''Ibong Adarna'' is a 1941 Philippine film written and directed by Vicente Salumbides under
LVN Pictures with Manuel Conde as the technical supervisor. It is a film adaptation of the
epic poem
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
...
of the same name. The film was originally released in black and white and is the first Philippine film with a color sequence.
Synopsis
King Fernando of Berbanya, suffering from a serious illness, tasks his sons to find the "Ibong Adarna". The king is advised that the bird's song could cure his affliction. Whoever is successful would be the next in line for the Berbanya throne. His eldest son Pedro head to Mount Tabor refusing to help a hungry old man he encounters along the way. He manages to find the bird at the summit but falls asleep by its song and gets petrified. Fernando's second eldest son Diego also had the same experience and likewise ends turning to stone. Juan, the youngest son, goes to the same mountain. Unlike his brothers he shared his food supply with the old man, catches the bird without turning to stone himself, and undoes the petrification of his siblings.
Juan finds himself within a love triangle. While in his wedding, a woman with magical powers disrupts the ceremony. The woman, Princess Maria, who had helped Juan in the past, conjures an illusion to remind him of their previous relationship.
Cast
*Mila Del Sol as Princess Maria
*
Fred Cortes
Fred Cortes (1921-1964) was a Filipino actor who was a favorite leading man of Lvn Pictures before World War II.
Cortes film debut was under Lvn Pictures '' Nag-iisang Sangla''. His second movie team-up was with another Lvn star Mila del Sol f ...
as Don Juan
*Ester Magallona
*Deanna Prieto
*Ben Rubio
*Angeles Gayoso as the Ibong Adarna (voice)
Production
''Ibong Adarna'' was produced under
LVN Pictures with Vicente Salumbides responsible for the story and direction.
Manuel Conde
Manuel Conde (born Manuel Pabustan Urbano; October 9, 1915 – August 11, 1985) was a Filipino actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name.
Early ca ...
supervised Salumbides and provided the
technical direction for the film.
Narcisa de León
Narcisa Buencamino-De León (October 29, 1877 – February 6, 1966) was a Filipino film producer and businesswoman.
Clad daily in the frugal rural dress of the ''camisón'', ''saya'' and chinelas, Doña Sisang, as she was widely known, was al ...
was the producer.
Originally released in black and white, ''Ibong Adarna'' was shortly re-released in color. It is the first Philippine film with a color sequence, with each frame manually hand-painted. For a time, it was the only known Philippine film to be in
nitrate form.
Its costume and set design has been noted to follow a
Middle Eastern
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
theme with King Fernando's palace resembling that of an Arabian sultan. Princess Maria's family was inspired from indigenous Philippine folklore.
Release
''Ibong Adarna'' was released around 1941 prior to the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in Asia.
[ A copy of the film would be stored at ]ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
's archives.[ It was screened at the 12th Cinema Rehiyon held from February 24-28, 2020, in ]Naga, Camarines Sur
Naga, officially the City of Naga (Central Bikol: ''Siyudad nin Naga''; Rinconada Bikol: ''Syudad ka Naga''; fil, Lungsod ng Naga) or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is a 1st class independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. ...
.[ The film was also shown on free-to-air television through ABS-CBN on April 9, 2020 (Maundy Thursday) as part of its Holy Week presentation.]
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, tt0787034, Ibong Adarna
1941 films
Philippine fantasy films