Panaghoy sa Suba
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| Panaghoy sa Suba (The Call of the River) |
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 Panaghoy sa Suba poster |
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| Directed by | Cesar Montano |
| Produced by | Cesar Montano |
| Written by | Cris Vertido |
| Starring | Cesar Montano Juliana Palermo Jackie Woo Joel Torre Ronnie Lazaro Rebecca Lusterio Daria Ramirez Caridad Sanchez Suzette Ranillo Disi Alba Phil Anthony Reiven Bulado Dr. Warfe Engracia Chelo Espina Flora Gasser Rommel Montano Rowald Montano |
| Music by | Nonong Buencamino |
| Cinematography | Ely Cruz |
| Editing by | Renato de Leon |
| Distributed by | CM Films Inc. |
| Release date(s) | 2004 |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Country |  Philippines |
| Language | Visayan with English captions; Filipino; Japanese; English |
| Budget | PhP 25,000,000.00 |
| IMDb profile | |
Panaghoy sa Suba, entitled "The Call of the River" in English, also referred to as "Cry of the River" [1] is a 2004 film produced, directed and starred by Filipino actor Cesar Montano. It features Filipino actors Juliana Palermo, Jackie Woo, Phil Anthony, Caridad Sanchez, Joel Torre, Daria Ramirez, Ronnie Lazaro, Suzette Ranillo, Rommel Montano, Dr. Warfe Engracia, Ramon Villanueva, Chelo Espina, Flora Gasser, Disi Alba and Rebecca Lusterio. [2]
It is an epic story set during the American Occupation (1942) and the Japanese Occupation (1945), shot amidst the virgin splendor of the island province of Bohol, Philippines mostly along and around the Loboc River which plays a significant role in the story. [3] It is a mixture of action, drama, romance, and history.
The film is Cesar Montano's directorial debut with an almost entirely Visayan cast, and perhaps the biggest film ever to be shot in its entirety in the Visayas. The film, intended for both national and international exhibition, boldly used Visayan as the main language. [4]
It was given an "A" rating by the Cinema Evaluation Board or CEB of the Film Development Council of the Philippines and was CM Films' entry to the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival. [5]The CEB described Cesar Montano's direction as "meticulous but light-handed." It turned "a somewhat rambling and slow screenplay into a poetic, sometimes even magical, current of silent struggle and survival." [5]
The Call of the River is a multiple award-winner. It has bagged Second Best Picture (to Mano Po 3), Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score, Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award at the Metro Manila Film Festival, 2004; [6] and Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress at Gawad Suri Awards, Manila, 2005. [7]
Panaghoy sa Suba, which garnered 16 awards and 11 nominations [2] including 5 from the Metro Manila Film Festival, was also given an endorsement by the UNESCO.[4] It was named Best Picture at the "International Festival of Independent Films" held in Brussels, Belgium. Montano was also chosen Best Director. [8] In addition, Montano also won Best Actor in Panaghoy sa Suba in the Golden Screen Awards. [9]
Panaghoy sa Suba was invited as an exhibition in the Tous les Cinemas du Monde (Movies of the World) at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005.[10] [11] It has also been invited for exhibition in other international film festivals in Berlin, Toronto, Tokyo, Korea and in the Czech Republic’s "Karlo Vary Film Festival". [11] It was shown at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 11 to 19, 2005 - its second international screening after Cannes (World Cinema category, non-competition). Panaghoy was also shown at the New Delhi’s Asian Festival of Asian Cinema on July 15 to 24, 2005. [12]
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[edit] Plot
The film tells a love-triangle story set in Bohol during World War II, though the main themes are nationalism and colonial mentality.
The whole story occurs in the island province of Bohol, located in Central Visayas, during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines. Duroy (played by Cesar Montano) is a banca-operator-turned-guerrilla who is in love with Iset (played by Juliana Palermo), a lovely lass from the same village where the main thoroughfare is a river. Iset is an obedient child whose father and materialistic aunt hopes that she will marry an American businessman, not a local boy.
John Smith,(played by Philip Anthony) an abusive, rude and stingy landowner, is also taken by Iset's beauty. Iset, however, has made it plain that she likes Duroy who she asked to express his love in a letter. Duroy takes his time in trying to win the love of his life. Meanwhile, Ibô (Reiven Bulado), Duroy's brother, is also smitten with Iset and has asked to see her. Since Duroy adores his family and does not want to get in his brother's way, he stops courting Iset.
