In a Utopian society, culture dictates that people should be fed and nourished with socially relevant programs and propaganda that perfectly gesticulates the Big Brother syndrome, exposed as pundits say, by George Orwell in his thought provoking “1984”. With apologies to Sir Thomas More, the Philippines, and for another lifetime I suppose will, has been living on the opposite pole. A semi-dystopian society that is being run by automatons with overbearing ambitions, politicians as their house name, our country has managed to survive by sheer guts, laughing our troubles away and being entertained by that curious artistic digression known popularly as movies.
Although Philippine Cinema has been going through rough and tough times lately, the recent spate of good quality entertaining films (read: digital) indicate that Pinoy filmmakers and producers are on the right track in reviving the dignity of our dying industry. Young filmmakers independently making those digital films and earning accolades left and right from critics is a good sign that cerebral maverick filmmaking is getting its share of attention. A fact that is most welcome especially for cineastes who crave for quality features and for the movie going masses that is always on the lookout for good entertainment.
Filipino films in its existence, in my opinion, have provided the variety that caters to all types of moviegoers. A film for the bakya crowd, for the intellectuals, for the artists, for the teenagers, for the riche noveau, for the sex-starved, for the barkada crowd, for the bohemians, etc. has been manufactured by the Pinoy Silver screen at one time or another. While I wish to discuss all film modes, what I will present is a chatterbox study that aims to sate and inundate my craving to create a shameless popcorn-bubblegum magazine article. Save for the overdubs and pretentious critique, the following is a product of an overzealous and failed attempt to create a cool and decent dissertation on pinoy movies. Enter at your own risk…
Ang bakya mo neneng…
Yes, I must admit that I am a part of the bakya crowd. And boy, we must also admit that pinoy inanities have been exposed, presented and laughed at in the movies. Consider the musings of Pilosopo Tasyo transposed in the many one-liners of Eddie Garcia, acerbic yet smart and funny, it captures the whole essence of pinoy humor with philosophical subtlety also inherent in the dialogue rich Danny Zialcita movies. Be it comedy or drama, Zialcita's oeuvre has that fantabulous concoction of street language and witticisms delivered matter-of-factly by his terrific actors that includes Tommy Abuel, the aforementioned Garcia, Elizabeth Oropesa, Gloria Diaz, Amy Austria and others.
No one can also fault the melodramas that consistently brought tears to the movie going public; those tearjerkers that broke many-a-heart had the imaginative titles and stories and were conjured primarily to make money. The Sharon Cuneta musical sagas like Bituing Walang Ningning, Sana'y Wala nang Wakas, Bukas, Luluhod ang mga Tala, Kaputol ng Isang Awit are just a few that made us hold our breaths for the finale when the Hero/Heroine justly wrecks havoc to the life of the Kontrabidas.
Who can forget that water splashing scene accompanied by the legendary lines, “You're nothing but a second-rate trying hard copycat!” That scene along with other memorable sampalan, iyakan and sumbatan melodramatic pastiches has become a part of Pinoy consciousness and popular culture.
Filipinos are sentimental in the true sense of the word, we laugh and cry with the movies we see, we grow with the characters, and we interact in the world that the movies have created. That is why telenovelas, koreanovelas, chinonovelas, telefantasyas and others of the same ilk thrive in this country, it is more than just a form of entertainment for many, it is a tool for escaping the harsh realities of life. So, whether we like it or not, melodramas will continue to drown us with the resins of our own tears. Bring on the tissues…sob…
On the opposite side of the stick is the slapstick comedy. Yes, if we cry at Filipino films, we also laugh hard at the walang kawawaang komedya that our local clowns serve us. We cannot fault ourselves at laughing, corny or not, because it is the timing of the punch lines, the poker faced expressions and of course the opportunity to laugh at our own iniquities that makes the Pinoy brand of comedy kind of unique. Not only does it celebrate our inimitable brand of humor and pays tribute to our legendary cheerfulness trait but more importantly it creates lasting impressions on Pinoy culture and modifies our bleak view on everyday events. It makes fun, however silly, of our foibles and makes every single person a caricature in hilarity drawn into endless and mindless situations thinly veiled as a parody of life's absurdities.
