''Heneral Luna'' () is a 2015 Filipino historical biopic film depicting General

Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipino army general who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination in 1899. Regarded as one of the fiercest generals of hi ...

's leadership of the

Philippine Revolutionary Army The Philippine Revolutionary Army, later renamed Philippine Republican Army (Philippine Spanish, Spanish: ''Ejército Revolucionario Filipino''; Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Panghimagsikang Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''), was the official arme ...

during the Philippine–American War. Directed by

Jerrold Tarog Jerrold Viacrucis Tarog (; born May 30, 1977) is a Filipino film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and composer. He is best known for directing ''Heneral Luna'' (2015), ''Bliss'' (2017), '' Goyo: The Boy General'' (2018), and the upcomin ...

and produced by Artikulo Uno Productions, the film received critical acclaim from critics, praising its cinematography, writing, acting and plot. The film was selected as the Philippine entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

88th Academy Awards The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2015 and took place on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PST. Dur ...

but it was not nominated. With a production budget of , it is one of the most expensive Filipino epic historical films ever released. On September 29, 2015, it broke the previous record of to become the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time. Despite a 50% discount that was offered to student viewers, by the beginning of its fourth week, the film was well on its way to reaching the gross ticket sales. On October 11, it was officially announced that the film had reached its break even point. The film's success spawned the sequel '' Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral'', depicting General

Gregorio Del Pilar Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y Sempio (; ; November 14, 1875 – December 2, 1899) was a Filipino general of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War. As one of the youngest generals in the Revolutionary Army, he ...

during the Philippine–American War.

Plot

Spain's colonial rule of the Philippines ends in 1898. Unwilling to surrender to the Filipinos, they sell the archipelago for $20 million. While the Americans prepare to claim their latest colony, the Filipinos argue amongst themselves, unaware of their country's fate under the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

. In December 1898, at the

Barasoain Church Barásoain Church (official title: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish) is a Roman Catholic church built in 1888 in Malolos, Bulacan. It is about 42 kilometers from Manila. Having earned the title as the "Cradle of Democracy in the East, the most impo ...

, a cabinet meeting over the American presence in the Philippines leads to

ilustrado The Ilustrados (, "erudite", "learned" or "enlightened ones") constituted the Filipino educated class during the Spanish colonial period in the late 19th century. Elsewhere in New Spain (of which the Philippines were part), the term ''gente de ...

Felipe Buencamino Felipe Siojo Buencamino Sr. (August 23, 1848 – February 6, 1929) was an infamous turncoat, Filipino lawyer, and politician. He fought alongside the Spaniards in the Philippine Revolution but later switched sides and joined Emilio Aguinaldo's ...

and

Pedro Paterno Pedro Alejandro Paterno y de Vera IgnacioGarcía Castellón, Manuel. (February 27, 1857 – April 26, 1911, 993 pages) was a Filipino politician infamous for being a turncoat. He was also a poet and a novelist. His intervention on behalf of th ...

proposing an alliance with the Americans as its

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

, angering General

and

José Alejandrino José Cándido Alejandrino y Magdangal (December 1, 1870 – June 1, 1951) was a Philippine Republican Army general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. He was also a senator of the Twelfth Senatorial District of ...

, who want to continue the revolution for independence. They are wary of the presence of American forces in the country, believing another imperialist nation will replace the Spanish. They are concerned about the latest American orders barring Filipino troops out of the walled city of

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day ...

(the government's seat and power base of the Spanish) since the recent Battle of Manila. Luna asks the Cabinet to authorize a pre-emptive strike to take control of Intramuros while possible.

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (, July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the firs ...

warns the cabinet of the 7,000 additional American reinforcements arriving to quell any insurgencies. The generals want to strike immediately in a patriotic intent. Meanwhile, Filipino President Emilio Aguinaldo continues American peace and trade negotiations, sending Buencamino and Paterno to meet them, assuring his cabinet that the Americans promise to help win freedom from their Spanish overlords. However prior on August 13, the Spanish and Americans plotted the Battle of Manila to transfer control of Intramuros to the latter. On December 10, 1898, the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

ends. With Intramuros' authority being on the Americans, they invade

Santa Mesa Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampaloc t ...