Duroy is devoted to his family, who now only consist of his mother (Daria Ramirez), Ibô and his sister, Bikay (multi-awarded former child star Rebecca Lusterio). Duroy's father left them earlier to go off with an American. Heartbroken and ill, Duroy's mother dies because they have no more money to buy medicine.
In his anger at the abusive American who tries to separate him and Iset, Ibo tries to kill John Smith, who successfully fights for his life and kills Ibo in the process. Duroy vows revenge.
When the Japanese invasion begins, Mr. Smith is drafted into the army and has to leave the village. The new Japanese commander takes control and also falls in love with Iset. Meanwhile, all the men hide in the mountains while the women and children remain with the American priest.
Years pass before Duroy and his men finally reach the end of their resources and patience, and the Filipino launch an attack against the Japanese garrison. Mr. Smith returns and Duroy attacks him but stops short of killing him. Upon seeing him again, Iset's eyes are opened to the abuses and prejudice of John Smith and refuses his offer of love.
The end implies a once-more blossoming romance between Iset and Duroy.
[edit] Cast
- Cesar Montano - Duroy
- Juliana Palermo - Iset
- Reiven Bulado - Ibô (Duroy's brother)
- Daria Ramirez - Duroy's mother
- Rebecca Lusterio - Bikay (Duroy's sister)
- Jackie Woo - Fumio Okohara
- Philip Anthony - John Smith (as Phil Anthony)
- Caridad Sanchez -Aunt Lahi
- Joel Torre - Damian
- Ronnie Lazaro -
- Suzette Ranillo - a nun
- Rommel Montano -
- Dr. Warfe Engracia -
- Ramon Villanueva -
- Chelo Espina -
- Disi Alba -
[edit] Analysis
The story of Iset and Duroy is a beautiful tale of the patience and faithfulness of true love. Duroy never ceases to love the object of his affections and continues to respect her despite the rejection and prejudice her family displays against their own people. Iset, for her part, though wooed and received much from her foreign suitors, remains attached to Duroy. She follows him even into the mountains, risking the safety of the rebels.
Iset is an image of the Philippines, a nation whose patriots fight and die for, whose affections are often turned to other nations, but who will ultimately realize that her true fulfillment will only be realized in loving her own.
It is a poignant statement against colonial mentality.
[edit] Beautiful Islands
Panaghoy sa Suba was shot in Bohol. The scenes showing the beauty and bounty of the river clearly speak of Cesar's love for his country. The fact that the film was almost entirely spoken in Visayan made it clear that it was a tribute to Cesar's heritage as a Filipino and a Visayan.
The scenes at the old church, the market and the river all show the true culture of the Visayans, their life and their concerns. It shows a simple life, but also one that is vulnerable to the temptation of having a "better life". Iset's Aunt Lahi (Caridad Sanchez) plays her role convincingly and naturally. She is the one who seeks a better life for Iset, by trying to marry her off to a rich and powerful foreigner.
Bikay is a revelation. The young actress gives life to every scene in which she appears. Her face is expressive, her dialogue effective and her youthful charm captivating. She is a lovely Visayan child, dedicated to her brother and devoted to her mother. She is a picture of Filipino women, who are still bound by close family ties with love and no mere sense of obligation.
Panaghoy sa Suba is like a love song proceeding from the deep recesses of a nationalistic soul. It reaches the ears of its viewers with a simple yet touching chord that makes one want to sing along.
[edit] Trivia
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- Panaghoy sa Suba got an A rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board or CEB.
