A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino

Last updated

The A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, known also as "A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes" [1] is a literary play written in English by Filipino National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin [2] in 1950. [1] [3] It was described as Joaquin's "most popular play," [1] [4] as the "most important Filipino play in English," [5] and as "probably the best-known Filipino play." [6] Apart from being regarded also as the “national play of the Philippines” [7] because of its popularity, it also became one of the important reads in English classes in the Philippines. [8] Joaquin's play was described by Anita Gates, a reviewer from The New York Times , as an "engaging, well plotted metaphor for the passing of Old Manila." [3]

Contents

Plot summary and thematic description

Set in the Filipino world of pre-World War II Intramuros of Old Manila in October 1941, [3] the play explores the many aspects of Philippine high society by telling the story of the Marasigan sisters, Candida and Paula, and their father, the painter Don Lorenzo Marasigan. Due to an artistic drought on Don Lorenzo's part, the family has to make ends meet by relying on the financial support provided by their brother Manolo and sister Pepang, who were urging them to sell the house. [5] Later on, they also had to take a male boarder, in the person of Tony Javier. [7] Don Lorenzo, who refused to sell, donate, or even exhibit his self-portrait in public, was only content in staying inside his room, a stubbornness that already took a period of one year. [3] The painting has attracted the attention and curiosity of journalists such as a family friend named Bitoy Camacho, and other obnoxious visitors pretending as art critics. [3] When one of the daughters, Paula, elopes with Tony, a journey of personal liberation is set in motion, which ends with a restoration of family relations which had been strained due to the neediness of the artist's family. [7] The theme focuses on family conflict and the amalgamation of old Filipino identity and cultural character with the arrival of contemporary and Western ideals. [5]

Historical setting and background

Before the Second World War, many Filipino intellectuals and artists  – including painters, as personified by Don Lorenzo Marasigan  – searched for cultural enlightenment from Spain, the first imposer of colonialism and authority in the Philippines. This group of Filipinos was acquainted with the Spanish language and customs. After the split of Philippines from Spain, the United States became the replacement model for cultural enhancement, where English language and materialism became a part  – as personified by the boarder Tony Javier  – thus marginalizing native tongues and culture within the process. During this period, the Philippines was also plagued by the looming war, frequent blackouts, and untrustworthy characters of the existing nightlife in Old Manila. [5] [7]

Productions and adaptations

Theatrical presentations

After Joaquin wrote A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino in 1950, it was first published in Weekly Women's Magazine and Prose and Poems in 1952 and then aired on radio before being formally presented on stage in 1955. It premiered at the Aurora Gardens of Intramuros, Manila, through the performance of the group known as the Barangay Theater Guild (BGT).

BGT shortened the script and featured Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana as Candida and Dolly Benavides as Paula, who was later on replaced by Naty Crame-Rogers. The production was directed by Lamberto Avellana. [9]

There have been Tagalog translations. In 1969, Krip Yuson and Franklin Osorio wrote a translation that was staged by Philippine Educational Theater Association and later on by UP Repertory. [9]

In 1989, Bienvenido Lumbera wrote a translation titled "Larawan" that was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino (TP). It was restaged in 1992 (featuring Celeste Legaspi and Noemi Manikan-Gomez [9] ) and 2000. TP also staged a Spanish translation by Lourdes Brillantes in 2000. [10]

In 1993, Dulaang UP staged the English and Bievenido Lumbera Tagalog translation. [11]

In 1997, Musical Theater Philippines (Musicat) staged a Tagalog musical adaptation titled “Larawan” at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines. Translation and lyrics by Rolando Tinio, music by Ryan Cayabyab, featuring Celeste Legaspi as Candida and Zsa Zsa Padilla as Paula (Rachel Alejandro took over in the second run). Cast included Roeder Camañag as Bitoy and Ricky Davao as Tony Javier. The chorus consisted of opera singers Fides Cuyugan-Asencio, Armida Siguion-Reyna, Nomer Son, Robert Natividad and Gamaliel Viray. [12] [13]

In 1997, Ma-Yi Theater Company staged the English version at Vineyard Dimson Theatre in New York City from July 26 to August 16, 1997, directed by Jorge W. Ledesma. [3]

From 1998 until 2005, the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Academic Theater, led by then Dean of the UST Graduate School, Rev. Fr. Antonio Aureada OP, staged the play as a tribute to both Nick Joaquin and the Barangay Theater Guild in various provinces and twice abroad—in South Korea in 2002 and in the US in 2004.

