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Reaction Paper on

Lapu-lapu

The Movie

Submitted to:

Ms. Cherry Lou Infante

Submitted by:

February 10, 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 I. Title of the Movie

II. Characters

III. Setting (Location/ Time )

IV. Moral Lesson of the Story

V. Author

VI. Synopsis

VII. Reaction

VIII. Will you recommend the movie to your fellow AMAERS, why?

I. Lapu-lapu The Movie

II. Characters

Lito Lapid, as Lapu-Lapu

Joyce Jimenez, as Bulakna

Dante Rivero, as Ferdinand Magellan

Vic Vargas, as Rajah Humabon

Roi Vinzon, as Zula

Arsenio Bautista, as Datu Sobrano

Julio Diaz, as Radeein

Dinah Dominguez, as Juliana

Mark Lapid

Maria Isabel Lopez, as Ming Ming

Conrad Poe

Jeric Raval, as Maisug

Cloyd Robinson, as Padre Valderama

Gloria Sevilla, as Inday Puti/Queen Bauga

Alma Soriano

Ian Veneracion, as Juan Sebastian El Cano

Von Vibar, as Pigafetta

III. Settings ( Time/ Location )

 March 16, 1521 – Magellan landed on the island of Homonhon

March 17, 1521, Lapu-lapu parleyed with Raja|Rajah Calambu (or Kolambu) of

Limasawa

April 7, 1521 Kolambu guided Lapu-lapu to Cebu

April 26, 1521 - Zula’s plan to ally with Magellan was revealed on the night he

also sent his son to offer two goats to the Spaniards

April 27, 1521 – Battle of Mactan

Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines

1565 - TRIBAL men headed by Datu Lapu-Lapu battle with Spanish invaders

headed by Ferdinand Magellan

IV. Moral Lesson of the Story

Whatever you are physically male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy all

those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a

warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains

the lamp, butyou are the light inside.

V. Author

The following are the people who are the mind behind the movie;

Director: William Mayo

Writer : Jerry O. Tirazon

Cinematography : Leodigario B. Dalawis Jr.

Music : Blitz Padua

 Film Editor : Ruben Patua

VI. Synopsis

The movie tells the story of the first true hero of the Philippines, Lapulapu.Lapu-

Lapu was the king of Mactan, an island in the Visayas, Philippines, who is known

as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted Spanish colonization. On

the morning of April 27, 1521, Lapu-Lapu and the men of Mactan, armed with

spears, and kampilan, faced Spanish soldiers led by Portuguese explorer

Ferdinand Magellan. In what would later be known as the Battle of Mactan,

Magellan, and several of his men were killed.According to Sulu oral tradition,

Lapu-Lapu was a Muslim chieftain, and was also known as Kaliph Pulaka. The

people of Bangsamoro, the Islamic homeland in the Philippine Islands, consider

him to be a Muslim and a member of the Tausug ethnic group a variant of the

name, as written by Carlos Calao, a 17th century Chinese-Spanish poet in his

poem "Que Dios Le Perdone" is "Cali Pulacu".The 1898 Philippine Declaration of

Independence refers to Lapu-Lapu as "King Kalipulako de Maktan". In the 19th

century, the reformist Mariano Ponce used a variant name, "Kalipulako", as one

of his pseudonyms.

Unfortunately this movie's portrayal of Lapulapu is about as historically authentic

as the statue of him which now stands on Mactan Island. The movie opens with a

battle scene straight out of the movie Braveheart.  Two armies oppose each

other on a beach in Mactan Island.  One army is under the command of Lapulapu

who is the king of Mactan. The other is under the command of Rajah Humabon

who is the king of neighboring Cebu.  The two armies charge each other and
there follows a chaotic scene with lots of sword fighting but, strangely enough,

little blood spilt.One almost expects Mel Gibson with face painted blue to pop out

and give an inspirational speech to his troops.  The sound quality of the sword

play is so patently bad as to be absurd.  It sounds more like a metal chain being

banged against a tin plate.

