Director: Mike de Leon Running time: 93 minutes Synopsis and Evaluation We are a nation fascinated with Jose Rizal

not just his heroism but also his being a womanizer, his classic hair style and many more. We devour two of his greatest literary works in secondary schools. We celebrate his birth and execution dates. We have countless movies relating to Rizal and his works. We even name our streets (Rizal Avenue, Rizal Province), corporations (RCBC), schools (Rizal High School) and products after him. Theres even a religion devoted to Rizal and his works. Even the most well-known place in Laguna is Calamba (Rizals hometown), not Santa Cruz which is its capital.

Despite being subjected to countless scrutinizes by various historians, how well do we know Rizal? Is it really important to know him adequately since hes our nations symbol to our fight against four centuries of foreign colonialism? Bayaning Third World, directed by Mike de Leon, is a mockumentary on making a film about Rizal. Lots of questions were thrown around and dissected in this feature film that concern Rizal. Have Rizal really written and signed a retraction letter signifying his intention to turn back from his beliefs and re-join the Catholic Church? Did he marry Josephine Bracken? Did he retract so that he can marry Josephine Bracken? (There was no civil wedding back then.) These were discussed in the film by interviewing various people connected to Rizal for their points of view. Throughout the film, the filmmakers (Ricky Davao and Cris Villanueva) asked lots of questions, examined evidences, analyzed various information they have gotten from their interviews and still didnt reach a conclusion about the questions they want to clarify right from the start. The more they dug deeper, the more questions left unanswered popped up. Its one big loop that mocks the futility of digging deep down Rizals personal life, his inner feelings and motivations. Cris Villanueva always asks if its still relevant to discuss these issues a century after Rizals death. Maybe it is still relevant so that we can have a hero who will not be anymore subjected to doubts by many scholars a flawless hero so to speak to maintain Rizals legacy to our country. But what is a hero really? Is there a perfect or flawless hero? Will there ever be an unblemished hero?

A long time already went by since Rizals death. A lot of things have already happened since 1896. Maybe knowing the complete story is not that important anymore. Rizal is an image of Filipino intelligence and an inspiration to the youth of today and tomorrow. Many look up to him. If the truth would tarnish everything that was built and preserved, maybe its not worth pursuing anymore. So what if he retracted his statements and beliefs? We are already influenced by Rizal in many ways positively I believe. His greatness would not be diminished by a mere renunciation since damage was already inflicted to the colonizers by his works and statements. Nothing will ever change today. On the technical aspect, this film is superior with its use of black and white (perfect for the period of time covered by the film), mock commercials and re-creations and parodies of historic events (e.g. execution of Rizal where he run away from his executors). One interesting bit of information; the actors did not know they are filming a comedy. This was done to preserve the authenticity of their acting since not knowing that theyre filming a comedy, the actors would not force themselves trying to be funny. This strategy worked excellently for this film as spontaneity and zest were preserved throughout the film. The Final Word The final segment of the film dubbed as Kanya-Kanyang Rizal conveyed that we know Rizal in lots of different ways. Depending on who we ask, a different version of Rizal will always be told. Its like history in general, where even in the presence of various pieces of evidences there would always be some room for a historians opinion to enter his discussion. What would history become without discussions and debates? A mere collection of information regarding and records of the past. Its an endless cycle, almost futile, but not entirely useless since it encourages us to think within our own minds.

Cast Members
Ricky Davao Filmmaker 1 Lara Fabregas Josephine Bracken Joonee Gamboa Paciano Rio Locsin Trining Cherry Pie Picache Narcisa Daria Ramirez Donya Lolay Ed Rocha Padre Balaguer Joel Torre Jose Rizal Cris Villanueva Filmmaker 2

Crew Members
Mike de Leon Director Mike de Leon Producer Pinky Ibarra Associate Producer Eliza Tamayo Associate Producer Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. Screenwriter Mike de Leon Screenwriter Armando Jarlego Editor Ding Achacoso Cinematographer

