To say that Emir is a masterpiece by veteran director Chito Rono is an understatement. For after I watched it I told myself how lucky I am that at least in my lifetime,specifically a day in 2001, I had a golden opportunity to work under the superb direction of Director Chito Rono. It is with pride that I would reveal to you that I played a bit role as a father of the groom in a wedding scene for the Chito Rono movie titled “La Vida Rosa”. That movie was produced by Star Cinema starring Rossana Roces and Diether Ocampo. So, what is the big deal if I had that “one golden day” in my life working under Director Chito Rono? I would say, a great deal, for the simple reason that to my mind, it qualifies me to aver that all of the works of Director Chito Rono are masterpieces and Emir is his finest masterpiece to date!
I should know. To illustrate why I consider the works of Director Chito Rono as masterpieces allow me describe that golden opportunity that I had nine years ago. It was a lady talent supplier named Mae Dilag who contacted me for that bit role. She warned me that it was Chito Rono who would be the director of the movie. When I arrived at the set a few minutes before the 1:00 p.m. calltime, I met familiar faces of co-workers and had small talk with them. All of those who had worked with Director Chito before told me that I should be ready for a long shooting day ahead. The scene to be shoot was a wedding so I imagined that maybe the ceremonies will be captured in detail so that it would require more time. When Director Chito called us to block the scene, he gave a briefing about the scene that we will shoot: the wedding entourage would all walk down the aisle from the church main door to the altar, as this happens the lead star (Rosanna Roces) is seated in the middle pew as Diether Ocampo will enter the church. I told myself, the simple scene would be over in an hour. To my surprise, the simple scene was taken from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm and we had 16 takes for that simple scene which lasted only for a minute in the movie! The 16 takes required us to walk from the main door to the altar 16 times! Director Chito changed the positions and angles of the cameras and the lights six times! Meticulous is the operative word on how Director Chito Rono directs his masterpieces!
Hats off to the Master! Two weeks ago, while I was watching the trailer of the movie Emir I learned that it was the government through the Film Development Council of the Philippines and the Cultural Center of the Philippines which funded the production of the film! I told myself then that the movie is a MUST SEE MOVIE! No doubt, using government funds to produce a movie deserves nothing less than Director Chito Rono at the helm. I am sure, it will be a well-spent people’s money.
Last sunday, my wife who was not able to join the family when we watched the Prince of Persia at the Eastwood Mall Cinema wanted to watch Emir in the said cinema after being told how comfortable it was to watch a movie there. However, I was a little bit uneasy when I learned that Emir was being shown not in new Eastwood Mall cinema but in the old cinema in the main building. Not only that, the screening of Emir was very limited: it has only one screening and it shared with three other films showing in one cinema for that whole sunday. The first showing at 1:30 pm was for a foreign movie, the second showing was for another foreign movie at 3:30 pm and Emir was slated to be shown at 5:50 pm yet. A fourth foreign film was scheduled to be screened at 8:00 pm.
Since we arrived at Eastwood Mall at 1:00 pm, we decided to travel back to SM Fairview and watch it there rather than wait for the 5:50 pm screening. At SM Fairview, the screening was the same: it shared with three other films! While we were waiting to be ushered into the cinema, I asked the staff manning the ticket counter if the movie is a box-office hit. Despite the huge funding and extensive promotional campaign the movie is not a box-office success, the staff told me.
When the movie finally started screening, I looked around the hall, I counted about 30 people watching. Oh my God! Such a fantastic film was a flop! What went wrong?
The movie was produced upon instruction by no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as a tribute to the overseas contract worker. It is no ordinary movie but a grand musical with no less than composer Gary Granada leading the songwriters who wrote the Libretto. With the team of composers is Diwa de Leon who composed the music of our indie film “Kolorete” produced by Cinema One. The dance numbers were conceptualized and rehearsed under the instructions of Douglas Nierras.
Aside from directing the film, it was also Director Chito who wrote the story. A new refreshing face – Frencheska Farr played the lead role of Amelia, an ilocana who just like all of the OCWs suffering from the lack of employment opportunities in the local economy has no other recourse but to work as nanny in an arabic kingdom. Her ward happens to the the son of a Shiek who eventually became a Prince. Amelia joined a squad of household helpers led by the mayordoma played by singer Dulce. Amelia met Victor a half filipino-half arabic young man played Sid Lucero who worked in a dollar remittance shop. Julia Clarete, Jhong Hilario, Beverly Salviejo are also casted as part of the squad of household helpers.
Perhaps, the showing of the film was ill-timed: with no less than outgoing PGMA endorsing the musical movie at the time when President-Elect Noynoy Aquino had just been proclaimed and ready to take his oath, who wants to watch the film? Not, the avid yellow shirted P-Noy fans!
I just hope that subsequent screenings abroad would attract more viewers and eventually award-giving bodies both local and abroad would take cognizance of the efforts of the Director Chito Rono and it would reap awards and recognition! Hopefully, the producers will realize profit!
For now, if you have not watched it yet, forget the politics behind the movie and please watch it, after all you are one of the producers!
