#manuel silos

[hibiscusbabyboy]

[hersadexistence]

Blessings of the Land, Manuel Silos, 1959

[abispostsstuff]

The Dawn: Blessings of the Land

A typical family drama is how I would describe Manuel Silos's film, “Biyaya ng Lupa.” The film revolves around the lives of Jose and Maria, a married couple, and their children.

It seems like this kind of film was the turning point and basis for the storyline on Filipino family dramas these days.

What I like about the film is that it utilized imageries. A case in point is the Lanzones trees which demonstrate the progression of time. The family's success and failure are also represented by the trees. This is undoubtedly an exemplary film. Notwithstanding that it was made in 1959, the film's cinematography was indeed breathtaking. Aside from that it being shot in black and white added to its overall originality. The commonplace setting of the film was likewise a reward point. We get a glimpse of how provincial life used to be, and how it has remained untouched since then. The Filipino value of bayanihan could be seen as the whole barrio is willing to help one another in times of adversities.

 However, some of the characters’ acting is not that impressive. There were occasions wherein it is no longer plausible, take for instance the part where the second eldest child returned home from Manila. Another thing is that the sequence of events of the film was very much predictable.

 Through the film I learned the true connotation of friendship. Friendship does not mean that we have to continuously tolerate their every unacceptable action but rather educate them of what is proper. The fact that Bruno’s friends were willing to die for him is an illustration of a poisonous characteristic in the film's storyline. What benefit would they get if they were able to protect him? Aren’t they supposed to help him become a better person? Sorry for the term but sad to say this part was the thing I disliked about the film.

[karate-blues]

Manuel Silos, Biyaya ng Lupa aka Blessings of the Land (1959)