- The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board or MTRCB gave it a PG-13 rating in the Philippines. [13]
- It had 16 wins and 11 nominations [14]
- Montano received a special grand prize for Best Director from the jurors of the Brussels International Film Festival. [15]
- When the movie premiered in Brussels, the venue was jam-packed, making the premiere event a huge hit. [15]
- Of the crowd, about 70% were Filipinos who had to travel three hours to reach the venue; a hundred more couldn't be accommodated in the theater. [15]
- Montano in Panaghoy sa Suba hoped to help revive the long-dormant Visayan Movie Industry. [3]
- Only Cesar Montano dared to produce another Visayan (Cebuano) movie since 1973. [3]
- The film had an entirely Visayan (Boholano) dialogue (with English subtitles) and featuring a mostly Visayan cast. [3]
- Daria Ramirez, one of the few non-Visayan members of the cast, had to be given a copy of the script in English for her to absorb her character. [3]
- Philip Anthony, is an American based actor who also starred for over 2 years in a Visayan Soap Opera "Kapalaran" on ABS-CBN. [16]
- Jackie Woo, the Japanese actor, is also one of Panaghoy’s investors and executive producers.[3]
- Juliana Palermo, then only considered a bold star, played a role described by Cesar’s manager Norma Japitana as "a symbol of the Filipina during that turbulent era, vulnerable yet ambitious" in Panaghoy. [3]
- Rebecca Lusterio, Bohol home grown who was named Best Supporting Actress by the Metro Manila Film Festival for her role in "Panaghoy sa Suba," won over Filipino veteran actresses Jaclyn Jose, Caridad Sanchez and Angelu de Leon. [17]
- Un-historical?
- In the movie, the Americans were pictured as abusive; their help in the end rejected by the Filipinos. While this seems contrary to historical record, the movie's producers may have taken artistic liberty in portraying nationalistic values held over since the Philippine-American war at the turn of the 19th-20th century.
- The Japanese were depicted as too kind. Historically speaking, the captured Bikay would have been raped by her captors, but did not happen, and the prisoners were treated too kindly in a river-based jail. In the movie, some torture was shown, but this was mild compared to historical accounts of the cruelty of the Japanese.
- In the movie, the American was the “bad guy” and the Japanese officer was the “good guy.” Popular opinion exists that during World War II (1940–1945), the American was not the “bad guy” in the Philippines. While the uninformed hold that the concept of the “Ugly American” started only during the Vietnam War in the 1960s, historical records exist of extremely brutal acts performed by the American military on Filipino soldiers during the Philippine-American war some fifty years before World War II.
- Cultural and Historical Lapses
- In the movie, when Duroy's father asked him for forgiveness, he did not forgive him. This is contrary to Filipino culture in the 1940s.
- When the Japanese Lieutenant was made to perform a seppuku or ceremonial suicide, he was shown crying. Since seppuku is a matter of honor, it is unthinkable for a him to cry over it.
- The religious sister wore the habit or dress of Holy Spirit Sisters. The “partner-religious” of the Holy Spirit Sisters are the SVD Fathers. However, the American priest was not wearing the white soutane of an SVD Father. In addition, there were no American parish priests in the Central Visayas during World War II.
- The American Mr. Smith owned a roadster car. However, it was colored pinkish-red. Roadsters during the pre-WWII years were always colored black.
- At the start of the movie, a “3/4–truck” was shown. This kind of truck, together with the “jeep”, was available only when the Americans returned to the Philippines.
- The sickness that bedeviled the guerrillas was malaria. However, there was no longer any malaria in the Central Visayas in the 1940s. Besides, malaria is not an instant killer. It would have been better if it was typhoid fever or tipos.
- The movie showed that the guerrillas stayed in the open field. Since most of the guerrilla officers were engineers, they must know how to construct huts.
- The ambush against the Japanese was done in a forested area, a tactical “no, no” in military science. The trees hamper the bullets and provide cover to the enemy.
- The bullet sounds were in rapid fire by four. This can only be done by the modern armalites but not the World War II enfield and springfield rifles.
- Linguistic Lapses
- The word “Panaghoy” was translated as “The Call.” The base-word “Taghoy” means whistle. The Bisayan prefix “Panag . . .” is one going action without knowing when it will be end. The best translation should have been “The Whistling of the River.”
- When planning for the ambush, Duroy said, “Paghulat sa akong `signal.’” In the 1940s, it should have been “Paghulat sa akong `senyas.’”
- The American Mr. Smith was called behind his back as “Putî og itlog or "white testicles." In Visayan street parlance, this means coward. In the movie, Mr. Smith was not shown as a coward, but the opposite. In the 1940s, Superintendent Williams was called “bungoton (bearded)” and Mr. William Ugan was called “Hudeyo (Jew).” The word “Ugis (white)” was common because it was only slightly derogatory. “Ugis” is only used for animals that are white.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
- "Pastilan!" ("darn" or "Oh boy")
- "Uy kalami!" ("How Sweet!" or "how tasty!")
- "Human Na" (At the end of the credits, the final screen has the words: "Human Na (The End)".)