, San Juan,

Paco Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the father of the Franciscan order; his name was written in Latin by the order as ''Pater Communitatis'' (fath ...

and

Pandacan Pandacan is a district in Manila, Philippines which is known in recent history for its former Pandacan oil depot which supplies the majority of oil exports in the country. Profile In 2000, Pandacan had a total population of close to 82,194. T ...

, attacking any Filipino resistance. Luna and his trusted officers–General

, Colonel Francisco “Paco” Román, Captain Eduardo Rusca, Captain José Bernal and Major Manuel Bernal–begin an arduous campaign against the Americans. During a battle, Luna asks for reinforcements from the

Kawit Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit ( tgl, Bayan ng Kawit), is a first-class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,535. It is one of the notable places that had ...

battalion but commander Captain Pedro Janolino refuses since the order did not come from Aguinaldo. Luna slams him, declaring his infamous "Article One" which states that those refusing to follow his orders shall be executed on the spot. Amid a new battle, Buencamino and Paterno reiterate their protectorate proposal, prompting Luna to arrest them as traitors to the constitution. Meanwhile, Luna's campaign is undermined by General

Tomás Mascardo Tomás Echenique Mascardo (born Tomás Mascardo y Echenique; October 9, 1871 – July 7, 1932) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine–American War. He joined the fight against the Spaniards at the beginning of ...

, who opposes his order similarly with Janolino. While the two generals are about to clash in

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

, the Americans advance steadily as other Filipino generals like

Gregorio del Pilar Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y Sempio (; ; November 14, 1875 – December 2, 1899) was a Filipino general of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War. As one of the youngest generals in the Revolutionary Army, he ...

retreat to the north. Luna demands resignation, knowing that Buencamino and Paterno have been set free. Aguinaldo refuses, approving his request to establish a northern headquarters. Later, Luna is summoned to the President's headquarters in

Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...

. Luna visits with Román and Rusca despite the suspicions among the officers. Upon arrival, he discovers that Aguinaldo had left, with Buencamino the only cabinet member remaining. Luna then encounters Janolino and his men, who kill him. Román is also killed when attempting to aid his commander while a wounded Rusca surrenders. Most of Luna's officers are arrested, while some are tortured and killed, including the Bernal brothers, Luna's closest aides. Aguinaldo requests Luna and Román be buried with full military honors by the Kawits. Mabini notices a bloody

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on one of the men, however the killers are never caught. After the war, Aguinaldo denies his involvement on the assassination; calling Luna his most brilliant and capable general. Meanwhile, General

prepares to cover Aguinaldo's retreat to the north. He inspects Luna's remaining men and orders his aide, Colonel Vicente Enríquez to select 60 of them.

Cast

Historical characters

John Arcilla Romeo Gonzales Arcilla (born June 24 1966), professionally known as John Arcilla, is a Filipino actor and environmentalist. He won Best Actor at the 78th Venice International Film Festival for his performance in '' On the Job: The Missing 8 ...

as Gen. Antonio Luna *

Mon Confiado Ramon Veroy Confiado (born March 19, 1968), professionally known as Mon Confiado, is a Filipino character actor, theater actor and businessman who has appeared in both mainstream and independent films. He is the son of late veteran actor Án ...

as President Emilio Aguinaldo

Members of Aguinaldo's Presidential Cabinet

Epy Quizon Jeffrey Smith Quizon (born January 23, 1973), professionally known as Epy Quizon, is a Filipino actor, television host and the son of comedian Dolphy. He is known as the antagonist, role as Jepoy / Stryker in the 2003 film ''Lastikman''. Earl ...

as Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini * Alvin Anson as Gen. José Alejandrino *

Nonie Buencamino Anthony Buencamino (born November 28, 1966), professionally known as Nonie Buencamino, is a Filipino character actor known for his theater work. He is strongly associated with Philippine New Wave Cinema, playing roles such as Mayor Bartolome in J ...

as Felipe Buencamino Sr. *

Leo Martinez Leo Martinez (born March 7, 1950) is a Filipino actor, comedian and director. Martinez was the Director General of the Film Academy of the Philippines before Vivian Velez' appointment. Personal life He is married to Gina Valenciano (sister of Ga ...

