Blessings of the Land
Encyclopedia
Blessings of the Land is a 1959 Filipino
drama film
directed by Manuel Silos
. It was entered into the 10th Berlin International Film Festival
. The film won Best Picture and Best Story from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences. In 1960, it was shown at the Asian Film Festival held in Tokyo. The story was written by Celso Al. Carunungan
, while the screenplay was written by Carunungan together with Pablo Naval. The movie was produced by LVN Pictures
.
about the life of a Filipino
couple residing in a village. The couple's deaf-mute
son
, Miguel, is tested and "must rise above his handicap" after the tragedies experienced by the family.
life by establishing a countryside orchard
of lanzones. They soon have four children, namely Miguel, Arturo, Angelita, and Lito. They live happily in the community, until Bruno comes along; he is a widower believed to have killed his own wife. Bruno wants to remarry and courts
Choleng, a niece of Jose. Choleng dies by falling from a cliff
while trying to evade Bruno. Bruno goes to the mountains to hide from the angry villagers. Bruno returns and rapes Jose's daughter, Angelita. Together with the villagers, Jose pursues Bruno but is shot by the latter.
Jose’s son, Arturo, goes to Manila
, while Jose’s other son Miguel (the deaf and mute
) courts Gloria, a woman in the village. Arturo returns from Manila accompanied by a woman from the city. Arturo succeeds in convincing his mother, Maria, to mortgage
the rice fields before going back to Manila.
A landowner from another town hires Bruno to destroy the lanzones harvest of Maria’s family. Bruno and his group fail because of the villagers. Miguel kills Bruno. Arturo comes back from Manila and reconciles with his family.
Cinema of the Philippines
Cinema of the Philippines started with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on January 1, 1897 at the Salón de Pertierra in Manila. The following year, local scenes were shot on film for the first time by a Spaniard, Antonio Ramos, using the Lumiere Cinematograph...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Manuel Silos
Manuel Silos
Manuel Silos is an award-winning Filipino film-maker from the 1920s through the 1950s. He began his career by making silent movies together with his brothers. As a bodabil actor and comedian, Silos used the stage and screen name Santo Tulia...
. It was entered into the 10th Berlin International Film Festival
10th Berlin International Film Festival
The 10th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1960.-Jury:* Harold Lloyd * Georges Auric* Henry Reed* Sohrab Modi* Floris Luigi Ammannati* Hidemi Ima* Joaquín de Entrambasaguas* Frank Wisbar...
. The film won Best Picture and Best Story from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences. In 1960, it was shown at the Asian Film Festival held in Tokyo. The story was written by Celso Al. Carunungan
Celso Al. Carunungan
Celso Al. Carunungan is an award-winning Filipino writer, novelist, and scriptwriter in English and Filipino languages. In 1959, he won the Best Story prize from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences for writing the story and screenplay for the Tagalog-language film Biyaya ng Lupa ...
, while the screenplay was written by Carunungan together with Pablo Naval. The movie was produced by LVN Pictures
LVN Pictures
LVN Pictures, Inc. is one of the biggest film studios in the history of Philippine cinema and its foremost establishment in motion picture post-production until 2005...
.
Description
The film is a melodramaMelodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
about the life of a Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
couple residing in a village. The couple's deaf-mute
Deaf-mute
For "deafness", see hearing impairment. For "Deaf" as a cultural term, see Deaf culture. For "inability to speak", see muteness.Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was both deaf and could not speak...
son
Men in the Philippines
Men in the Philippines is a term referring to the male members of Filipino society, or men who belong or come from the Philippines, a country in South East Asia or the Far East...
, Miguel, is tested and "must rise above his handicap" after the tragedies experienced by the family.
Summary
Maria and Jose begin their marriedMarriage and wedding customs in the Philippines
Traditional marriage customs in the Philippines and Filipino wedding practices pertain to the characteristics of marriage and wedding traditions established and adhered to by Filipino men and women in the Philippines after a period of courtship and engagement. These traditions extend to other...
life by establishing a countryside orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
of lanzones. They soon have four children, namely Miguel, Arturo, Angelita, and Lito. They live happily in the community, until Bruno comes along; he is a widower believed to have killed his own wife. Bruno wants to remarry and courts
Courtship in the Philippines
Traditional courtship in the Philippines is described as a "far more subdued and indirect" approach compared to Western or Westernized cultures. It involves "phases" or "stages" inherent to Philippine society and culture. Evident in courtship in the Philippines is the practice of singing romantic...
Choleng, a niece of Jose. Choleng dies by falling from a cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
while trying to evade Bruno. Bruno goes to the mountains to hide from the angry villagers. Bruno returns and rapes Jose's daughter, Angelita. Together with the villagers, Jose pursues Bruno but is shot by the latter.
Jose’s son, Arturo, goes to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, while Jose’s other son Miguel (the deaf and mute
Mute
Mute may refer to:* Muteness, a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak* Mute, a silent letter in phonology* Mute , an upcoming sequel to the movie Moon...
) courts Gloria, a woman in the village. Arturo returns from Manila accompanied by a woman from the city. Arturo succeeds in convincing his mother, Maria, to mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
the rice fields before going back to Manila.
A landowner from another town hires Bruno to destroy the lanzones harvest of Maria’s family. Bruno and his group fail because of the villagers. Miguel kills Bruno. Arturo comes back from Manila and reconciles with his family.
Cast
- Rosa RosalRosa RosalFlorence Danon Gayda , better known as Rosa Rosal, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipino film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale of Philippine cinema". She is also known for her work with the Philippine National Red Cross...
- Maria - Leroy Salvador - Miguel (Salvador won Best Supporting Actor during the 1960 Asian Film Festival for this film)
- Tony Santos, Sr. (as Tony Santos) - Jose
- Carmencita AbadCarmencita AbadCarmencita Abad is a Filipina actress. She made her film debut with Tres Muskiteros the only movie under Sampaguita Pictures that was released in 1951 before she moved to the rival company, Lvn Pictures, in the 1950s....
- Gloria - Carlos Padilla, Jr.Carlos Padilla, Jr.Carlos "Sonny" Padilla, Jr. was a boxing referee and judge from the Philippines.The son of actor Carlos Padilla, Sr., Padilla first came to international prominence when he refereed the third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, known as the "Thrilla in Manila"...
- Arturo - Marita ZobelMarita ZóbelMary Ann Blanch Respall is a Filipina actress. She was an LVN Pictures contract star.-Biography:She was born to parents Joseph B. Blanch and Remedios Respall from Iloilo City, Both of whom are of Spanish descent...
- Angelita - Joseph de Cordova - Bruno
- Danilo Jurado - Lito
- Carmen Del Ocampo
- Miguel LopezMiguel LópezMiguel López is an Argentine film editor.Some of the films he has edited have been critically well received, for example: La Noche de los lápices .-Filmography:* Destino de un capricho * Los Hombres sólo piensan en eso...
- Mario Roldan
- Tony DantesTony DantesTony Dantes is a Filipino actor and spent his movie career under LVN Pictures.Born in 1924, his first movie appearance is El Diablo and Hen. Gregorio del Pilar, a biography of one of the famous Filipino heroes in 1949....
- Jerry Reyes
- Mila Ocampo - Choleng
- Pedro Faustino