Jackson Booth-Millard This Filipino film, also known as Manila in the Claws of Brightness, is one I found listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and in the description I read it is considered by many as one of the greatest films of Filipino cinema, so I was interested to try it. Basically Júlio Madiaga (Bembol Roco) is a simple fisherman from the province on the island of Marinduque, in the Phillipines, who travels to Manila. Júlio appears to be just a young rustic who has to work in order to survive the conditions of the urban jungle, he lands a job as a construction worker, but is not used to such labour, and falls unconscious due to fatigue and hunger. On the site Júlio makes friends with fellow construction worker Atong (Lou Salvador Jr.), who was hired five weeks before him, and another worker advises him unless one has the income to enjoy urban comforts, life in the city can be quite difficult. Júlio slowly begins to observe the harsh reality of society, experiencing extreme poverty, hard luck, and the overbearing need to grind to sustain daily, and even witnesses the accidental death of one of the construction workers. One day, while Júlio and Atong are shopping for clothes in the marketplace, Júlio's attention is caught by a woman reminds him of Mrs Cruz (Juling Bagabaldo), the woman who brought his childhood sweetheart, Ligaya Paraiso (Hilda Koronel), to Manila for schooling. Júlio runs through a crowd and tries to approach the woman, but before he can say anything she screams in distress, he flees to prevent causing a scene, and leaves the marketplace with Atong. Many more chance encounters with Mrs Cruz follow, until eventually Júlio discovers that Ligaya was actually brought to the capital for prostitution, she explains everything when they are finally reunited. Júlio plans for them to get away and return to Marinduque together, Ligaya agrees to meet him at Arranque, however she does not appear at the appointed time. The next day Júlio goes to see his friend Pol (Tommy Abuel), who informs him that Ligaya fell down a flight of stairs, during a struggle with the brothel owner Ah-Tek (Tommy Yap), she died in the night. Júlio is enraged, he sees Ah-Tek at Ligaya's funeral and begins to stalk him, he is successful in dispatching his target. But a mob witnessed what Júlio does to Ah-Tek, they pursue and eventually corner him, the film ends with a slow motion close-up of Júlio's terrified face, just as his assailants are about to strike. Also starring Pio De Castro III as Imo, Joonee Gamboa as Omeng and Julie De Guzman as Asawa. I had to really concentrate to understand everything going, whilst reading the subtitles and watching the grainy imagery, I just about got the grasp of the story, it certainly works well with the melodramatic stuff, exploring the suffering of the disadvantaged, an interesting drama. Worth watching!

BuddyBoy60 ABOUT: Julio Madiaga, a simple fisherman from the province (as played by Rafael "Bembol" Roco, Jr. in his first leading role) goes on a journey to find Ligaya (Hilda Koronel), the woman he loves, after she went away with a mysterious woman promising a better future in Manila. When he arrives, he becomes immersed in the city lifestyle and gets involved with its inhabitants experiencing extreme poverty, hard luck, and the daily pressure to grind for sustainment. While Julio relentlessly searches on for Ligaya, the city changes him little by little, becoming like an animal in a wild jungle that lives only for survival.REVIEW: Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila: In the Claws of Light), a film by the late great national artist, Lino Brocka, from the screenplay of Clodualdo Del Mundo Jr. (adapted from the serialized novel of Edgardo M. Reyes), is an examination of the dark side of urban life in Manila, Philippines. Brocka tackles the social issue of extreme poverty and its effects on the people experiencing it at the time. The movie speaks about the harsh truth about Manila especially for the underprivileged that life in the city is pleasurable but only if you meet the high cost and that sometime you even have to pay more because what you can give is not enough. In end you may have to lose so much only to gain so little in value. Such is the fate of Julio Madiaga (main character) and basically every character in the story. He goes on a nightmarish journey to find his love one, Ligaya only to experience things go from bad to worse. A ton of credit should be given to the casting and the performance of Rocco as Julio Madiaga. We go with him and we see everything happening through his eyes and we feel the same way that he does. He was able to portray convincingly a character that changes from being pure to being tainted as the film progresses. The screenplay also gave hand in establishing a strong connection between the viewer and the main character specifically with the use of key monologues that made us aware of his intentions. Other characters aside from Julio Madiaga are well written and cast also, such as Julio's missing love one, Ligaya, a perfect example of Filipina beauty, Pol, as played by Tommy Abuel, his ever reliable friend, and the elusive Mrs. Cruz, as played by Juling Bagabaldo, whom he has a growing hatred for taking away Ligaya. Every character proves to be integral to the events presented in the film. No one seems out of place, not for a second. Apart from the commendable writing, acting and casting, it is the direction by Lino Brocka that brought these aspects together film. His signature realism paired with his undeniable artistic talent behind the camera is what the material needed to produce an exceptionally well made film. Though it has been over 40 years since the movie premiered, the social commentary it contains continues to be relevant up to know. This is coming from a citizen living in the said city. The underprivileged people in city at present are still affected by poverty among other social illness as it was then. Sure, it will make a fine exhibit for retrospection when discussing the era when Philippines was in martial law but more than that, because of what the film achieves both in art and social significance, it will continue to be watched by future generations.FINAL WORD: With an flinching portrayal of what is wrong in the society at same time being able to showcase it in cinematic fashion, -Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila- In the Claws of Light) proves its triumph in film making. Only a few films and even less in Philippine Cinema have put together social significance together with art and produce a very satisfying experience as this film. With the recent restoration, the film can be seen in its grandest form and hopefully it will continue to be influential in the years to come. The film is highly recommended. Go see it. You can likely catch it in cinemas in the Philippines or as I have read, the Criterion Collection is planning to release the film in DVD/ Blu-ray within this year, so grab a copy when it becomes available.