Antonio Luna's general staff

Joem Bascon Joseph Emmanuel Bascon, popularly known by the stage name Joem Bascon, (born August 29, 1986) is a Filipino actor. He is currently a freelance actor under Regal Entertainment and Viva Artists Agency. Career Bascon's first relevance in the e ...

as Col. Francisco "Paco" Román *Art Acuña as Maj. Manuel Bernal *

Alex Medina Alex Vincent Chupungco Medina (born May 26, 1986) is a Filipino film and television actor. He is known for his roles in various indie films. He portrayed Diego/Joshua in the soap opera '' Ina, Kapatid, Anak''. He is the son of Pen Medina and b ...

as Capt. José Bernal *

Archie Alemania Archibald Nicholas Alemania (born 6 March 1978), professionally known as Archie Alemania, is a Filipino actor, host, comedian, and dancer. Career Alemania has appeared in several television commercials such as Chippy, San Miguel, Globe and P ...

as Capt. Eduardo Rusca *

Ronnie Lazaro Ronnie Zabala Lazaro (born November 14, 1957) is a Gawad Urian Award-winning Filipino film and television actor, producer, casting and art director. Biography He has received many nominations throughout his career as an actor, nine of which we ...

as Lt. García

Members of the "Cavite Faction" of the Philippine Republican Army

*Lorenz Martinez as Gen. Tomás Mascardo *

Ketchup Eusebio Michael Allen Eusebio (born September 9, 1985), better known by his stage name Ketchup Eusebio, is a Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the n ...

as Capt. Pedro Janolino *Anthony Falcon as Sgt. Díaz, messenger of General Mascardo

Other Philippine Republican Army personnel

Paulo Avelino Michael Paulo Lingbanan Avelino (born May 13, 1988) is a Filipino actor, singer, model and a movie producer. Regarded as the "Prince of Philippine Teleserye", he is best known in television series such as '' Walang Hanggan'' (2012), ''Bridges of ...

as Gen. Gregorio "Goyong" del Pilar *

Benjamin Alves Benjamin Sapida (born March 31, 1987), whose previous screen name was Vince Saldaña and current screen name is Benjamin Alves, is a Filipino actor and model under the management of GMA Network. Biography Early life Alves was born Benjamin Quiam ...

as Lt. Manuel Quezon

United States Army personnel

*Miguel Faustmann as Gen. Arthur MacArthur Jr. *Greg Dorris as Maj. Gen. Elwell Otis *E.A. Rocha as Maj. Gen. Wesley Merritt *David Bianco as Maj. Peter Lorry Smith *Rob Rownd as Col. Boyd

Other supporting characters

*Bing Pimentel as Laureana Luna, mother of Antonio Luna * Allan Paule as

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (, ; October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recogni ...

, brother of Antonio Luna *

Marc Abaya Ramon Marcelino Diaz Abaya (born November 6, 1979), known professionally as Marc Abaya, is a Filipino singer, actor, musician, TV host, and VJ. He appeared in the 2009 Philippine release of ''Tinker Bell''. He is the son of actor/director Mano ...

as young Antonio Luna *

Perla Bautista Perla Marcial Bautista (born February 18, 1940) is a multi-awarded actress in the Philippines. She acted in more than 250 movies and television shows. She won the Best Actress FAMAS Award for ''Markang Rehas'' (1962). She also won Gawad Urian ...

as Trinidad Aguinaldo, mother of Emilio Aguinaldo *Dido de la Paz as Don Joaquín Luna de San Pedro, father of Antonio Luna *Junjun Quintana as José Rizal *

Nico Antonio Jerico Antonio (born May 24, 1983), commonly known as Nico Antonio, is a Filipino actor, producer and singer. Biography Antonio is the eldest of four siblings, to Reynerio Antonio and Joji Alonso is a film producer. After graduating with a deg ...

as Andrés Bonifacio *Jake Feraren as

Procopio Bonifacio Procopio Bonifacio y de Castro (1873 – May 10, 1897) was a Filipino independence activist and revolutionary during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 against Spain. He was a member of the secret revolutionary society turned revolutionary govern ...

