José Rizal

Plot

In 1896, José Rizal was imprisoned in Fort Santiago due to his dissident activities. Meanwhile, in a small field in Balintawak, Andrés Bonifacio and his fellow secret organization, the Katipunan, commence the uprising against the tyranny created by the Spaniards by tearing their cédulas as a sign of freedom from Spanish slavery.

A first lieutenant of the Artillery, Luis Taviel de Andrade, visits Rizal. Taviel de Andrade does not waste time studying Rizal's case carefully. In just a short period, Rizal and Taviel capture each other's sympathy and eventually become friends during their usual meetings in Rizal's cell. Taviel celebrates Christmas with Rizal in the cell where they drink and sing together. Governor General Ramón Blanco also sympathizes with Rizal's cause but is later secretly ousted by corrupt Spanish officials and Manila's archbishop, Bernardino Nozaleda, who replace him with Camilo de Polavieja.

Flashbacks of Rizal's life are shown, from his childhood to his education, and then to his professional life as a doctor. He soon begins writing his two novels Noli Me Tángere and El filibusterismo, which are then published. In addition, key scenes from the two novels are also shown. Returning to the Philippines after a dispute with other Filipino reformists in Madrid, he establishes La Liga Filipina in 1892 and meets Bonifacio, who distinguishes himself as an enthusiastic admirer. Shortly afterwards, he is exiled to Dapitan and spends the next four years working as a doctor, during which he also falls in love with Josephine Bracken, who later gives birth to their stillborn child.

After Christmas of 1896, Rizal was sent to the Real Audiencia, the colonial court of appeal, to hear the trial against him. Despite a passionate defense by Taviel de Andrade, the magistrates decide to condemn him to the firing squad on the morning of December 30 in Luneta. Taviel de Andrade expresses his outrage and shame in front of Rizal, who passively accepts the decision. He is later visited by his family.

On the night before the execution, Rizal has a vision in which he encounters his alter ego—Noli Me Tángere's protagonist Crisostomo Ibarra in his "Simoun" identity, tempting him to change the climax of the novel after Simoun criticizes him as weak. Instead, Rizal writes his last poem "Mi último adiós".

Cast

Main cast

Cesar Montano as José Rizal

Dominic Guinto as young José Rizal

Chin-Chin Gutierrez as Josephine Bracken

Mickey Ferriols as Leonor Rivera

The Dominicans

Peque Gallaga as Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda, O.P.

Tony Carreón as a Dominican friar (Gomburza execution)

Fritz Infante as a Dominican friar (professor at UST)

The Jesuits

Chiqui Xerxes-Burgos as Father José Villaclara, S.J.

Shelby Payne as Father Estanislao March, S.J.

Minco Fábregas as Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, S.J.

Other friars

Ogie Juliano as Padre Rodríguez

Jon Achával as Friar 1

Cloyd Robinson as Friar 2

Marco Zabaleta as Friar 3

Other characters

Jesús Díaz as ophthalmology professor in Spain

Karl Meyer as a Belgian printer

LJ Moreno as Josephine Bracken's companion

Production

Background

In 1994, there were efforts to produce a Hollywood feature film based on the life of José Rizal led by director Cirio H. Santiago, then the head of the Film Development Foundation of the Philippines, with the approval of President Fidel V. Ramos. Actors who were reportedly considered for the project included Andy Garcia as Rizal, Winona Ryder as Josephine Bracken, and Sharon Cuneta as Leonor Rivera, with Jonathan Demme as director, though the project did not come to fruition.

The Malacanang Palace scenes were filmed in the old Rizal Province Capitol building, with the University of Santo Tomas exteriors shot at the former archbishop's palace in Vigan (now an ecclesiastical museum). Rizal's execution was filmed at the shores of Morong, Bataan. All church exteriors were filmed at Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church in Magdalena, Laguna, while interiors were filmed at Santiago Parish Church in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga.

It was the most expensive film in the history of Filipino cinema with a budget of over ₱80 million.

Release

During the film's release in 1998, the Probe Team, hosted by Che Che Lazaro, produced a special behind-the-scenes documentary titled José Rizal: The Making of a Masterpiece. The documentary highlighted various aspects of the film’s creation, its historical background, and included interviews with the director, cast, producers, members of the production and design team, and other key figures involved in the film.

In 1999, GMA Network released an accompanying publication titled Ang Screenplay ng José Rizal, which featured the original screenplay of the film written by Ricky Lee, Jun Lana, and Peter Ong Lim, along with interviews from the cast, directing crew, and production team.

The film was subsequently released in DVD-format and VCD format by GMA Records Home Video and distributed by Viva Video in 2006.

In 2024, GMA Network digitally restored and remastered the film, in partnership with Central Digital Lab. It was shown to audiences during the 2024 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. The restored version of the movie was released for Netflix on December 30, 2024 to mark Rizal Day.

Accolades

1998 Metro Manila Film Festival

Best Picture

Best Actor (Cesar Montano)

Best Director (Marilou Diaz-Abaya)

Best Supporting Actor (Jaime Fabregas)

Best Supporting Actress (Gloria Diaz)

Best Screenplay (Ricky Lee, Jun Lana and Peter Ong Lim)

Best Original Story (Ricky Lee, Jun Lana and Peter Ong Lim)

Best Cinematography (Rody Lacap)

Best Editing (Jess Navarro and Manet Dayrit)

Best Sound Production (Mike Idioma)

Best Production Design (Leo Abaya)

Best Special Effects (Mark Ambat of Optima Digital)

Best Makeup (Denni Yrastorza Tan)

Best Musical Score (Nonong Buencamino)

Best Movie Theme Song (Nonong Buencamino for "Awit ni Maria Clara")

Best Festival Float

Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Awards

1999 FAMAS Awards

Best Picture

Best Actor (Cesar Montano)