In 2002, World Theater Project at Sambalikhaan staged a production that transformed the two sisters into two gay brothers, Candido played by Anton Juan and Pablito played by Behn Cervantes, directed by Anton Juan. Floy Quintos and Chelu Marques alternated as Bitoy Camacho, Raymond Bagatsing and Marco Sison alternated as Tony Javier. [14] The Cultural Center of the Philippines "allotted P1.3 million" to the production. [15]

In 2009, Repertory Philippines staged the English play (using the script of BGT) at OnStage Theater, Greenbelt 1 Mall, Makati, directed by Lamberto Avellana and Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana's son Jose Mari Avellana. He dedicated the production to his mother. [6] The cast featured Ana Abad-Santos and Irma Adlawan-Marasigan alternating as Candida, Leisl Batucan as Paula, Joel Trinidad as Bitoy Camacho and Randy Villarama as Tony Javier. [16]

Literary readings

On October 5, 2004, readings of Joaquin's plays, essays, and poems, entitled Portrait of the Artist as Nick Joaquin: Celebrating the Life and Works of a Beloved National Artist, which has a similarity to the title of Joaquin's play, was presented in New York City by the Philippine Economic and Cultural Endowment (PEACE), the Ma-Yi Theater Company, and the Philippine Consulate General in New York, under the direction of Andrew Eisenman. [4] This literary event and cultural presentation is considered as the first official tribute offered to Nick Joaquin ever held in New York City. [4]

Film adaptation

Theatrical release poster A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

In 1965, it was adapted into a black-and-white English-language film [1] with the same title by Filipino director, Lamberto V. Avellana [17] The film [18] was produced by Manny de Leon under his production company Diadem. Cinematography was by Mike Accion, music was by Miguel Velarde. Cast included Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana as Candida, Naty Crame-Rogers as Paula, Vic Silayan as Bitoy Camacho, Conrad Parham as Tony Javier [19]

Crame-Rogers said in an interview that "There were a lot of disputes in 1965 because Nick was not keen on turning his play into a movie, but we found the right setting [an old house in Biñan]." [20]

The film version received six Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Award nominations, including a FAMAS Best Picture nomination. [21]

In 2014, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) cofinanced the restoration of the 1965 film with Mike De Leon, son of Manny de Leon, based on the original 35mm negative found in the LVN archive by his father, and sound from film prints found in Germany. [22] L'Immagine Ritrovata was commissioned to do the restoration. The restored version of the film was shown at the CCP in 2015 with Naty Crame-Rogers, the only living cast member at the time, in attendance. [20]

In 2015, Butch Nolasco produced and directed "PORTRAIT: Rediscovering a Filipino Film Classic," a documentary based on the recollections of Lamberto Avellana's daughter Ivi Avellana-Cosio on the making of the movie. The documentary won first runner-up honors at the 19th Gawad CCP Documentary Film Festival. [23]

In 2023, the film received a home media release in France as part of a Blu-ray box set from Carlotta Films collecting the films directed by Mike de Leon. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

Eric Villanueva dela Cruz is a Filipino theater actor. He played Oedipus alongside Gigette Reyes in the 2004 production of Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex and has appeared in TV shows and films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Conde</span> Filipino actor, director and producer

Manuel Conde was a Filipino actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name.

