1521 (film)

Last updated
1521
1521 movie.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Barder
Written byMary Krell-Oishi
Story byFrancis B. Lara Ho
Produced byFrancis B. Lara Ho
Starring
CinematographyMichael Barder
Patrick Ferrer
Edited by
  • Michael Barder
  • Stephen Wollwerth
  • Rembrandt Floresca
Production
company
Inspire Studios
Distributed by Viva Films
Release date
  • June 5, 2024 (2024-06-05)
CountriesPhilippines
United States
LanguagesFilipino
English
Spanish

1521 (also known in United States as 1521: The Quest for Love and Freedom) is a 2024 historical drama film written by Mary Krell-Oishi and directed by Michael Barder. It stars Danny Trejo, Bea Alonzo, Costas Mandylor, Michael Copon, Hector David Jr., Maricel Laxa, Vic Romano, Floyd Tena, Larissa Buendia. The film is about the battle of Lapu-Lapu and Ferdinand Magellan in Mactan, Cebu and about the love story of a native princess and a Spanish soldier.

Contents

Plot

A woman experiences a dream depicting what is implied to be a flashback from her previous life.

In 1521, Spaniards led by Ferdinand Magellan arrive in Cebu seeking to establish colonial rule and develop trade relations with its leader, Raja Humabon. While Humabon is willing to accommodate the Spaniards in the hopes of increased prosperity, Lapu-Lapu, the ruler of the neighboring island of Mactan, refuses to accept their loss of independence. In an effort to convince Lapu-Lapu, Magellan and Humabon arrange for the former's interpreter, a Malay slave named Enrique, to live in Mactan as their intermediary. Lapu-Lapu treats Enrique as a guest, while the latter develops a romance with Mactan's babaylan, Diwata. However, her brother, Lapulapu's chief soldier Udong, is wary of the Spaniards' intentions and threatens Enrique over his relationship with Diwata. Despite this, Enrique becomes sympathetic with Mactan and advises Magellan to treat its inhabitants with respect, while trying to convince Lapu-Lapu to submit peacefully.

Enrique's efforts are undermined when a group of Spanish soldiers led by Lorenzo loot a village, forcing Magellan to order the flogging of one of those involved to avert a conflict. Eventually, Lapu-Lapu breaks off negotiations when he, Diwata and Udong attend Humabon's baptism ceremony, during which the latter and his people are made to kneel before a cross and burn icons of their gods. An offended Diwata runs away, while Enrique is warned off by Udong from pursuing her. Later, Diwata reconciles with Enrique and pledges her love, leading to them agreeing to elope to the village of Buaya. Arriving there, Diwata comes across the village being looted by Spanish soldiers and is knocked unconscious by Lorenzo, who steals her necklace. Enrique, who is in Diwata's village at the time of the attack, is told to leave by Lapu-Lapu for his own safety. Diwata, again feeling betrayed following the attack on Buaya, returns to her village, but is told that Enrique had been looking for her, restoring her faith in him and prompting her to run off again in search for Enrique.

Enrique makes a futile attempt to convince Magellan not to go to war with Lapu-Lapu, but accompanies him anyway to battle. Arriving at a beach, Enrique then appeals one last time to Lapu-Lapu to surrender, which the latter refuses. The ensuing battle results in heavy losses for both sides, culminating in Magellan being badly wounded by Lapu-Lapu before being finished off by his men. Enrique is captured but is spared at the last minute after Diwata runs to his side and pleads for his life. Lapu-Lapu allows her to see Enrique off at the shoreline to be with his comrades. However, Enrique snatches Diwata's necklace from Lorenzo and runs back to return it to her. Lorenzo fires a gun at the couple, but is then killed by Udong with a spear. The bullet hits Enrique, who dies in Diwata's arms.

In the present, the woman wakes up and embraces her partner, who is implied to be a reincarnation of Enrique.