- "Ang mga bisaya, naai utok! Wa mi nanginahanglan sa inyong panabang!"(The Visayans has brains! We don't need your help!)
- Marika ra! Marika! Dali! (Come here! Come! Faster!) Nang Lahi (Caridad Sanchez) calls her niece, Iset (Juliana Palermo) voice raised, admonishing, over Iset’s riding the boat of Duroy (Cesar Montano). The elderly aunt knows that the boatman is courting the lass but she’s not really fond of him.
[edit] Awards
- Metro Manila Film Festival, 2004 (won)
- Best Screenplay - Cris Vertido (won)
- Best Cinematography - Ely Cruz (won)
- Best Musical Score - Nonong Buencamino (won)
- Best Supporting Actress - Rebecca Lusterio (won)[18]
- Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award - CM Films (won)
- Best Director - Cesar Montano (won) [18]
- Best Picture (2nd place) [18]
- Film Academy of the Philippine Awards, or FAP, Philippines 2005
- Best Cinematography - Ely Cruz (won)
- Best Musical Scoring - Nonog Buencamino (won)
- Best Screenplay - Cris Vertido (won)
- Best Director - Cesar Montano (nominated)
- Best Picture (nominated)
- Best Sound (nominated)
- Best Supporting Actor - Ronnie Lazaro(nominated)
- Best Supporting Actress - Daria Ramirez(nominated)
- Gawad Urian Awards, 2005
- Best Actor - Cesar Montano (won)
- Best Cinematography - Ely Cruz (won)
- Best Direction - Cesar Montano (won)
- Best Music - Nonog Buencamino (won)
- Best Picture - (won)
- Best Sound - (won)
- Best Editing - Renato de Leon (nominated)
- Best Production Design (Pinakamahusay na Disenyong Pamproduksiyon) - Allan Leyres and Ron Heri Tan (nominated)
- Best Screenplay (Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula) - Cris Vertido(nominated)
- Best Supporting Actor (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktor) - Jacky Woo (nominated)
- Best Supporting Actress (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktres) - Rebecca Lusterio (nominated)
- Best Supporting Actress (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktres) - Juliana Palermo(nominated)
[edit] References
- ^ Cry me a river no more for Pinoy film industrywww.nordis.net Retrieved 4 December, 2006.
- ^ a b Panaghoy sa Suba(The Call of the River)2004www.imdb.com Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cesar Montano's not-so-impossible dream www.newsflash.org Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ a b Panaghoy sa Suba www.thefreeman.com Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ a b A-rating for 'Panaghoy sa Suba' www.inq7.net Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ And the winners are... www.abs-cbn.com Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ The Call of the River www.cinemaya.net Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ Two Pinoy films triumph at international film fests www.abs-cbnnews.com Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ Congrats sa mga Winners ng Golden Screen Awardswww.abs-cbn.com Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ Panagahoy sa Suba (Call of the river) to Cannes Filmfestwww.newsflash.org Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ a b Cesar Montano’s Panaghoy... to screen in Cannes filmfest www.filipinoreporter.com Retrieved 30 November, 2006.
- ^ More Pinoy Films To Int’l Filmfests www.newsflash.org Retrieved 4 December, 2006.
- ^ Panaghoy sa Suba (Call of the River (2004) www.imdb.com Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ Awards www.imdb.com Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ a b c Cesar Montano wins film award in Brussels www.boholchronicle.com Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ [1] www.imdb.com Retrieved 16 February, 2007.
- ^ Talented young actress who lives by the sea www.boholchronicle.com Retrieved 29 November, 2006.
- ^ a b c Award Winning Movies MMFF Regal Films Retrieved January 30, 2007.
- A River Worth More than a Thousand Films
- Cesar's Obra
- A-rating for 'Panaghoy sa Suba' at Daily Inquirer
- Cesar Montano wins film award in Brussels
- Global search for outstanding Boholanos capped
- Best Picture
- Talented young actress who lives by the sea
- The Movie “Panaghoy sa Suba”: Some Comments
- Cesar Montano's not-so-impossible dream
- Panaghoy sa Suba (The Call of the River) to Cannes Filmfest
- 7th Festival of Asian Cinema
- Panaghoy sa Suba
- Movie Reviews : Panaghoy sa Suba
- ClickTheCity - Movie Guide: Panaghoy sa Suba
- Asia Pacific Film Institute Project in Focus: Panaghoy sa Suba
[edit] External links
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