| José Rizal | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Marilou Diaz-Abaya |
| Screenplay by | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Cesar Montano |
| Cinematography | Rody Lacap |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Nonong Buencamino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | GMA Films[a] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 175 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages |
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| Budget | ₱80 million(estimated) |
| Box office | ₱125 million |
José Rizal is a 1998 Philippineepichistorical drama film co-produced and directed byMarilou Diaz-Abaya from a screenplay written byJun Lana,Ricky Lee, and Peter Ong Lim. The film was based on the true story of Filipino patriotJosé Rizal, who was imprisoned under theSpanish colonization and tells his story until the final day of his execution.Cesar Montano stars in the title role, with the supporting cast includingJaime Fabregas,Chin-Chin Gutierrez,Gina Alajar,Pen Medina,Gloria Diaz, andRonnie Lazaro.
At the time of its release, the film was an official entry to the1998 Metro Manila Film Festival, sweeping most of the nominations with seventeen awards, making it the first film with the most MMFF award wins.
In 1896, José Rizal was imprisoned inFort Santiago due to his dissident activities. Meanwhile, in a small field inBalintawak,Andrés Bonifacio and his fellow secret organization, theKatipunan, commence the uprising against the tyranny created by the Spaniards bytearing theircédulas as a sign of freedom from Spanish slavery.
A first lieutenant of the Artillery, Luis Taviel de Andrade, visits Rizal. Taviel de Andrade does not waste time studying Rizal's case carefully. In just a short period, Rizal and Taviel capture each other's sympathy and eventually become friends during their usual meetings in Rizal's cell. Taviel celebrates Christmas with Rizal in the cell where they drink and sing together. Governor GeneralRamón Blanco also sympathizes with Rizal's cause but is later secretly ousted by corrupt Spanish officials and Manila'sarchbishop,Bernardino Nozaleda, who replace him withCamilo de Polavieja.
Flashbacks of Rizal's life are shown, from his childhood to his education, and then to his professional life as a doctor. He soon begins writing his two novelsNoli Me Tángere andEl filibusterismo, which are then published. In addition, key scenes from the two novels are also shown. Returning to the Philippines after a dispute with other Filipino reformists in Madrid, he establishesLa Liga Filipina in 1892 and meets Bonifacio, who distinguishes himself as an enthusiastic admirer. Shortly afterwards, he is exiled toDapitan and spends the next four years working as a doctor, during which he also falls in love withJosephine Bracken, who later gives birth to their stillborn child.
After Christmas of 1896, Rizal was sent to theReal Audiencia, the colonial court of appeal, to hear the trial against him. Despite a passionate defense by Taviel de Andrade, the magistrates decide to condemn him to the firing squad on the morning of December 30 inLuneta. Taviel de Andrade expresses his outrage and shame in front of Rizal, who passively accepts the decision. He is later visited by his family.
On the night before the execution, Rizal has a vision in which he encounters hisalter ego—Noli Me Tángere'sprotagonist Crisostomo Ibarra in his "Simoun" identity, tempting him to change the climax of the novel after Simoun criticizes him as weak. Instead, Rizal writes his last poem "Mi último adiós".
On the morning of his execution, his kin receives a small alcohol stove from his cell containing "Mi último adiós". Stopping at the place of execution facing the rising sun, Rizal requests that the authorities for him to face the firing squad, but the request is denied. Calm and without haste, he requests to have his head spared instead, and the captain agrees. At the moment the firing squad aims at his back, he utters his final words:Consummatum est ("It is finished"). After Rizal collapses from the gunfire, the commanding officer gives him amercy shot, killing him. The Spaniards in the crowd celebrate, while the Filipinos mourn.
Following Rizal's execution, the Katipunan continues itsuprising, with Bonifacio leading an ambush and the revolutionaries killingfriars in an act of vengeance. As Bonifacio and his top generals plan new offensives, the camera pans to Rizal's picture on the wall of his headquarters before revealing Rizal's hat, which sat by the shores ofManila Bay, concluding with an epilogue about the revolution and the proclamation of independence in 1898.
In 1994, there were efforts to produce aHollywood feature film based on the life ofJosé Rizal led by directorCirio H. Santiago, then the head of theFilm Development Foundation of the Philippines, with the approval of PresidentFidel V. Ramos. Actors who were reportedly considered for the project includedAndy Garcia as Rizal,Winona Ryder asJosephine Bracken, andSharon Cuneta asLeonor Rivera, withJonathan Demme as director, though the project did not come to fruition.[1]
The Malacanang Palace scenes were filmed in the old Rizal Province Capitol building, with the University of Santo Tomas exteriors shot at the former archbishop's palace in Vigan (now an ecclesiastical museum). Rizal's execution was filmed at the shores of Morong, Bataan.
It was the most expensive film in the history of Filipino cinema with a budget of over₱80 million.[citation needed]
During the film's release in 1998, theProbe Team, hosted byChe Che Lazaro, produced a special behind-the-scenes documentary titledJosé Rizal: The Making of a Masterpiece. The documentary highlighted various aspects of the film’s creation, its historical background, and included interviews with the director, cast, producers, members of the production and design team, and other key figures involved in the film.[2]
In 1999, GMA Network released an accompanying publication titledAng Screenplay ng José Rizal, which featured the original screenplay of the film written by Ricky Lee, Jun Lana, and Peter Ong Lim, along with interviews from the cast, directing crew, and production team.[3]
The film was subsequently released in DVD-format and VCD format byGMA Records Home Video and distributed byViva Video in 2006.[4]
In 2024, GMA Network digitally restored and remastered the film, in partnership with Central Digital Lab.[5] It was shown to audiences during the 2024Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. The restored version of the movie was released forNetflix on December 30, 2024 to markRizal Day.[6]
The film was screened and run in competition in different film festivals worldwide and included in the Official Selection for Panorama at the Berlin International Film Festival (1998). It also won 2nd runner-up in the Audience Award of the Toronto Filmfest and theChicago International Film Festival.[citation needed]
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