Cast

Production

On August 4, 2022, Bea Alonzo was confirmed to be part of the film. The film had a working title 1521: The Battle of Mactan. Shooting was held in Puerto Princesa and Taytay, Palawan. [7]

Controversies

Issues with Bea Alonzo

The production and release of the film was marred by controversy between the lead actress Bea Alonzo and the film crew. Among these were allegations such as Alonzo bringing along additional staff to her provided accommodations and the resulting disputes over costs, [8] [9] problems with her costume and what the producers said were "unreasonable" demands from Alonzo. [10] Entertainment reporter Ogie Diaz also said that a real Bolo knife used in the film ended up injuring several actors. [11]

Producer Francis Ho subsequently apologized to Alonzo for these issues, which he attributed to his being a first-time producer. [12] Alonzo did not attend the movie's premier night on May 29, 2024. [13]

Historical inaccuracies

The film was criticized for its historical inaccuracies such as in costumes, armor and language. Some also criticised Bea Alonzo's casting as a native princess, stating that she looked more like one of the colonizers than a local. [14]

Release

The film had a limited release in United States on October 2, 2023. Made in time for the 125th Philippine Independence Day in 2023, the movie was screened in Philippine cinemas on June 5, 2024. [15]

1521 premiered at SM Seaside City in Cebu City on May 30. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan praised the film, adding along with his wife Representative Maria Cynthia “Cindi” King-Chan that the film placed one of its settings in Barangay Buaya. [16]

Reception

Critical response

The movie received a score of 42/100 from 5 reviews according to review aggregator website Kritikultura, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. [17]

Accolades

YearAwardsCategoryRecipientResultRef.
2023London Independent Film AwardsBest Feature Film1521Won [18]
Athens International Monthly Art Film FestivalBest Feature Film1521Won [19]
Sweden Film AwardsBest Feature Film1521Won [20]
Best Cinematography Feature1521Won

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebu</span> Province in Central Visayas, Philippines

Cebu, officially the Province of Cebu, is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas (Region VII) region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Triangle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mactan</span> 1521 battle between Ferdinand Magellan and Lapulapu

The Battle of Mactan was fought on a beach in Mactan Island between Spanish forces led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan along with local allies, and Lapulapu, the chieftain of the island, on the early morning hours of April 27, 1521. Magellan, a Portuguese-born commander serving the Spanish Empire who led an expedition that ultimately circumnavigated the world for the first time, commanded a small Spanish contingent in an effort to subdue Mactan led by Lapulapu under the Spanish crown. The sheer number of Lapulapu's forces, compounded with issues associated with the location and the armor, ultimately resulted in a disastrous defeat to the Europeans and the death of Magellan. Surviving members of Magellan's crew continued the expedition under the command of Juan Sebastian de Elcano, who completed the journey in September 1522.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapulapu</span> Datu of Mactan (fl. 1521)

Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu, whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan, an island now part of the Philippines. Lapulapu is known for the 1521 Battle of Mactan, where he and his men defeated Spanish forces led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his native allies Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula. Magellan's death in battle ended his voyage of circumnavigation and delayed the Spanish occupation of the islands by over forty years until the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1564.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapu-Lapu City</span> Highly urbanized city in Cebu, Philippines

Lapu-Lapu City, officially the City of Lapu-Lapu, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 497,604.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mactan</span> Island in the Cebu, Philippines

Mactan is a densely populated island located a few kilometers east of Cebu Island in the Philippines. The island is part of Cebu province and it is divided into the city of Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of Cordova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrique of Malacca</span> Portuguese slave

Enrique of Malacca, was a Malay member of the Magellan expedition that completed the first circumnavigation of the world in 1519–1522. He was acquired as a slave by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1511 at the age of 14 years, probably in the early stages of the capture of Malacca. Magellan's will calls him "a native of Malacca", while Antonio Pigafetta states that he was a native of Sumatra. Magellan took him to Europe, and in 1519 he was brought along on the famous circumnavigation expedition. According to some historians, it is possible that he could be the first person to circumnavigate the globe and return to his starting point, however, there is no record or source that confirms it.

