The Cinemalaya Film Festival screened the digitally restored version of the 1998 film "Jose Rizal," regarded as one of the most significant portrayals of the life and legacy of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
GMA Pictures — the producer of the film — completed the restoration of Jose Rizal because they wanted the new generation of Filipinos to be able to watch this cinematic masterpiece in its restored glory.
The film was digitally scanned and graded at 4K resolution and restored at 2K resolution, ensuring that the visual and auditory elements were of the highest quality.
This process took 1,600 hours and involved addressing numerous impairments, including deep scratches, burn marks, and missing frames. The result was a pristine, immersive viewing experience that captured the essence of the late National Artist director Marilou Diaz-Abaya's vision.
Written by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, Jun Robles Lana, and Peter Ong Lim, the special screening on August 7 held at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila reunited key figures from the film who reflected on the creative process behind this iconic work.
"Jose Rizal's life is so vast that when we discussed the focus, we decided to concentrate on him as an artist. We structured the film as a trial of Rizal, conducted by the Spanish government, his family, those around him, past incidents, and eventually Simoun, a character he created. The only fictional character in the film is the prison servant. We created this character so that an ordinary citizen could also put Rizal on trial, questioning whether he betrayed his country because his art," Lee said in his speech.
"It took us three months of research to prepare for writing the script. Marilou had us read an overwhelming number of books — most of the titles I can't even remember — along with documents, letters, and everything else we could get our hands on, including the Spanish versions of his novels, even though we didn't fully understand them. She wanted us to capture the essence and rhythm of Jose Rizal's writing. After those three months of research, it took another three months to complete the script," he added.
For Montano, on the other hand, taking on the titular role was both an honor and a challenge. Known at the time for his work in action films, the opportunity to portray Rizal was a turning point in his career.
"Marilou Diaz-Abaya was the dream director for almost every actor in the Philippines. When I was suddenly offered 'Jose Rizal,' I thought, 'This might be the film people remember me for after I'm gone. 'Why wouldn't I accept it?' So, I took the role, believing it would be manageable since I was working with National Artists," he shared.
"I went ahead with it, but I didn't realize how much of a perfectionist Direk Marilou was. I studied Spanish for seven months and collected every picture of Jose Rizal I could find, printing them large and posting them on every wall in my house. I even kept the TV tuned to a Spanish channel while I was there, even while I slept. That's how immersed I made myself to learn everything I needed," Montano continued.
"I have no regrets. It has been a great honor and I am deeply grateful because working with her on "Jose Rizal," "Muro Ami," and "Bagong Buwan" elevated my perspective as an actor. It also inspired me to become a director and to write for film. I feel both sad and grateful because our beloved director is no longer with us, and I wish she were still here. I'm thankful to GMA Films for restoring this film," he ended.
Meanwhile, Marc Abaya, the director's son, expressed gratitude on behalf of his family.
"We thank GMA Films for restoring one of her masterpieces. A good story is a good story, period. It can become a great story depending on how it is told, and in the realm of film, this is driven by the passion, devotion, and hard work of the filmmakers, actors, and everyone involved, including technology. I am grateful that they have made one of my mother's greatest films accessible to this generation and future generations," he said.