Tanghalang Ateneo is the longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University. The company weaves into its work the theatrical traditions of the university's sesquicentennial past: the devotion of the salon de actos at the Escuela Municipal, the eloquence of the Ateneo Dramatics Guild, the joie de vivre of the Ateneo Players Theater, and the innovative spirit of the Ateneo Experimental Theater. Like these companies, Tanghalang Ateneo uses theater to foster eloquentia, sapientia, and humanitas – the pillars of Jesuit pedagogy. It sees itself as a theater company in the service of student formation, and by extension – given the Jesuit ideal of magis – a theater in service of the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Center of the Philippines</span> Philippines state corporation

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos. Although an independent institution of the Philippine government, it receives an annual subsidy and is placed under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for purposes of policy coordination. The CCP is headed by an 11-member Board of Trustees, currently headed by Chairperson Margarita Moran-Floirendo. Its current president is Arsenio Lizaso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamberto V. Avellana</span> Filipino film and stage director

Lamberto Vera Avellana February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991) was a prominent Filipino film and stage director. Despite considerable budgetary limitations that hampered the post-war Filipino film industry, Avellana's films such as Anak Dalita and Badjao attained international acclaim. In 1976, Avellana was named by President Ferdinand Marcos as the first National Artist of the Philippines for Film. While Avellana remains an important figure in Filipino cinema, his reputation as a film director has since been eclipsed by the next wave of Filipino film directors who emerged in the 1970s, such as Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal.

Joanna Ampil is a musical theatre and film actress from the Philippines and United Kingdom.

Teatro Pilipino was a resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) from 1976 to 1987. It was founded by Filipino playwright, translator, director, and educator Rolando S. Tinio, who also served as its Artistic Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Linda</span> Filipino actress (1924–2020)

Anita Linda, was a Filipino actress whose career spanned nearly eight decades and had done close to 400 motion pictures. A romantic lead in her early years, she gained widespread acclaim for her portrayals of maternal, elderly roles depicting Filipino struggles and their lifestyle. Often described as the face of Philippine cinema, she was one of the top box-office draws for two decades and has received numerous accolades from international film festivals and domestic award-giving bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cris Villonco</span> Filipino actress

Anna Cristina Siguion Reyna Villonco-Valderrama, professionally known as Cris Villonco, is a Filipino performance artist whose credits include performances in theater, television, film, recordings, music videos, and advertisements. She is currently associated with Repertory Philippines.

Ronnie Zabala Lazaro is a Filipino film and television actor, producer, casting director, and art director. He won the Gawad Urian for Best Actor for Yanggaw.

Walang Sugat is an 1898 Tagalog-language zarzuela written by Filipino playwright Severino Reyes. The music for the original version of the play was written by Filipino composer Fulgencio Tolentino. Walang Sugat was written when the zarzuela became a "potent means" of expressing Filipino nationalism during the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines that followed three centuries of Spanish rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celeste Legaspi</span> Filipina singer and actress

Celeste Kalugdan LegaspiGallardo is a Filipino singer, actress, film and theatre producer, and an advocate for artists' rights. Her singles and albums reached gold or platinum status during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. She is the daughter of National Artist for Visual Arts César Legaspi. She has been one of the founders of the following artist organizations: Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), Culturtain Musicat Theater Productions, Performers' Rights Society of the Philippines, and the OPM Archive. She is married to Nonoy Gallardo, an advertising director and one of the premier Original Pilipino Music composers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nora Aunor filmography</span>

Nora Aunor is a Filipino actress, recording artist, and film producer who has worked in theatre, radio, television, concerts and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisy Avellana</span> Filipino stage actress and theater director

Daisy Avellana was a Filipino stage actress and theater director. Avellana was honored as a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater and Film in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irma Adlawan</span> Filipino actress

Irma Santonil Adlawan is a Filipino stage, television and film actress. She is dubbed as the “Queen of Independent Cinema” for her acting prowess and exceptional contribution to the Philippine film industry.

<i>Ang Larawan</i> 2017 Filipino film

Ang Larawan, internationally released as The Portrait, is a 2017 Philippine musical film directed by Loy Arcenas.

