She was named Isabel, who was portrayed in the film as a member of the Red Cross (Cruz Roja), and a member of a recognized and affluent family. I believe it is also worth mentioning Luna’s sweetheart (apparently, his girlfriend) in the film. Light travels faster than sound that is why there are people that appear good until you hear them speak.Īquino-Cojuangco | Facts They Don't Want You To Know He has a pretty good mustache, fairly comparable to Luna’s. However, I still am for providing fairness to the person. I understand that this was done to portray a fool out of Mascardo for comedy purposes, and the bad appearance being characteristic of a supposed antagonist of the story. Speaking of Mascardo, I personally think that making a variation in the moustache of Mascardo in the film as compared to the photograph of the general can also be considered a historical inaccuracy.
Once more, this would mean an additional character that would require another actor. One more thing to note, I initially thought that the Joven character in the film was Captain Jose Joven, who himself had memoirs concerning the war. I would like to mention once more the economical issues which must have hampered this instance. Then again, this would mean an additional character that would require another actor in the film. In my own opinion, it would have been more dramatic if they simply had portrayed one person conducting the tiring job of keeping the enmity between the two generals at bay. It was Major Eugenio Hernando, and this is a different person altogether from another character of the film, Joven Hernando, who was portrayed as a young journalist taking notes on Luna’s life. In the heated exchange between Luna and General Tomas Mascardo, military commander of Pampanga, it is not Colonel Francisco Roman, Captain Eduardo Rusca, and a subordinate of Mascardo who were tasked to deliver their messages. General Tomas Mascardo (Courtesy of Wikipedia) In history, before any interpretation, there must be certitude of facts. Therefore, this article shall feature some of these. However, it is also apparent that many still rely on the film for their knowledge of the general, and with it, the historical liberties and inaccuracies. Views on Antonio Luna's Wikipedia article dramatically increased from more than 9,800 in August to more than 130,600 in September. Of course, there is the aim to make the viewers read on Luna and many actually did. Apparently, these very people were even educated by the film. Alas, the education of the Filipino people of their own history has been thoroughly exposed by the film. This may actually work for an audience fairly educated in Filipino history, but not otherwise. This is a sacrifice the film has to take in order to fit its purposes. Indeed, periodization and historical accuracy are not among the priorities of the film. While historical accuracy is important, there are bigger truths about the Filipino nation that can only be reached by combining the real and the imaginary.Ī viral Twitter post concerning one of the film's characters, Apolinario Mabini Liberties have been taken with the depiction of historical figures and the order of events. This film is a work of fiction based on facts. It has also to be taken into account that at the beginning of the film, the viewers had already been conditioned by this message ( spoiler alert): Not all details can be fitted in one film. Then again, it has to be clarified that no film is perfect, and historical films are no exception. While the film has undoubtedly raisedĪwareness of the people on the Filipino general and has featured the prowess of Filipino film-making, the film has also taken its own number of historical liberties and inaccuracies. That is, in comparison with Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo's more than 41,000 likes and El Presidente's Such is the hype for the film that, as of the publishing of this article, its official Facebook page has more than 239,300 likes.
There is also a projected premiere in cinemas in the United States. Sesquicentennial, a film about him ( Heneral Luna) has been showing in theaters in the Philippines for a month already. On October 9, exactly twenty days before the 149th birthĪnniversary of Antonio Luna and a whole year in advance of his