“The first ever silent dramatic feature film of the Philippines”
May 15, 1917, collaborations with Albert Yearsley and Edward Meyer Gross, Jose Nepomuceno bought his first film equipment and began his research and writing to come up with the first locally produced feature film of the Philippines.
The making of the film was an adaptation of Hermogenes Ilagan’s zarzuela entitled Dalagang Bukid. It was a theatrical success and performing arts genre at the box office at that time. Nepomuceno also decided to use the original performers of the zarzuela which include Atang Dela Rama who was a National Artist for Theater and Music in 1987 and Marcellano Ilagan, the brother of Hermogenes.
Dalagang Bukid 1919 (Country Maiden) is a classical touch of early Filipino romantic drama film. Angelita, a young flower vendor was forced by her parents to marry Don Silvestre who was a wealthy old man. But a man named Cipriano, a law student, was the one that Angelita loves.
The concept of fix marriage based on wealth and the standard of living was one of the highlights of the film. The fight for love and the search of true happiness was some of the elements that Nepomuceno used to track down his audience. Both social and political factors were also discussed in the film which added the making of such oppressive environment and what society has become over authoritative and abusive hands of the elites.
The film was released with English, Spanish, and Filipino subtitles. Leading actress Dela Rama had to sing Nabasag ang Banga (a song which is a part of the film) for every screening of the film in Manila, along with three others playing a violin, a cornet, and a piano during its theatrical run. But like all Nepomuceno’s work, Dalagang Bukid is now a lost film.
|EUNOIA| 