Real Review: Peque Gallaga’s ORO,PLATA,MATA (1982).

My first attempt to watch Cinema one’s Originals was on thursday afternoon with my former classmate at the law school, Cheng Somcio but since the next screening is at 7:00pm we refused. Yesterday, since sunday is my rest day I decided to watched. Im lucky that direk  Bong Ramos ( Haw-Ang, Butas) was there to accompanied me. The film was a restored version of Oro, Plata, Mata in HD and since it was a classic, I cannot convey my feelings of going back to the past.

Back from the dark era of 1940’s come the two families, the Ojeda’s (lead by their patriarch abuelito Manny Ojeda) and the Lorenzo’s caught in the middle of the war. The film was divided into three periods from their golden years to their near fall and death. Since the Lorenzo’s has a Hacienda in Negros, the two families stay and retreat their due to the threat of Japanese occupation, while leisure and gambling habit (majong) entertain themselves. There comes the time that they need to leave the hacienda and camp at the mountain where they were massacre by few bandits (not guerilla). Few of the members of the two families survive; but their lives and psychological attitude change forever.
First, I would like to praise the screenplay. Jose Javier Reyes written an artistic, complicated but easy to understand monologues since Spanish term’s that we used in our daily lives and kolokial words can be seen. Then, director Peque Gallaga shows a standard of cinematic excellence in Philippine Cinema-the one shot debut scene and the majong habit scene. Those are all perfect shots giving an interpretation that the director is well-educated and well discipline artist. ABS-CBN presented a perfect restored version as such, Holywood is not the only place that can produce a very good film, and we already did 30 years ago.