Needless to say, the forces of Humabon are soundly defeated and Rajah

Humabon himself escapes with a gash to the stomach delivered by Lapulapu

himself.  Humabon's forces retreat in rickety boats which appear to be lacking in

seaworthiness.  They regroup in Cebu and mourn their bad fortune.  The

historical source for this supposed battle is never made clear, but this won't be

the last time the director takes liberties with the historical facts.Lapulapu's forces

spend the night resting from their exertions during the battle and tending to the

wounded.  Lito Lapid, who plays Lapulapu, spends much of the movie posing for

the cameras and looking noble.  This is a common mistake that mediocre

directors make when portraying historical figures.  They somehow imagine that

these folks spent all of their time making speeches and strutting a pose.

Anyway, Lapulapu soon falls for Bulakna and proposes marriage, although why a

middle aged king doesn't already have a wife is never explained.  The fact that

Filipino datus of that era maintained harems of wives is conveniently glossed

over.  The middle part of the movie is a never ending series of plots against

Lapulapu hatched by Humabon and his faithful lackey, Datu Zula.  Needless to

say, Lapulapu foils these plots at every turn.  I was beginning to wonder if

Magellan would ever show up, but he eventually does about two thirds of the way
through the movie.  The effects budget in this movie is so low that they can't even

afford to show a complete sailing ship.  Instead, they show close-ups of what is

obviously a mockup of Magellan's ship.  The historical fact that Magellan sailed

into Cebu harbor with three ships is conveniently ignored.  Only one ship is ever

shown.

At first Humabon is suspicious of his visitors but he soon comes up with a plan

on how to use the Spaniards against his bitter enemy, Lapulapu.  Humabon

agrees to become a Christian along with all of his followers.  He also agrees to

submit to the authority of the King of Spain.  In passing, Humabon mentions to

Magellan that there is a datu on the island of Mactan who refuses to submit to

Spanish rule.  By the way, the director has Humabon, Lapulapu, etc. speaking in

Tagalog, a language which the actual historical figures never spoke (they spoke

Cebuano).  This is perhaps forgivable since the director assumes a Tagalog

speaking audience.  The director also has the Spaniards speaking Spanish but

he provides no Tagalog subtitles.  One wonders what fraction of Tagalog

speakers can understand Spanish?  It must be a very low percentage.

Anyway, Magellan soon hits on a scheme to attack Lapulapu on Mactan. 

Antonio Pigafetta who chronicled the battle provides us with an excellent account

of the battle.  Unfortunately the director made a travesty of Pigafetta's account. 

He has Magellan and his men doing most of the fighting on the beach and not in

the surf where the real battle took place.  Of course, he has Magellan personally

fighting Lapulapu which never happened.  And just to show you how ridiculous

the battle scene is, at one point Lapulapu is fighting Magellan with a log.  Of
 course Lapulapu eventually slays Magellan and the Spaniards retreat.  Pigafetta

tells us that the Spanish lost just eight men killed, but in the movie dozens upon

dozens of Spanish corpses litter the beach.  Pigafetta tells us that the forces of

Lapulapu poured a constant rain of arrows and javelins down on the luckless

Spaniards.  But in the movie not a spear or arrow is to be seen.  Instead, the

actors fight against one another with swords. 

VII. Reaction :

The movie tells the story of the first hero of the Philippines, Lapu-lapu. The movie

opens with a battle scene between two armies on a beach on Mactan Island.The

battle scene lacks in historical veracity. The two tribes costumes look the same

who makes me confuse. I wonder who are the antagonist or the protagonist

between the two.

VIII. Will you recommend the movie to your fellow AMAERS, why?

Yes, I will recommend this movie to my fellow AMAERs, it's for additional

knowledge on how Lapu-lapuknown as one of the people from our past that need

to be remember and for them to be more motivated for their goals for the mere

future