Jewoo Kang LITFILM A51

11849142 3/11/2024

The Crime that is Adaptation

A prominent translation that De Leon adopted in his 1981 film, Kisapmata was the removal of
some characters that were original to de Manila’s The House on Zapote street. Character’s such
as both Noel and Mila’s brothers were removed, in lieu of a linear means of story delivery. Given
that Leonardo’s brothers in the crime reportage were notable figures, they were removed from
the film in a way that was explained in the film.
In relation, Kisapmata also managed to add further into the story by means of its characters’
details. The majority of the story in the original text revolved around Leonardo’s perspective.
This is made clear from the very start where the readers are immediately introduced to him along
with his personality. This may be appropriate for its medium given the length of the text and its
impact. However, the film managed to highlight each figure in its story. Taking a look at Mila,
the film opens with her conflict of being pregnant and it translated the original text to provide a
more nuanced reason for the young couple to get married. De Leon’s style was noticeable in her
translation when we take a look at her inner monologue on how she feels about her father and the
situation she was burdened with. This element was something new from the original text, similar
to his iteration of Miranda and Marissa of the Collector in Bilango sa Dilim. Another noticeable
translation was Dadong. The text detailed him to always desire to be the center of attention. Each
family member including Leonardo were submitting to him. The film was shot in such a way to
be consistent with this trait. The opening made this clear when both Mila and her mother’s
compliant attitudes were seen as a direct response to his presence. Their actions were based on
his, when Mila’s mother went to the kitchen to get him ice even after receiving the news that her
daughter was pregnant. This was an interesting relationship that the film presented given that the
general concern and focus in that situation should’ve been instead given to the daughter.
Speaking more about the father and daughter relationship, the text portrayed Dadong as the
extreme of an overprotective father. This provided an explanation for his desire for her to remain
in his house even after her marriage. The film on the other hand, translated this to add a deeper
conflict and to give the story a clear villain.
The House on Zapote street while being a crime reportage, had a vivid atmosphere in lieu of the
writer’s description. This literary language was translated in the film’s eerie music and lighting.
Dadong’s house in the film was shot with fog and darkness to highlight the theme of both stories.
Overall, the director managed to utilize the elements that are available in film to translate the
words that were seen in the original text.