Cinema
Gold, Silver, Death
Oro, plata, mata
Peque Gallaga · 1982
Synopsis
At the end of 1941, in Bacolod, the Ojedas and the Lorenzos, families of sugar planters in Negros, are celebrating Maria Rosario's eighteenth birthday when news arrives of the Japanese advance. They leave their houses for the family hacienda, in the interior of the island, with servants and silverware, then have to go still deeper, towards the forest, while guerrillas, bandits and Japanese soldiers roam about.
Context
The first feature film by its director, it was the first production of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, a state body headed by the president's daughter. Jose Javier Reyes wrote the screenplay from a story by the director, Mario Taguiwalo and Conchita Castillo; Madeleine Gallaga and Charo Santos produced it, Rody Lacap operated the camera, and the budget reached two and a half million pesos. It was released on 27 January 1982 and was shot on the island itself.
Who it is for
Three hours and a quarter in Filipino, Spanish and English. The last third is explicit in its violence as in its sex, which surprises anyone expecting a period reconstruction.
Prizes and reception
Six Philippine critics' awards for the year 1982, including those for best film and direction, for a first feature film.