Carlo Aquino Carlo Jose Liwanag Aquino (born 3 September 1985) is a Filipino actor and musician known for being the lead singer of the band Kollide and formerly of JCS with John Prats and Stefano Mori. Aquino achieved critical recognition for his performan ...

as Col. Vicente Enríquez

Fictional or composite characters

Arron Villaflor Arron Villaflor (born July 5, 1990) is a Filipino actor, rapper, dancer, and talent of ABS-CBN. He started his career in Philippines' showbiz industry in the second season of ''Star Circle Quest'' where he finished as the runner-up. He's curr ...

as Joven Hernándo, the film's POV character, a fictional journalist interviewing Luna. *

Mylene Dizon Mylene Dizon (; born September 6, 1974) is a Filipino actress and model. Dizon has established herself as one of the most renowned actresses in Philippine cinema with an astounding 30 films and nearly 50 television roles to her credit, as well ...

as Isabel, a

composite character In a work of media adapted from a real or fictional narrative, a composite character is a character based on more than one individual from the story. Use in film *Several characters in the movie '' 21''. *The character Henry Hurt in the docudra ...

of several of the historical Luna's love interests.

Production

Screenplay

The first draft of ''Heneral Luna'' was written in 1998 by E.A. Rocha and Henry Hunt Francia, who chose to write about Antonio Luna after being hired by Cirio Santiago to write a television script for a television series in celebration of the centennial of Philippine independence. When the series failed to push through, Rocha and Francia were asked to rewrite the script as a feature-length film. The film did not go into production, however, and was shelved for seventeen years. Francia died before the film's release. Eventually,

convinced Rocha to submit the script to the

Film Development Council of the Philippines The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is the national film agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines responsible for film policies and programs to ensure the economic, cultural and educational development of th ...

. Jerrold Tarog, who had separately developed an interest in making a film about Antonio Luna after reading literature about him, learned about the Rocha and Francia script, and asked if he could use it for his planned film. Tarog got permission to re-write the script, which was originally written entirely in English, and then asked fellow director

Alvin Yapan Vim Yapan, also known as Alvin Yapan is a Filipino director. Filmography TV * Titser Tarog then tweaked the script further, simplifying it, and adapting it further for the appreciation of modern audiences. Notably, one of Tarog's later changes was to separate the Mascardo and Janolino characters, which at one point had been merged into a composite character, "Mascolino", who would have taken on characteristics of both historical characters. Tarog indicated that separating the characters would help flesh the film out further, and give it more highlights. The characters of Paco Román and Eduardo Rusca, who were portrayed in a character triptych with Luna in the film, were written to be polar opposites. Román would be a more controlled, logical character who would help bring out a more controlled side of Luna, while Rusca would be a more passionate character who could provide moments of levity throughout the film. In an interview on Filipino music website Radio Republic, Tarog, who has a degree in music composition from the College of Music at the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

, indicated that he approached ''Heneral Luna'', as with all his other films, from a musical perspective. He revealed that he sometimes even did so literally - using a musical staff to lay out scenes, plotting out highs and lows, with notes corresponding scenes, and the pitch of the note corresponding to the mood. Among Tarog's references during the rewriting of the script were

Philippine National Artist The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...

Nick Joaquin Nicomedes "Nick" Marquez Joaquin (; May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquin was conferr ...

's ''A Question of Heroes'', which he used as a guide to the film's tone and in humanizing the character of the titular protagonist; and Vivencio José's ''The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna'', which Tarog used as the primary source on Antonio Luna's life.

Pre-production

Before meeting with Rocha regarding revising the script for the film, Tarog approached mainstream producers to do the film; he was however met with skepticism and doubts over the film's marketability, as they assumed that such a historical film "will be boring" or would not appeal to a mainstream audience. Tarog expressed difficulty into convincing them otherwise, lamenting that the local film industry has been institutionalized into producing films solely for entertainment, without taking into account those that "contribute to the minds of the people". The film was bankrolled by businessman Fernando Ortigas' film production outfit Artikulo Uno Productions, which takes its name from the Philippine–American War military directive, prominently referenced in the film. Ortigas himself makes a brief cameo in the film. Ortigas and Rocha served as co-producers of the film. Ortigas remarked that if he would have received the script for the film a week earlier than he did, he would have just junked the script because he was not in a good state of mind to work with films at that time. He comments that the script arrived "at the right time" and said he enjoyed it. The film went through a long pre-production phase, which allowed the film's various departments to cope with the challenges of filming a period film in contemporary settings. With roughly 90% of the film needing to be shot on location, the film required extensive location shoots in the few areas in the Philippines which still matched the architecture and environment of the period.

