Heneral Luna: Ang Artikulo Uno

"HENERAL LUNA"

The movie was a successful project by a well known director Dir. Jerrold Tarog with John Arcilla who act as Heneral Luna. Amidst pacing problems, Heneral Luna manages to tell a compelling story – allegorical and timely to present day – supported by a fantastic script, an impassioned score, and inspired cinematography.

At first glance, one might mistake Heneral Luna as your run-of-the-mill historical biopic that showcases a hero of yore whose bravery and passion unite his people in the face of dastardly foreign invaders. Well, this is only partly correct. There are invaders, Heneral Luna (John Arcilla) is indeed fiercely brave and madly passionate, but there is no unity to be found among country men – only in fighting, personal interest, and politics.

Heneral Luna more than makes for these flaws though through its artistic components – such as its beautiful score, well-crafted cinematography, and, most especially, its fantastic rhythmic script.

Technically marvellous is the only way to describe the movie’s sound design – from Luna’s table banging overpowering the raucous in a cabinet meeting, to a guitar mini-concert midway the film, to the overall masterful score. You have to give it to effort put in by Jerrold Tarog, who not only directed the movie but also provided its music.

All sorts of appealing too is Heneral Luna‘s cinematography. One scene you have to look out for is the flashback sequence to the general’s youth. This particular scene employs one long take, seamlessly moving from different sets that pass of as a childhood home, Europe, and other settings from different timelines. It is a visual spectacle, innovative and masterful in its execution.

Most notable though among the movie’s artistry is its script. Poetic yet conversational, Heneral Luna‘s script is filled to the brim with flowery lines of dialogue as if lifted from a sonata. It’s not everyday that you get to hear lines as beautifully crafted as “kailangan mong tumalon sa kawalan,” “digmaan ang iyong asawa, ako lamang ay iyong querida,” and “para kayong mga birhen na naniniwala sa pag-ibig ng puta.” Here is a script so elegant that it can even make curse words sound so cultured, so tasteful.

All in all I love this Movie.