Gathered Info
El Presidente vs. Supremo: Reflections on Conflicting Narratives
Last year, two films came out in Philippine cinema that totally reflect the disparate perspectives on two historical figures in Philippine history—one about the founder of the Katipunan, and the other about the President of the Philippine Revolutionary Government. I watched Supremo (2012) in an SM cinema on the first week of December, while I saw El Presidente (2012) during the Metro Manila Film Festival. The mayaman vs. mahirap or the matapobre vs. api are socialist storylines long overused in Filipino TV screens and have been, I think, the logical outcome of our historical background with the defined social statification brought here by the Spaniards—that of the white peninsulares and insulares as the higher ups versus the brown indios. These worldviews I think have long mired our values especially when it comes to our choosing of heroes. I have explained my position regarding Andres Bonifacio and the wrong portrayals about him (that popular notion that he was poor, uneducated, etc.) In fact, history attests that Mabini was poorer than Bonifacio. While Bonifacio did not finish school, he self-studied, reading the Rizalian novels, the French work Le Juif Errant, and yes, even the Les Miserables of Victor Hugo (the book was found in his workplace at Fressel and Co. when the Katipunan was found out.) That is why in seeing Bonifacio and Aguinaldo, one must throw away the mayaman vs. mahirap rhetoric. It is a social reality, but in heroics, heroes must be measured by their principles and values consistent with their walk than by their social status.
On the films, cinematography-wise, these are hands-down quality films. El Presidente was shot in hi-definition quality film. The props and clothing were really consistent with the late 19th century get-up, as was done in Supremo. On a bad light, Supremo had many dragging scenes (Bonifacio’s ‘walkathon’ to Cavite) and El Presidente’s narrative as similar
Last year, two films came out in Philippine cinema that totally reflect the disparate perspectives on two historical figures in Philippine history—one about the founder of the Katipunan, and the other about the President of the Philippine Revolutionary Government. I watched Supremo (2012) in an SM cinema on the first week of December, while I saw El Presidente (2012) during the Metro Manila Film Festival. The mayaman vs. mahirap or the matapobre vs. api are socialist storylines long overused in Filipino TV screens and have been, I think, the logical outcome of our historical background with the defined social statification brought here by the Spaniards—that of the white peninsulares and insulares as the higher ups versus the brown indios. These worldviews I think have long mired our values especially when it comes to our choosing of heroes. I have explained my position regarding Andres Bonifacio and the wrong portrayals about him (that popular notion that he was poor, uneducated, etc.) In fact, history attests that Mabini was poorer than Bonifacio. While Bonifacio did not finish school, he self-studied, reading the Rizalian novels, the French work Le Juif Errant, and yes, even the Les Miserables of Victor Hugo (the book was found in his workplace at Fressel and Co. when the Katipunan was found out.) That is why in seeing Bonifacio and Aguinaldo, one must throw away the mayaman vs. mahirap rhetoric. It is a social reality, but in heroics, heroes must be measured by their principles and values consistent with their walk than by their social status.
On the films, cinematography-wise, these are hands-down quality films. El Presidente was shot in hi-definition quality film. The props and clothing were really consistent with the late 19th century get-up, as was done in Supremo. On a bad light, Supremo had many dragging scenes (Bonifacio’s ‘walkathon’ to Cavite) and El Presidente’s narrative as similar