledge of Filipino history, I found the film impossible to penetrate. It feels so densely allegorical. I have been hoping to fix this and to learn more about Filipino history and to have the tools to engage with the film. Everything I've read of Raya Martin has led me to his work (this is the first of his films I have seen) and I would really like engage with it on his level. Can you point me to any helpful/pertinent historical sources? Or to any academic sources? (Or would you be willing to go into more depth into it (although I imagine it has been too long since you've seen it)?)<br /><br />Thanks in advance for any help you can give.Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00895954861189795272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-89629254483286544502009-02-05T11:01:00.000+08:002009-02-05T11:01:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-1167743577441294452007-01-02T21:12:00.000+08:002007-01-02T21:12:00.000+08:00Hello. Been reading some of your reviews when I ca...Hello. Been reading some of your reviews when I came upon this piece by Raya Martin. I've read about him in the past, but I never really looked past the name. I know it has been months since you wrote the post but I thank you for being able to give us a glimpse of the works of the little known but brilliant local films in the present. Here's to hoping that Martin's (as well as other indie features and shorts) will be made available for viewing once again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-1162513800700384692006-11-03T08:30:00.000+08:002006-11-03T08:30:00.000+08:00Thanks...Raya Martin's film isn't available on DVD...Thanks...<BR/><BR/>Raya Martin's film isn't available on DVD yet. It's probably going to have a difficult time finding its way to the DVD market, since it's essentially a silent film --- had a recent chat with Martin and if ever his film would appear on DVD, he'd like to have interchangeable soundtracks for the silent portion of the film. The director's a very nice guy.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your comments and reading my meager blog. Hope you don't mind if I link your blog to mineOggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31058461.post-1162490249870817872006-11-03T01:57:00.000+08:002006-11-03T01:57:00.000+08:00Upon surfing the net to find some reviews on "A Sh...Upon surfing the net to find some reviews on "A Short film about the Indio National", yours was the only one linked to imdb.<BR/>I only read an interesting festival report from Rotterdam on two films from the Phillipines (the other was Diaz' latest "work in progress").<BR/>I was wondering if you know something about the film's availability, maybe on DVD? I'd like to see more movies from the Philippines, but they seem awfully difficult to come by (even the Classics like BRocka, Leon, etc.)<BR/>I saw Lav Diaz' "Evolution of the Filipino Family" at a screening in Germany last year, and it was a great experience. It's too bad to see such talent being so marginalized. <BR/>You have a nice blog by the way :-)Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13642872131056690816noreply@blogger.com