SUMMARY OF THE MOVIE The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the

Philippines. It shows his lifeand works, his struggles in order to free his countrymen from abuse, until his death under the hands of theSpaniards who occupied our country in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal'snovels (filmed in black and white), so we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal.The movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of theSpanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harshand unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanishcolonial rule in the Philippines. We see scenes both from Rizal's actual life but also from his imagination(via his novels).As a young man, Jose is sent to study in Spain. This is a plan hatched by his brother Paciano.Jose will write and do everything in his power to bring to the attention of the world the abuses of Spanishpower in the Philippines, while Paciano will protect the Rizal family at home and keep up the struggleagainst Spanish rule. Jose excels in his studies as a medical student at Madrid University and eventuallyearns a degree as an ophthalmic surgeon. Meantim e, he becomes involved with a group of radicalFilipino students who also seek to end the Spanish abuses in their country. He eventually has a fallingout with the student group as he realizes that the real struggle is taking place back home. He decides toreturn to the Philippines.He is arrested by the Spanish authorities upon his return to the Philippines in 1892. He is sent toDapitan in Mindanao where the Spanish authorities can keep a watchful eye on him. It is there that hemeets the love of his life, Josephine Bracken, although the movie does not devote much attention to thislove affair. When a rebellion breaks out in 1896 the Spanish governor orders that Rizal be moved to theprison in Manila.It is here that Rizal is introduced to Luis Taviel (played by Jaime Fabregas) who has beenappointed to defend him at his trial. Taviel is a Spanish officer who at first mistrusts Rizal and views himas a dangerous revolutionary. Most of the movie takes place in Rizal's prison cell and involves Tavielconfronting him about his life. There are frequent flashbacks but some of them are flashbacks to hisnovels, so it is sometimes hard to keep the order clear. Eventually Taviel learns to respect Rizal and hedecides to do his best job in defending him.But it is to no avail. The evil head of the Franciscan order in Manila arranges for a new governor to tak e over control of the Philippines. The new governor promptly orders a show trial where theoutcome has already been decided. Rizal must die. Despite his best efforts, Taviel cannot save Rizalfrom his fate. The verdict is reached and the execution date is set for December 30, 1896. Taviel admitsto Rizal that he is ashamed to be a Spaniard. I n w h a t i s t h e m o s t b i z a r r e s c e n e o f t h e m o v i e , o n t h e n i g h t b e f o r e h i s e x e c u t i o n , R i z a l i s confronted by his own character Simoun from his novel. Simoun urges Rizal to rewrite him so that hismission can be for a higher purpose. And so in his final work, Rizal pens "Mi Ultimo Adios" knowing fullwell that his death will light the torch of the Filipino Revolution.