Maria Cecilia "Maricel" dela Cueva Laxa-Pangilinan is a Filipino actress. She won Best Supporting Actress awards in the 1992 FAMAS Awards and Star Awards for her role in the 1992 film Iisa Pa Lamang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maginoo</span>

The Tagalog maginoo, the Kapampangan ginu, and the Visayan tumao were the nobility social class among various cultures of the pre-colonial Philippines. Among the Visayans, the tumao were further distinguished from the immediate royal families, the kadatuan.

Rajah Humabon later baptized as Don Carlos Valderrama, was one of the recorded chiefs in Cebu who encountered Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century. Humabon ruled at the time of the arrival of Portuguese-born Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines in 1521. Humabon, his wife, and his subjects were the first known Christian converts in the Philippines. However, since there were no Catholic priests in Cebu from 1521 to 1565, this Christianity was not practised until the return of the Spaniards to Cebu. There is no official record of Humabon's existence before the Spanish contact. The existing information was written by Magellan's Italian voyage chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta on Humabon and the indigenous Philippine peoples that existed prior to Spanish colonization. Rajah Humabon is cited as the reason for why Magellan fought in the Battle of Mactan, as the latter wanted to earn the trust of Humabon by helping him subdue his opponent Lapulapu, one of the chiefs of Mactan. Despite being referred to as "king" in the journal of Antonio Pigafetta, he was not one like in the manner of a monarch in centralized societies, it is plausible that the title was mistakenly applied because according to succeeding chroniclers, there were no kingdoms in the pre-colonial Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand Magellan</span> Portuguese explorer (1480–1521)

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer best known for having planned and led the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies, which achieved the first circumnavigation of Earth in history. During this expedition, he also discovered the Strait of Magellan, allowing his fleet to pass from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean and perform the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific. Magellan died in the Philippines during his voyage, and his crew completed the return trip to Spain in 1522.

1521 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1521.

<i>Concepción</i> (carrack) Spanish ship on the Magellan expedition

The Concepción was an early 16th-century Spanish carrack during the Age of Discovery, chiefly remembered as part of the five-ship Molucca Fleet that undertook the historic 1519–22 Magellan expedition.

<i>Kasal</i> (2018 film) 2018 drama film directed by Ruel S. Bayani

Kasal is a 2018 Filipino romance drama film directed by Ruel S. Bayani from a screenplay written by Patrick John R. Valencia, based on a story written by Kriz G. Gazmen. Starring Bea Alonzo, Derek Ramsay and Paulo Avelino, the film revolves around a public school teacher, Lia Marquez, who, when deciding to marry Cebu’s most eligible bachelor and mayoral candidate, Philip Cordero, is thrust into working with her ex-boyfriend Wado dela Costa when he comes back into her life.

Lapu-Lapu is a 2002 Filipino historical film co-produced and directed by William G. Mayo and written by Jerry O. Tirazona. It stars Lito Lapid as the titular datu, alongside Joyce Jimenez, Dante Rivero, Vic Vargas, Roi Vinzon, Jeric Raval, Ian Veneracion, Jess Lapid Jr., and Gloria Sevilla. Produced by Calinauan Cineworks, the film is based on the 1521 encounter of Datu Lapulapu and other pre-Hispanic Philippine natives with explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew, who were serving the Spanish Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mactan Shrine</span> Public park and memorial in Mactan, Philippines

Mactan Shrine, also known as Liberty Shrine, is a memorial park on the island of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines. It hosts two monuments, namely the Magellan Monument, which is dedicated to Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and the Lapu Lapu Monument, a bronze statue which commemorates Lapu Lapu, a native leader who defeated Spanish soldiers led by Magellan in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines</span> 500th anniversary of Magellans landing and Lapu-Lapus victory

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References

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  2. Mallorca, Hannah (June 2, 2024). "Bea Alonzo snubs '1521' premiere night; producer says 'understandable'". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved June 2, 2024.
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  12. Villanueva, Angelica (May 27, 2024). "'1521' producer apologizes to Bea Alonzo for on-set issues". Manila Standard. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
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