Revisiting Gabriel & Carmina

Even though I have seen some snippets on the news about the upcoming Richard Gutierrez-Angel Locsin starrer, I had no idea about it. I haven't read nor heard anything about it. Until I saw its trailer a week ago. Lambutsingan ever pa lang nina Richard-Angel sa maisan (maisan nga ba 'yun?), huling-huli ko na ang pinaggayahan! But of course, I may be wrong so I did some research on the net. As it turns out, The Promise is based on the same film that one of my favorite films was loosely based on - Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Moreover, the film was made because Annette Gozon-Abrogar fell in love with the same film back in 1991. Kaya naman may-I-ask siya sa taong sumulat rin ng adaptation ng pelikula, Tita Raquel Villavicencio. According to Tita Raquel, The Promise is more based on the book rather than the 1991 movie. While the movie was mostly adapted from the film 1939 film. Bigla akong napaisip -- ito na ang isa mga signs ng pagtanda - nire-remake na ang mga awiting at pelikulang minahal mo nung kabataan mo. Paksyet talaga everchu!


Anyway, the movie I am referring to is Carlos Siguion-Reyna's Hihintayin Kita sa Langit. The first time I saw it was on betamax -- movie shot copy pa! (Even back then, uso na ang pagkopya sa sine. But it's easier to make copies now than before. Putting a copy on betamax would take you as long as the film's running time.) But it didn't stop me from appreciating the film. When the original video came out, buy ako kaagad. Then I bought another copy when it came out in the VHS format. (I wouldn't tell you anymore what great lenghts I had to do just to have the VHS copy. Maski ako gusto ko nang limutin!) Sadly, it hasn't been released on DVD, nor on VCD. Kaya naman nang hagilapin ko pa sa aking koleksyon ngayon, napagtanto ko na napalakayo nga talaga ng kalidad ng VHS sa DVD. When before, we all thought that the said format was fantastic! Hay, so ano pa nga ba ang pwede kong gawin kundi pagtyagaan ang kopyang VHS. As if I have any other choice! (Calling Reyna Films! Kikita pa kayo if you'd release your movies on DVD!)

Above anything else, I fell in love with the film because I was a Richard-Dawn fanatic back then. (Actually, in love muna ako kay Richard bago sa kanila ni Dawn. In love, however, was an understatement. I was obssessed with him! Sino ba naman ang hindi sa mga panahon 'yun?!) But then there were so many things to love about it. First was the arresting shots of the great Romy Vitug of the breath taking Batanes scenery. It was the time when Reyna Films made Pinoys realized that Batanes is a place to die for! That beyond the constantly alarming storms lies a serene and welcoming locale.

Second was the ensemble acting of the four leads, Richard Gomez, Dawn Zulueta, Eric Quizon (Allan), and Jackie Lou Blanco (Sandra). Despite the weakness in some scenes of each of the actors, they complimented one another well. Each of the them fits together like a puzzle. Plus the undeniable acting support of Ms. Vangie Labalan as Yaya Dora who was the only witness to the undying passion of Gabriel and Carmina, and Michael de Mesa who made life hell for the couple as Carmina's brother, Milo.

As I was watching it, I realized that there was something chauvinistic about Goma's acting. He was (and, maybe, still is today) the epitome of a Pinoy macho man -- a man who's so passionate in love and in anger. He portrays his characters most of the time like he owns the one he loves. Sobra magmahal sa isang babae pero pag galit, kung makasigaw at makasakit ay akala mo kung sinong hari! Siguro 'yun ang dahilan kung bakit bihira siyang manalo ng awards. Syempre ngayon ko lang napansin 'yun dahil I'm sooooo over him na talaga! Graveh! With Eric naman, hay naku, he screams like a girl! Kung makasigaw talaga ay kala mo bading na nagreregla! The best thing, though, about Richard and Dawn's acting was their transformation from teens to adults. In their teens, hagikgikan ever sila even while in bed. When they finally confessed their feelings for each other years later, they wistfully made love.

The script and the dialogues, which sounded so old-fashioned with its use of the old Tagalog terms (uso 'yun dati), were cheesy but nevertheless, heart-wrecking. Tumatagos sa puso, kumbaga. "Di mo ba ko kayang mahalin mo kahit kaunti lang, kahit kapiraso, kahit tira lamang..." were the words of Sandra to Gabriel when she learned that he is in love with Carmina. (I swear, sasabihin ko rin 'yun kay Richard sa mga panahong nababaliw pa ko sa kanya. But today, neknek niya!) For a 2-hr film, it was well-paced.

Third was the haunting score of Ryan Cayabyab. Idagdag pa ang theme song! Sobrang nakakapangilabot pakinggan ang Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan ni George Canseco. (Theme song sang by Richard Reynoso)

Lastly, who could ever forget the direction of Carlitos? The character's movements seemed to be calculated. They moved from left to right to show their reactions and emotions. It seemed stage yet it was flawlessly captured on screen. Carlitos is also known for his mirror images where one character would be looking in a mirror while talking to another character. I love those artistic shots! They worked absolutely well rather than doing the usual shot by shot.

With that, I promise myself to see The Promise. Not only to see how it would fare to my favorite but to see how Richard and Angel could pull off such adult/mature characters.

The Promise is a joint venture of GMA Films and Regal Films, under the direction of Mike Tuviera. Showing on February 14. Say it again, Feb-yoo-wa-ry 14! Not Feb-ra-ry! Please lang! It's my month so say it properly. :-)