Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo
| Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo | |
|---|---|
 Official poster for the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival | |
| Directed by | Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara[a] |
| Screenplay by | Marina Feleo-Gonzales |
| Story by | Marina Feleo-Gonzales |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Jose Batac Jr. |
| Edited by | Edgardo Vinarao |
| Music by | Resty Umali |
Production company | NV Productions |
| Distributed by | Premiere Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages | Filipino English |
| Box office | ₱10.5 million |
Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo (transl. Once a Moth) is a 1976 Filipino drama film directed by Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara and written by Marina Feleo-Gonzales. It concerns a Filipino nurse, Cora de la Cruz, who dreams of moving to the United States. When her brother is killed, her ideas change. The film criticizes the American military presence in the Philippines.[1] It was an entry to the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival and won five awards at the 25th FAMAS Awards, including those for best picture, director, and screenplay.
The film was restored by the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project through Kantana Post Production in Thailand; the restored version was released on October 12, 2018, as part of the Cinema One Originals film festival of that year.[2]
Synopsis[]
The Dela Cruzes and the Santoses are two lower-middle-class families who live in Pampanga. Set in 1969, Cora de la Cruz is a nurse who dreams of living in the United States. Her papers are ready and she organizes employment at an American hospital. She hopes to get a green card that would allow her to stay in the US, achieve immigrant status, and then bring her family to that country for a better life. Cora's mother and younger brother encourage her, but her grandfather, Ingkong, disagrees. He believes that moving to America is a betrayal of their country.
Bonifacio Santos is Cora’s fiancee. He intends to join the U.S. Navy so that he can be with Cora in America. His mother and their maid are saving money to help him with the expenses. The families make no reference in their plans to instances of crime, including murder, committed by American soldiers in the Philippines who are indemnified against prosecution under laws of extraterritoriality. Bonifacio's mother works at a commissary at an American base.
Cora is appalled at the failure of the Philippine courts to provide justice for Mrs. Santos but continues with her plans to leave for America. On the night of her despedida (farewell party), Cora's brother is shot dead by an American soldier while scavenging in the garbage dump of the American base. Cora stays to seek justice for her brother. She discovers that the case cannot continue as the soldier has been reassigned to another country.[3]
Cast[]
| Character | Actor | |
|---|---|---|
| Corazon "Cora" Dela Cruz | Nora Aunor | |
| The eldest and breadwinner of the Dela Cruz family. She is a qualified nurse and she dreams to work in the United States as an opportunity to get out of poverty and also, becoming an American citizen. She lives with her mother, younger brother, and grandfather who served in the Bataan Death March. | ||
| Bonifacio "Boni" Santos | Jay Ilagan | |
| Named after Andres Bonifacio by his parents. Boni is Yolanda's only child and Cora's fiancé who dreams to join the US Navy in order to be with Cora. However, this decision was abandoned when his mother was harassed by a Filipino female guard in Clark Air Base and their PX goods at their store were violently confiscated. | ||
| Mercedes "Chedeng" dela Cruz | Gloria Sevilla | |
| Cora and Carlito's widowed mother and Ingkong Menciong's daughter. She agrees her daughter work in the United States and become an American citizen. She is a housewife who sells military surpluses from Vietnam. | ||
| Yolanda Santos | Perla Bautista | |
| Bonifacio's mother. She works in the commissary on the premises of the Clark Air Base. She insisted her son join the US Navy since her family is suffering from hardships. Just like Chedeng, she is a widower. | ||
| Carlito dela Cruz | Eddie Villamayor | |
| Cora's younger brother who loves kiting in the open fields. He, along with his mother, agreed to her sister's decision of becoming an American citizen. He was later killed by an American soldier, prompting his sister wanted justice for him and abandon her plans to work in the United States. | ||
| Ingkong Menciong | Paquito Salcedo | |
| Cora and Carlito's grandfather and Chedeng's father who used to be a survivor of the Bataan Death March. He strongly opposes her granddaughter of becoming an American citizen, believing that she would lose her Filipino citizenship. | ||
Release[]
The film was released on December 25, 1976, as one of the entries for the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival where they won two awards: Best Editing and Best Story.
Television broadcast[]
The digitally restored and remastered 4K high-definition version of Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo was first premiered on Cinema One on May 19, 2019 as part of its Restored Cinema presentation.
It also received a free-to-air television premiere on ABS-CBN on March 8, 2020 as a feature presentation of its Sunday late-night presentation block Sunday's Best under the Restored Classics banner. The ABS-CBN broadcast attained a nationwide share rating of 2.3%, which is tied with GMA Network's showing of the 1997 horror-thriller film by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes for Octoarts Films, Halik ng Vampira.[4]
| Number of times | Broadcaster | On-air date | Broadcast time | Audience rating | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cinema One | May 9, 2019 | 9:00PM - 11:00PM | Cable television premiere. | |
| 2 | ABS-CBN | March 8, 2020 | 11:30PM - 1:30AM | 2.3% | Free-to-air television premiere. Aired as a feature presentation for the network's Sunday late-night special program, Sunday's Best. |
Review[]
Criticism of the film was mixed.[3][5]
Controversy[]
In 1976, criticism of the presence of American military bases in the Philippines was censored by the government.
Awards[]
| Year | Group | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Metro Manila Film Festival | Best Editing | Edgardo Vinarao | Won |
| Best Story | Marina Feleo-Gonzales | Won | ||
| Best Actress | Nora Aunor | Nominated | ||
| Best Picture | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara | Nominated | ||
| 1977 | 25th FAMAS Awards | Best Picture | Won | |
| Best Director | Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara | Won | ||
| Best Editing | Edgardo Vinarao | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Marina Feleo-Gonzales | Won | ||
| Best Story | Marina Feleo-Gonzales | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Paquito Salcedo | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Perla Bautista | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Gloria Sevilla | Nominated | ||
| Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino) | Best Picture | Nora Aunor | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Marina Feleo-Gonzales | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Paquito Salcedo | Nominated |
Film festivals where Minsa'y isang Gamu-gamo has been shown or has competed[]
- 1986 - Opening Film, Bay Area Asian American International Film Festival
- 1998 - Filipino Film Retrospective Lincoln Center, New York, July 31-August 20
- 1998 - PHL Centennial Film Festival
- 1998 - Lincoln Center New York Film Festival
- 1998 - Filipino Retrospective, Guggenheim Museum
- 2018 - Cinema One Originals, October 2018
Notes[]
- ^ Credited as Lupita A. Concio
References[]
- ^ Capino J. B. "Dream Factories of a Former Colony: American Fantasies, Philippine Cinema." University of Minnesota Press, 2010 p39. ISBN 145291527X, 9781452915272. Accessed at Google Books 6 January 2014.
- ^ "'Gamu-gamo' is forever". Philippine Daily Inquirer. October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Tiongson N. G. "Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo: Filipino with a Passion."The Philippines Daily Express. 1976. Accessed 3 May 2013.
- ^ "National TV Ratings (March 6-8, 2020)". ABS-CBN Newsroom. March 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo." Eboy Donato blog. Accessed 19 July 2013.
External links[]
- 1976 films
- Filipino-language films
- Philippine drama films
- Philippine films
- 1976 drama films