Widely considered the finest Filipino film ever made, and regularly included in best films lists, Lino Brocka’s brutally raw 1975 melodrama is set against the background of a capital mired in economic distress and social upheaval under the Marcos dictatorship. Julio (Rafael Roco, Jr.), a young man from a provincial fishing village, has come to Manila in search of his sweetheart Ligaya (Hilda Koronel), who was lured from her hometown with the promise of a high-paying job but was instead forced into prostitution. Julio only learns of this after struggling to survive by taking first a bone-breaking construction job under a cruel boss who cheats workers out of a portion of their wages, and then a humiliating position in the male sex trade. Eventually he finds Ligaya and prepares to take her home, but a twofold tragedy intervenes, closing the film with a famous freeze frame. Manila in the Claws of Light is a strange hybrid: on one hand, it presents an uncompromising depiction of the squalor of the city and its impoverished underclass that is reminiscent of Italian neo-realism; on the other, gauzy flashbacks to the idyllic countryside romance of Julio and Ligaya have the look of glossy TV commercials. Still, it stands in stark contrast to the general run of Filipino movies of the era, which were mainly either dumb adventures or sappy soap operas, and it still carries a strong emotional punch. Digitally restored for this fine Criterion edition, extras include a short introduction by Martin Scorsese, Christian Blackwood’s 1987 feature-length documentary profile Signed: Lino Brocka, a 1975 "making-of" featurette, a new interview with filmmaker and critic Tony Rayns, and a booklet with an essay by film scholar José B. Capino. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Manila in the Claws of Light
Criterion, 126 min., in Tagalog w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.99; Blu-ray: $39.99 Volume 33, Issue 5
Manila in the Claws of Light
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