Natividad "Naty" Crame-Rogers was a Filipina actress, drama teacher, writer, producer and researcher. She was best known for her role in the 1965 film adaptation of the play A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino.

Jose Mari Hontiveros Avellana was a Filipino actor, screenwriter, director, and production designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose Hontiveros</span> Filipino lawyer, jurist and politician

Jose Maria Miraflores HontiverosTagalog pronunciation:[hɔˈsɛɔntɪˈvɛrɔs] was a Filipino lawyer, jurist and politician who was a Senator of the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands; a 1934 Constitutional Convention delegate who drafted the 1935 Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Third Republic of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco</span> Mother of Animal Welfare in the Philippines

Maria Teresita Vicenta Pardo Hontiveros-Lichauco, also known as Nita or Tata, is the Mother of Animal Welfare in the Philippines. She was the Founder and President of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society and actively campaigned for animal welfare and rights that led to the passing into law of Republic Act 8485 or The Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes Archived March 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , from the Biography of Nick Joaquin, The 1996 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts, rmaf.org
  2. ↑ Joaquin’s major literary works include the (...) "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino." Archived March 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , ncca.gov
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gates, Anita. 'A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino', Brouhaha About a Painting Its Creator Refuses to Sell, Theater in Review, August 2, 1997, The New York Times, page 117.
  4. 1 2 3 Life and works of Nick Joaquin celebrated in NY Archived April 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , filipinoexpress.com
  5. 1 2 3 4 A Portrait Of The Artist As Filipino Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , repertory-philippines.com
  6. 1 2 Ongpin, Ma. Isabel (January 23, 2009). "Revisiting 'A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino'". The Manila Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Lipfert, David (July 29, 1997). "Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino: A CurtainUp Review". CurtainUp: The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings. curtainup.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  8. ↑ Among his huge works that have become tack readings in English classes are (...) A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, famousfilipino.com
  9. 1 2 3 Cadiz, Gibbs (December 4, 2008). "GIBBS CADIZ: Presenting the cast of Rep's Portrait of the Artist as Filipino". GIBBS CADIZ. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Past Shows of Tanghalang Pilipino". Theaterbator Blog by Walter Ang.
  11. ↑ Ang, Walter. "Past Shows of Dulaang UP". Theaterbator Blog by Walter Ang.
  12. ↑ Ang, Walter. "Hey, Madame Producers!". lifestyle.inquirer.net. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  13. ↑ Girlie Rodis (August 4, 2008), Larawan Act 1-6, archived from the original on December 20, 2021, retrieved May 28, 2016
  14. ↑ Catada, Rhea (February 23, 2002). "NICK JOAQUIN'S 'PORTRAIT' TAKES ON A NEW DIMENSION".
  15. ↑ "The theater odyssey of Nonon Padilla | Vera Files". verafiles.org. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  16. ↑ Ang, Walter Rep Stages Joaquin's Portrait of an Artist as Filipino, January 22, 2009.
  17. ↑ Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1965), IMDb, imdb.com
  18. ↑ "Portrait of an Artist as Filipino". YouTube .[ dead YouTube link ]
  19. ↑ "Art and idealism against all odds". philstar.com. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Cruz, Marinel R. "'Portrait,' restored". entertainment.inquirer.net. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  21. ↑ Awards for Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1965), IMDb, imdb.com
  22. ↑ Nepales, Ruben V. (May 11, 2022). "[Only IN Hollywood] Mike de Leon on 'Itim' premiering in Cannes almost 50 years later". Rappler . Los Angeles, USA: Rappler Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  23. ↑ butch nolasco (March 29, 2015), PORTRAIT Rediscovering a Filipino Film Classic, archived from the original on December 20, 2021, retrieved May 29, 2016
  24. ↑ "Mike De Leon, portrait of a Filipino filmmaker - 8 films". La Boutique Carlotta Films. Carlotta Films. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.