Book Review and Film Review

Of the novel “El Filibusterismo”

Book Title: El Filibusterismo by Dr. Jose P. Rizal
Movie Title: El Filibusterismo (1962) Directed by: Gerardo de Leon

This novel “El Filibusterismo” written by our national hero “Dr. Jose Rizal” is a truly
masterpiece that has been written in our history. Before I criticize the book and the film, I’m
going to tell you, the background of this novel. This book is dedicated to the three martyrs who
were also priests, namely, Gomez, Burgoz, and Zamora, also known as Gomburza. It is a novel
that has dark theme, and it is different from his previous novel, “Noli Me Tangere” which has a
hopeful and romantic environment, symbolizing Ibarra's ideal solution to reform the country's
system, which have no effect and appeared impossible due to the attitude of the Spanish people
towards Filipinos, which turns into a dark and violent atmosphere symbolizing Simoun's resort to
solving his country's issues through violent means.
The movie “El Filibusterismo” (1962) directed by Gerardo de Leon was one of his greatest
works, as an outstanding literary rendition of Dr. Jose Rizal’s novel, but I will criticize his work
on in this film. First, I noticed immediately the quality of the movie, it was blurry, and the sound
is noisy, maybe it is understandable because it was 1962, there were no advance technology at
that time.
And now I will compare each chapter of the novel with its film adaptation, first, in the first
chapter of the film titled "Sa Ibabaw ng Kubyerta" I noticed Father Camorra was there, even
though he was not in the summary I read. And I didn't notice Ben Zayb there because he was
involved in the discussion. And Don Custodio said nothing in the movie about his proposal to
raise ducks for deepening the Pasig River even though he suggested it in the novel.
In the second chapter “Sa Ilalim ng Kubyerta” I noticed right away that Basilio was thinking
about Juli, he remembered the good memories with her, and reenacted it in the movie. In the
summary that I read, his did not happen in the novel that I read. In the novel, Basilio and Isagani
talk to Captain Basilio (Kapitan Basilio) about Kapitan Tiago and the students' plan about
teaching the Spanish language. All of that did not happen in the movie, the only thing that
happened in the movie was Simoun offering the two young men named Basilio and Isagani, a
beer (serbesas).
In the 3rd chapter in the movie, the only thing they included there was the conversation about the
place where Ibarra died. Ben Zayb pointed out where it was on the Pasig River. Simoun became
silent and pale. Many were not included in that chapter, such as the legends told by the Captain
of the ship, and by Father Florentino.
In the 4th chapter, they didn't organized the sequence of the chapters in this movie, because
chapter 5, 6, 7 came before chapter 4. In the movie, the 4th chapter was too short, they only
showed Tales angry, and holding a rifle and pointing it to those who claim the land because that
land belongs to him. In the novel Tales was the owner of the land, but then he was taxed by the
friars, they increased the land tax until the friars claimed it. He took it to court but he lost.
In chapter 5, they only showed the parade and Basilio going home by a chariot. In chapter 6,
titled “Si Basilio” they didn’t do a reenactment about Basilio’s life because in the novel, they
look back at Basilio’s life. And In chapter 7 “Si Simoun” everything that happened in this
chapter in the movie is also happened in the novel. In chapter 8, in the movie, nothing happened.
They did not include the events that happened in the eighth chapter, such as Juli's wishing a
miracle and Tales' mutism.
And in the following chapters, everything I that read in the summary happened in the movie.
That’s why it took about 1 hour and 56 minutes.
And for me, I prefer to read the summary, and the whole story of the novel “El Filibusterismo”
because when I read the summary I can runaway into the world of the writer. Giving shape to the
words, imagining myself in the situation, living in their world, being a part of the happenings,
and to feel what the characters have felt on the novel. Second, the movie was lightly blurred and
the sound is not clear that’s why I have trouble in watching the movie.
The only copy of the movie “El Filibusterismo (1962)” that seems to exist online is in poor
video quality, there are things here in the movie that not everyone understands. De Leon doesn't
pay as much attention to Basilio and Isagani, because he didn’t make more scenes about them.
The confusion in the sequence of every chapter like in the chapter 4 “Kabesang Tales”, where
chapter 5, 6, and 7 came out before chapter 4. The reenactment of Basilio and Juli in the 2 nd
chapter was not included in the novel.
However, it was a great work for the director “Gerardo de Leon” to make this film adaptation in
1962, every scene is well thought-out, the tense social drama between the revolutionaries led by
Simoun, to the students Isagani and Basilio, with the high society of Spanish elites and priests is
thoroughly engaging with their choice dialogue. It is an amazingly sustained piece of cinematic
storytelling from one of the best filmmakers in Philippine cinema, translating to the big screen
one of the most important novels in Philippine history.
In conclusion, there’s still a difference between the movie adaption to its novel, other events in
the novel were not included in the film, there is an added scene in the film, but the very point or
the message of the film is still there. This film has a great contribution to Philippine cinema
because it is the only adaptation of El Filibusterismo that has been released in Philippine cinema
even though there are other people in our current time doing movie adaptations of El
Filibusterismo in YouTube.
-Dinoy