Going through my blog, I realized that again, I haven't written anything new in almost half a year. My last entry was from December last year. And I must admit that last year's events contributed to a lot of personal changes. While I realized I've observed new routines, there are also some that I no longer seem to do -- either temporarily or permanently.
Case in point was watching movies. In the previous years, I always made it a point to set a day to watch at least one movie every month. But for this year, I don't know if it's with the scarcity of movies worth watching but I've only watched two so far: Alone/Together and Quezon's Game which this post is about.
I've heard about Quezon's Game late last year. I've always loved history even way back when I was still a student. And learning what the story was about really caught my interest. But I had to wait for half a year for the movie as it was initially available in the streaming service iWant. So when it finally arrived in cinemas, I made it a must to see the movie. Quezon's Game was available to selected cinemas; thankfully, the one at SM Center Angono was among those who gave this movie slot in their branches.
Filipinos are already familiar of Manuel Quezon to be the statesman who served as the president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. But in Quezon's Game, it tackled how he was able to save 1,200 Jews trying to escape The Holocaust during Adolf Hitler's reign -- an event in Quezon's presidency that was not even mentioned nor discussed in history books. I would admit, I am among those who was not familiar of this "secret chapter in history." And I only had an idea that a former president did this noble gesture a few years ago when I was already working in the law firm.
The movie was two hours long but to be honest, it did not disappoint. For someone like me who was not even alive during that dark point of history, Quezon's Game somehow painted a clear picture of how life was like back then-- including how complicated and disappointing it was with all the atrocities people were facing both the Filipinos (in the hands of the Americans) and the Jews (in the hands of the Germans). Las Casas De Acuzar in Bataan is a suitable venue to replicate the Philippines in the late 1930's. But what left me in awe was how fitting Raymond Bagatsing was to portray the President Manuel Quezon. I really had goosebumps and upon seeing him on screen, my first reaction was "Shit, kamukha nga niya si President Quezon!". British-Jewish director Matthew Rosen made the right decision of picking Raymond for the lead role.
I must admit that cinemas should invest in these kinds of movies. I was a bit disappointed because during the time I watched the movie, there were only 20 people inside the cinema and most of them are seniors. I won't deny it, I was saying inside my head that the youth these days are missing something for not watching the movie. It would have been better if they released it at the beginning of the school year so students could have seen this movie. In this time of uncertainty with our present government, Quezon's Game became a source of reason to be proud as a Filipino -- because when all the world has turned their doors and their attention to people in dire need and hanging on to dear life, someone from another side of the world opted to open his own country to serve as the cradle of safety. In the movie, President Quezon wished that he could have done more, but the noble act that he did was more than enough -- for the present-day Filipino to have something to be proud of, a part of history to tell the next generation and a perfect example that each one of us can do something to restore faith in humanity even in time of uncertainty and chaos.
2 comments
Reviews for this movie have been in my FB feed every now and then. Common among the reviews is the "unwritten contribution" of Quezon. I think some schools are showing it on August, in time for the Buwan ng Wika :) As for movie production, it's true na madalang mai-produce ang ganitong caliber ng movies. More often than not kasi, producers are business people too. When profit comes in the picture, mahirap minsan i-reconcile ang quality content vs. consumers' preferences. I've always wished that government will subsidise of fund this kind of masterpieces, kaso it's a different story na naman when you involve government. :)
ReplyDeleteThis movie deserves another round in cinemas and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will have a re-run this month in time for Quezon's birth anniversary. His meaningful contribution remains untold whereas this is worth shouting out to the world -- and with pride at that.
ReplyDeleteIt's just sad that our government tends to disregard quality movies like this. All because our government looks after revenue, profit and money (from entertainment taxes) rather than looking at meaning and substance.
Thank you for dropping by and taking a peak on my thoughts. This page is for your comments.