gonzaga ext The 'provinciano' (literally someone from the provinces, or small town folk) is one of the most portrayed characters in Philippine cinema. With its sole megalopolis, Metro Manila, dominating the rest of the country, the economy included (with the possible exception of Cebu), the mass urban migration occurs day after day, depleting the agrarian countryside of its promising sons and daughters. The resulting drama is a great source of material for cinema: the evil, exploitative, capitalistic big city sucking the life out of the fresh, naïve, virginal barrio lad or lass. Furthermore, considering the history of Filipino colonial exploitation lasting hundreds of years by the Americans, Japanese, and Spanish, the story of the rich (yet morally lacking) exploiting the poor (yet virtuous) is one of the most enduring stories in Filipino culture."Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag", directed by Lino Brocka, the most critically respected and well-known filmmaker the Philippines has ever produced, from the novel by another icon, writer Edgardo Reyes, is the embodiment of the great provinciano film and has been hailed as the apex of so-called 'Third World cinema'.The 'provinciano' in our story is Julio Madiaga, portrayed by film veteran (and later in his life the most famous bald Filipino), Bembol Roco. In this very first (and highly memorable) of his many cinematic collaborations with Brocka, Roco's neophyte status works well on the Madiaga character. He possesses a doe-eyed naivete that stands in harsh contrast with the bitter reality that is Manila. He braves the big bad city in search of his small town sweetheart, the so literally named Ligaya Paraiso (meaning Happy Paradise, as played by Hilda Koronel, at her virginal best), who has mysteriously disappeared after being promised a good job and an education by a woman who looks like a 'baboy' (pig). His maddening search dominates the film. Frustrated and disenfranchised, he gradually sheds this skin of innocence while a quiet sense of anger slowly brews under the surface. The 'provinciano' barely survives. Oppressed and emasculated, our hero is barely able to save himself from the neon clutches of the city, much less save his girl. Ironically, our savior needs to be saved!Like Mira Nair's masterpiece "Salaam Bombay!", "Maynila" is an excellent portrayal of how man struggles to find his niche in the world or, more interestingly, how he ultimately doesn't fit in, no matter how often and how hard he tries. Julio, on the surface, isn't alone, for he easily gets along with his fellow laborers but, ultimately, he's among fellow misfits, society's disenfranchised poor living on the edge. Depressing as he can be, the perennial misfit is an interesting cinematic figure. It's this feeling of helplessness and the hope that maybe it will get better which fuels the film."Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag", indeed, deserves its place among Filipino cinema's best of the best. Like Ishmael Bernal's "Himala" and another Brocka film, "Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang", it's a celluloid legend that not only meets but surpasses high expectations. (Unfortunately, Brocka's "Insiang" falls short of these same personal expectations.) "Maynila" and "Himala" are most often mentioned as the best Filipino film ever made. Piercing, unforgettable portrayals of the human condition, they beautifully illuminate the story of the Filipino. And like all great films, they contain memorable, iconic scenes: film legend Nora Aunor's "Walang himala!" ("There's no miracle!") scene in "Himala" and, to a lesser degree, Roco's brief but haunting final shot in "Maynila". Between the former's increasing crescendo of Third World desperation, Aunor's tightly controlled performance, and false gods/true celebrities religious fanaticism, versus the latter's dark maze of urban entrapment, Roco's gradual withering of brown 'provinciano' innocence, it's a very close, tough call to make. Still, I have to say that "Maynila" is the more relevant, therefore, more appealing for me personally. As beautifully surreal as the deserts of Paoay are in "Himala", though Bernal's intelligent religious commentary connects with me strongly, ultimately, it's the simple story of the brown 'provinciano' swallowed by his sweetheart's big city dreams which affects me more significantly.

Fru_is_Insomniac I'm not a fan of our local films here in the Philippines. I've seen so many cheesy Filipino films such as "Dyesebel", "Batang X" etc. But after I have seen "Maynila", everything changed.The film is simply amazing. It really blows me away. This is very original concept of story I have seen in my entire life. Although some moments are like "Midnight Cowboy" inspired, the whole story is very original.The characters are very memorable, though some acting needs some improvement. Thanks to the late Director, Lino Brocka for making this unforgettable, total human experience. Brocka is the greatest Filipino director, and I'm sure everyone will agree on me.10/10