Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? A Look Into The popularization of Filipino Movies

How does the message of Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? Affect the attitudes, beliefs and values, of the masses that have watched it? Were the elements of the story clear and simple enough for the masses to grasp the main objective of the filmmakers? One of the successes of the film lies in the simple presentation. Language and plot were simple. The setting, though historical in nature, was not strictly academic or loaded with historical technicalities. The backdrop, more than becoming central to the story, was treated as the life story of Kulas. The simplicity of the story is also reflected in the main character Kulas, whose na�ve personality makes him very funny. Such simplicity can be deceiving for behind all these is a deep and serious call for Filipinos to re-assess their national identity. For as what is portrayed in the movie, Filipinos are looked upon by foreigners and Kulas� funny character seems to imply that foreigners could be poking fun at Filipinos being na�ve to the point that they are already being manipulated. Thus, we can also speak about the �self� and the �others�. In popular culture, the power relation between the dominant or the power-bloc and the dominant is always present. For the film effectively fulfill its purpose, it must provoke the viewers to be ale to situate themselves sin this play of forces. When they are able to relate to the characters in the story then they become interested and patronize the film. We can examine the images of Diding and Kulas. Diding is the portrayal of the Filipina who has ambitions in life. To realize this, Diding needs a backer, a man powerful enough and on whom she can depend on. Here, we see the stereotype of a woman and a man. The woman, forever dependent on the man and the man as the superhero, the savior, someone the masses can look up to. And the Filipino audience easily identify with this superhero image. They feel as if they are being spoken to, and they see value and substance in the film. Another example is the portrayal of the Filipino as a passive actor in historical events. In the story, Kulas, the symbol of the common Filipino, was very passive. He accepted everything that came his way. Seldom did he becoem angry or sought to take revenge. However, we see a twist of events at the end of the story. Kulas is enlightened and the filmmaker introduces an ideology to the audience, which is nationalism and sense of identity. The ideology that Filipinos do have an identity and it depends on us how we will form it. What happens is that Kulas decides to join the other Filipinos in their fight for national liberation.

Here we see that the director attempts to persuade the people to have a change of heart. Form being passive to involved citizens. Because what happened before during the Spanish and American period has happened during the Martial law era during which the film was made and is happening again with the presence if US troops in the country because of the MLSA.What makes the story very interesting is that the title itself is something the masses can relate to. The title captures the essence , the objective of the production of the film that even in modern day, history is still repeating itself. Filipinos are not united and therefore foreign influences and forms of neocolonialism penetrate us easily. Another major challenge in popularization is most Filipinos preference for anything imported. Many have the idea that imported is commensurate to quality even in film. The Hollywood mentality is padded big stars and million-dollar high tech effects. Because these dominate the market, our local film industry is bereft of the opportunity to shine. And every time the mass compares local movies with the foreign, ours always seem below average. The producers then resort to creating cheap porn flicks because those are the ones that sell.

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