Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral are films which commemorate the heroism of our people,

as well as to raise some social and political issues which can be related from their context to our present
times. Heneral Luna was the story of Antonio Luna, the general who the government looks up for his
brilliance in planning and waging war with the Americans. Also, he was despised by our own politicians
because he could not accept any form of relationship with foreigners. He was very vocal to say that
those who consider foreigners as friends are traitors to our country, and the bigger enemy aside from
the foreigners are our own selves.

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral runs from the same context but in a different point. It was the story of
Gregorio del Pilar who at a very young age became the youngest general in the history of our country.
He was appointed by Emilio Aguinaldo, who was then the President of the Philippines during the war
between the Americans.

Cinematography:

Both films expressed another level of presenting our historical background by conceptualizing a very
strong story line that would not only highlight each hero’s story but also to relate their principles to the
present context. The context of the film was during the war with the Americans, but some of the
language that the characters use are not appropriate in their context because the choice of words that
they use insofar as the film is concerned can be appropriated in our present context. For example, the
way that the characters curse or “pagmumura” is very unusual. In Heneral Luna, Antonio Luna was seen
a gruesome death, with multiple gunshots and slashes to the different parts of his body. Looking at that,
it is not appropriate to show such gruesome death, for it is not convincible that a person would not die
after a couple of stab and gunshot. In Goyo, Gregorio del Pilar’s death was very quick, which the
directors of the film did not give a special and meaningful death. All in all, the films’ cinematography can
be evaluated as satisfactory.

Criticisms:

Heneral Luna

Generally, the film was made with evident bias against Emilio Aguinaldo. The film highlighted Antonio
Luna’s expertise and resiliency in war, as well as his temper as shown to different characters who would
not obey his commands. Emilio Aguinaldo was presented as a President who is pressured under two
conflict of interest: one on how to win against the Americans and how to make friends with them on the
other. He was also presented as a person who could easily be influenced by his friends in making
decisions that would concern the country. In the film, he was the one to order the execution of Andres
Bonifacio and Antonio Luna. As his final words in the film, he said he only did such acts for the country.

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral

The film presented the conflict of one person: Gregorio del Pilar himself. He had a lot of conflicts within
himself but the main conflict was that if he can manage to lead the soldiers of our country at his early
age. Presented as a child, del Pilar is still struggling for his identity because there are parts of the film
that would show del Pilar in a playful state, signifying a natural tendency of a child. Yet, another conflict
would battle him in the person of his two women. This film was biased against the appointment made
by Emilio Aguinaldo to del Pilar by making him the youngest general in the country.
Conclusion:

After reviewing the two films, I would say that Heneral Luna was better than Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral
because mainly of the plot of the Film. Heneral Luna highlighted a significant number of historical events
in the film, whereas in Goyo, only his conflict of interest were then highlighted there.