(SPOT.ph) Celebrated auteur Mike de Leon is known for his many great contributions to Philippine cinema—one of them being the documentary about Jose Rizal, Ang Bayaning 3rd World. It was the last film he made before he went on a 19-year hiatus from filmmaking (which ended when he made Citizen Jake).
Ang Bayaning 3rd World was already made available in 15- to 16-minute-long videos on the Facebook page of Casa Grande Vintage Filipino Cinema in June. But now, with Solar Pictures acquiring the rights to the film, it can be viewed in its entirety on their Vimeo account until July 29. That means cinephiles can enjoy the film (and from the comforts of their own home) and find out for themselves why it's critically acclaimed—it was graded "A" by the Film Ratings Board—and why it won multiple awards at the Gawad Urian in 2000.
Bayaning 3rd World (1999) from Solar Pictures on Vimeo.
Lauded for its depiction of the country's history and national hero, the meta-story revolves around two filmmakers (Ricky Davao and Cris Villanueva) who set out to make a movie about Rizal. To do so, they enlist the help of the people around him—including his mother, supposed wife Josephine Bracken, and siblings—and interview them about Rizal and the life he lived. They want to know more about Rizal's reported retraction of his negative views about the Catholic Church, which he openly discussed in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. After asking around, they eventually get to ask Rizal (Joel Torre) himself.
Prior to working on this film, De Leon was supposed to helm GMA Films' Jose Rizal, which eventually went to Marilou Diaz-Abaya. "It was supposed to be a melodrama, and with the late, great actress Charito Solis playing Doña Lolay, Rizal’s mother, I thought I could make the viewer feel for the plight of this unfortunate, reluctant hero and maybe even weep—a historical tearjerker," De Leon shares in a post on Citizen Jake's Facebook page.
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