Synopsis of Bayaning 3rd World

A complex film within a film that attempts to explore the myth of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, director Mike De Leon's study in manufactured mythology attempts to explore the life of Rizal while simultaneously investigating his influence on modern Philippine society. It seems that the culture has embraced the idea of a nation icon rather than the physical reality of the man behind the myth, and director De Leon begins to study the historical accounts of Rizal's life while attempting to contact the family and friends that were closest to him. Confounded by the controversial letter of retraction that Rizal signed in his later days, the filmmakers attempt to uncover the motivation of the legend in renouncing all he stood for and opting for and embracing the society that he so vehemently denounced. Soon coming to the end of their search for facts and unable to solve the mystery of the letter, the filmmakers, at odds with their belief of recorded history, find that discovering the ultimate truth to the legend may be an unattainable goal. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Complete Cast of Bayaning 3rd World

Ricky Davao - Filmmaker 1 Joonee Gamboa - Paciano Cherry Pie Picache - Narcisa Ed Rocha - Padre Balaguer Cris Villanueva - Filmmaker 2 Lara Fabregas - Josephine Bracken Rio Locsin - Trining Daria Ramirez - Donya Lolay Joel Torre - Jose Rizal

Director(s): Mike de Leon Writer(s): Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., Mike de Leon Producer(s): Mike de Leon

Bayaning 3rd World (English: 3rd World Hero) is a 1999 Filipino film directed by Mike de Leon that examines the heroism of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, particularly on his supposed retraction of his writings against the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines during the Spanish colonization period in the country.

Plot
Two filmmakers try to create a film venturing on the life of Jose Rizal. Before they do that, they try to investigate on the heroism of the Philippine national hero. Of particular focus is his supposed retraction of his views against the Roman Catholic Church during the Spanish regime in the Philippines which he expressed primarily through his two novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The investigation was done mainly by "interviewing" key individuals in the life of Rizal such as his mother Teodora Alonzo, his siblings Paciano, Trinidad, and Narcisa, his love interest and supposed wife Josephine Bracken, and the Jesuit priest who supposedly witnessed Rizal's retraction, Fr. Balaguer. Eventually, the two filmmakers would end up "interviewing" Rizal himself to get to the bottom of the issue.

Production
In 1997, director Mike de Leon had been working on a film project on the life of Jose Rizal with Cinemax Films (now known as GMA Films). Along the way, he invited screenwriter Clodualdo Del Mundo Jr. to collaborate with him in the project. Problems during production eventually led to the project being scrapped, though it would later be completed by director Marilou Diaz-Abaya as the 1998 film Jose Rizal. Despite this, de Leon and Del Mundo decided to proceed with producing an independently-financed film on Jose Rizal. The duo tried to conceptualize on a film different from that of the original film project they worked on. De Leon created his first draft of the script in the English language, while Del Mundo would translate the script in the Filipino language and add some revisions.

Cast

Ricky Davao as Filmmaker # 1 Cris Villanueva as Filmmaker # 2 Joel Torre as Jose Rizal Daria Ramirez as Teodora Alonzo Joonee Gamboa as Paciano Rio Locsin as Trinidad Cherry Pie Picache as Narcisa Lara Fabregas as Josephine Bracken Ed Rocha as Fr. Balaguer

Release
Film rating

The film had been rated "A" by the Film Ratings Board in 1999. Members of the FRB who viewed the prerelease screening on November 9, 1999 noted that the film brought hope that the local film industry will still be able to excel as the new millennium unfolded.
Reception

The film has been critically praised for its unique depiction on the life of Jose Rizal. Those who viewed the film at the FRB pre-release screening noted that the film managed to make a difficult subject "accessible, comprehensible and even exciting" and presented itself in a manner that the younger audience could relate to. Film critic Nestor Torre views the film as an "artistic triumph" and believes that it would generate discussion among its viewers on Rizal's status as a hero.

In 2004, the New York-based film magazine Film Comments included the film in its list of 10 Best Films in Alternative Cinema. Despite receiving critical acclaim, it was not able to earn well financially when it was first released to Philippine theaters in a limited run. It was re-released in 2000, but was soon pulled due to its poor performance.
Accolades

The film won six of 13 awards at the 23rd Gawad Urian in 2000, namely Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Joel Torre), Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Music. Aside from these, it was also nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Cris Villanueva), Best Supporting Actor (Ed Rocha), Best Production, and Best Editing. The film also got three nominations from the Film Academy of the Philippines, namely Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Daria Ramirez), and Best Editor.