Logan, Dennie Leo B.

SCINEAP ODMA1
Biyaya ng Lupa
Film Review

Biyaya ng Lupa is a 1959 dram film directed by Manuel Silos and

is one of the films produced during the golden age of Philippine

cinema. The story was written by Celso Al. Carunungan. It won awards

for Best Picture and Best Story from the Filipino Academy of Movie

Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), and rightly so because the film’s fine

qualities shows itself through subtle ways that are not immediately

obvious to filmgoers of the modern times.

The melodrama film revolves on the lives of a new family from a

rural and a peaceful barrio. Maria and Jose, played by Rosa Rosal and

Tony Santos, starts their newlywed life by developing their own

lanzones plantation. Their love bore fruits later with their deaf-mute

eldest son Miguel (Leroy Salvador), three other children named Arturo

(Carlos Padilla Jr), Angelita (Marita Zobel), and Lito (Danilo

Jurado). All is well in the family and they continued to support each

other through different misfortunes within the family. By “well” I

mean by the protagonist’s standards: Jose believes Miguel with his

handicap should be treated fairly – except on formal education. The

relevantly peaceful family in the tranquil countryside changed after a

strong storm – a dark omen of the things that will happen next. The

name Bruno (Joseph de Cordova started to be notorious in public

chatter. Bruno was rumored to have murdered his own pregnant wife, but
that did not stop him from courting Choleng (Mila Ocampo), which

happens to be Jose’s niece. Of course, neither Choleng nor Jose does

not want that. The unsolicited desires from Bruno went to the

catastrophic death of Choleng who fell off a steep ridge while trying

to avoid him. Anger creeps onto the townsfolk who think Bruno killed

her, and Bruno retreats to the mountains to hide. Unreasonable as he

is, Bruno fixates his attention to Jose and his family, who he thinks

is his bane for his bad reputation and misfortunes, and plots revenge

against them.

Bruno emerges as an unfairly treated antagonist, a character that

started with no evil intent now filled with one goal: to be evil.

Bruno went back to the town and raped Angelita. As a father, Jose was

outraged and seeks for retribution for the sexual abuse his daughter

received. His revenge did not go as planned because Bruno shot him and

got killed. Bitter as it sounds, Jose’s death was for nothing as

everything started from a baseless rumor. Jose was judged unfairly by

Bruno, and Bruno was treated unfairly by everyone, yet their actions

were still unjust. All logic and meaning were thrown out, leaving only

room for pride, honor, and the desire for grand revenge.

On the process of a grieving family, Arturo went to Manila to

leave the plantation and explore more opportunities. Arturo after a

while visited his family and introduced his fiancé, which Maria does

not want to acknowledge. Arturo demanded to advance his inheritance –

a piece of the farm – and sold it to pay for his wedding.

Unfortunately, this caused the family to go in debt.

 This caused more trouble for the family as the landlord to which

the family owes money to has an eye for the land where the lanzones

trees are grown, the trees which Maria’s family depends on. He

contacts Bruno to put his plan to action: burn the lanzones trees so

they will be forced to sell the land. Bruno went on as told but he was

caught in the act. Miguel, the eldest deaf-mute among Maria’s

children, was left to take him down and kill him.

After the tragedy, Arturo returned to the family with no money

left, seeking for forgiveness and reconciliation.

The actors showed the same breadth as the written characters that

they portray. The frustrations, the thrills, as well as the moments of

sunshine were realistically dramatized. They skillfully roleplayed the

characters without underperforming.

The film captured the lives of the people in a community during

those days. Even if the film was filmed back in the 1950s, Biyaya ng

Lupa is still relevant today as it exemplifies the values and

principles we still have to this day, whether it be negative or

positive values. As classic as the film, it is also classic Filipino

culture that we have relatives fighting over the ownership of land,

the alluring goldrush of the cities leading to the exodus of talented

men and women of the rural countryside, the dehumanizing insults

thrown to people with disabilities, or the destructive forces that is

the chismosang kapitbahay. It represents us and our aspirations

symbolized by the lanzones trees, as well as the ugly truths of our

culture that burns it.

 Maria’s family will never be the same, not without the

irreplaceable fruits given by Jose’s love and care, and yet the

blessings of the land exceeds far beyond Jose and Bruno. As long as

the family nurtures the land and each other, all will be well for

their family. Biyaya ng Lupa, despite being a one hour and fifty

minutes of black and white film, is a must-see for the current

generations that would vividly color how they see their environment

and the people around them.