Jose Rizal - 1998 with English Subtitles
José Rizal is a
1998 Filipino biographical film of the
Filipino national hero José Rizal directed by
Marilou Diaz-Abaya and starring
Cesar Montano as José Rizal.
Plot:
José Rizal was imprisoned in
Fort Santiago under the abusive
Spanish colonization.
Meanwhile, in Balintawak,
Andrés Bonifacio and his fellow secret organization of
Katipunan commenced the uprising against the tyranny created by the
Spaniards by tearing their cedula as a
sign of
Spanish slavery.
Soon, a first lieutenant of the
Artillery,
Luis Taviel de Andrade, visited
Rizal. Taviel de Andrade did not waste time to study carefully Rizal's case. In just a short period of time, Rizal and Taviel captured each other's sympathy and eventually became friends as they had usual meetings in Rizal's cell in Fort Santiago. Taviel was even able to celebrate
Christmas with Rizal in the cell where they drank pan get and sang together.
After Christmas, Rizal was sent to the
Royal Audiencia, the colonial court of appeal, to hear the trial against him. Soon after, the magistrates decided to condemn him under firing squad on the 30th of the morning in
Luneta.
At the night before the execution, Rizal hallucinates, seeing his alter ego—protagonist,
Simoun, from his novel
El Filibusterismo tempting him to change the climax of the novel.
On the morning of his execution, his kin receives a small alcohol stove (not a gas lamp as commonly portrayed) from his cell containing the last poem "
Mi Ultimo Adios". Stopping at the place of execution facing the rising sun, Rizal requested the authorities for him to face the firing squad, but the request was denied.
Calm and without haste, he requested to have his head spared instead and the captain agrees. At the moment the shooting squad points at his back, he readily uttered his final words: Consummatum est ("It is done")
.
In the events following Rizal's execution, members of the Katipunan begin their armed uprising, completely catching the
Spanish forces off guard and seized their mounts, munitions and their rifles. They had also captured a church and executed a friar in an act of vengeance. Bonifacio and his top generals met in their headquarters to plan a new offensive seeking to capture ten towns in a duration of one week from the Spaniards. Rizal's picture can be seen at the background of his headquarters.
Cast:
Cesar Montano as José Rizal
Jaime Fabregas as Luis Taviel de Andrade
Chin Chin Gutierrez as
Josephine Bracken
Mickey Ferriols as
Leonor Rivera
LJ
Moreno as Josephine Bracken's companion
Rizal's family:
Ronnie Lazaro as
Francisco Mercado
Gloria Diaz as
Teodora Alonso
Pen Medina as
Paciano Mercado
Gina Alajar as
Saturnina Rizal
Tanya Gomez as Narcisa Rizal
Tess Dumpit as
Maria Rizal
Irma Adlawan as
Lucia Rizal
Angie Castrence as Josefa Rizal
Rowena Basco as
Trinidad Rizal
Kaye
Marie June Congmon as
Soledad Rizal
Dominic Guinto as young José Rizal
Ping Medina as young Paciano Mercado
The Spaniards:
Peque Gallaga as Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda,
O.P.
Bon Vibar as Governor-General
Ramón Blanco
Subas Herrero as Lt.
Enrique de
Alcocer
Tony Mabesa as Governor-General
Camilo de Polavieja
Alexis Santaren as Col. Francisco
Olive
Archie Adamos as Col. Olive's aide
Tony Carreon as a
Dominican friar (Gomburza execution)
Fritz Ynfante as a Domincan friar (professor at
UST)
Ryan Eigenmann as
Fernando (
Spaniard classmate at UST)
Jon Achaval as
Fraile 1
Cloyd Robinson as Fraile 2
Marco Zabaleta as Fraile 3
Ogie Juliano as Padre
Rodriguez
The Jesuits:
Chiqui Xerxes-Burgos as
Father José Villaclara,
S.J.
Shelby Payne as Father
Estanislao March, S.J.
Minco Fabregas as Father
Francisco de Paula Sanchez, S.J.
The
Filipinos:
Jhong Hilario as Rizal's prison servant
Gardo Versoza as Andrés Bonifacio
Marco Sison as
Pio Valenzuela
Joel Lamangan as a gobernadorcillo
Nanding
Josef as
Antonio Rivera
Pocholo Montes as
Justiniano Aquino Cruz
Bhey
Vito as Don Doroteo Onjungco
Kidlat Tahimik as a guest (
La Liga Filipina meeting)
Toto Natividad as a Katipunan benefactor
The Filipino propagandists:
Dennis Marasigan as
Marcelo H. del Pilar
Gregg de Guzman
Mon Confiado
Eddie Aquino
Manolo Barrientos
Rolando Inocencio
Gilbert Onida
Jim Pebanco
Troy Martino
Kokoy
Palma
Richard Merck
Jess Evardone
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo characters:
Joel Torre as
Crisóstomo Ibarra/Simoun
Monique Wilson as
María Clara
Nonie Buencamino as
Elias
Roeder Camañag as Basilio
Richard
Quan as Isagani
Cristobal Gomez as
Padre Damaso
In Europe:
Jesus Diaz as Spanish medical professor
Karl Meyer as
Belgian printer