Casting

Speaking at a press conference for 2015 Quezon City International Film Festival, at the beginning of the film's fourth week, Producer and co-writer E.A. Rocha noted that no expense was to be spared in getting "only actors suited for the role" instead of big-name stars. Tarog said his experiences on watching John Arcilla's performance in Raymond Red's short film ''Anino'' and later in the feature film ''

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...

'' later influenced him to cast Arcilla as General Luna.

Filming

To keep costs down and cope with the requirements of shooting a historical film in modern settings, the film hewed close to its very tightly planned shotlist. Tarog revealed that he designed his shots to reflect the two sides of Luna's personality - mostly straightforward shots to reflect his bluntness, and longer steadicam shots in moments that revealed his poetic side. Cinematographer Pong Ignacio drew inspiration from paintings from the film's period, including Antonio Luna's brother,

Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

, and referenced numerous films portraying trench warfare, citing Stanley Kubrick's 1957 film ''

Paths of Glory ''Paths of Glory'' is a 1957 American anti-war film co-written and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of ...

'' as a particular inspiration. Ignacio recounts that the flashback scene to Luna's childhood, which was a single long

steadicam shot Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts for motion picture cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement, keeping the ...

involving an elaborate set, was the most challenging shot of the film.

Makeup and prosthetics

Makeup and prosthetics for the film referred extensively to actual pictures of the historical characters. Arcilla had to grow out his moustache for the film, while Confiado lost significant weight for the role. Confiado also had to spend a long time looking for a barber who could render Aguinaldo's iconic haircut well. Carmen Reyes, who oversaw the makeup and prosthetics for the film, revealed that the makeup for Bing Pimintel, who portrays Luna's mother in two time periods, was particularly challenging. She also added that the choice to portray General Mascardo with only a partially formed moustache was symbolic, reflecting his frustration about being overshadowed by Luna.

Visual effects

Visual effects company BlackBurst Inc was tasked to take on the film's

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

, often in an effort to make a scene shot in a modern location fit seamlessly into the period storytelling of the film. In many cases, BlackBurst removed modern elements such as electric wires from houses and other backgrounds shot on location, or changed details, such as roof shingles on buildings, to match the period. In other cases BlackBurst added digital set extensions, notably the ships in the scene of the Americans arriving in Manila, early in the film. All of the ships were added digitally using

Autodesk Maya Autodesk Maya, commonly shortened to just Maya ( ), is a 3D computer graphics application that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, originally developed by Alias and currently owned and developed by Autodesk. It is used to create assets for interact ...

, and crafting that particular effect took the entire production timetable. Background CEO Jauhn Dablo, who also served as the film's visual effects director, revealed that Tarog was very meticulous about the effects, paying attention even to the angle, power, and timing of individual gun shots.

Music

Aside from taking on duties as the film's director, co-writer, and editor, Tarog also composed the score of the film, drawing inspiration from numerous Russian classical composers, beginning with Igor Stravinsky mentor Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Acclaimed singer-songwriter

Ebe Dancel Sugarfree is a Filipino rock band currently composed of Jal Taguibao on vocals and bass guitar, and Kaka Quisimbing on drums. Former notable members include chief songwriter and frontman Ebe Dancel on vocals and guitars, and Mitch Singson on dr ...

, Tarog's fellow alumnus from the UP Rural High School in Los Baños, Laguna, was commissioned to write and perform the movie's theme song, "Hanggang Wala Nang Bukas" (Until there's no Tomorrow) which was published in October 2015 under Star Music.

Release

Pre-release screenings

Pre-release screenings of the film were held at selected venues in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

; August 30, 2015 in Anthology Film Archives Cinema in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and AMC Rio Cinema in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

; August 31, 2015 in Marina Theater in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and Krikorian Monrovia Cinema in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The film was also screened at the Philippine Consulate General in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

on August 30.

Marketing

The film was released with the tagline "''Bayan o Sarili''" ( Tagalog, "''Nation or Self?''"), a tagline later used by fans on social media to criticize theaters who had pulled the film out in favor of mainstream films. Much of the public interest in the film came from word of mouth and social media. By September 19, the film's official trailer posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

has garnered over 1 million views and counting.

Theatrical release

The film's general release in the Philippines nationwide began on September 9, 2015. After initially opening in about 100 theaters, ''Heneral Luna'' was pulled out in many theaters entering its second week, mostly to make way for the Hollywood and mainstream films that were scheduled to open. Down to around 40 cinemas, fans of the film rallied on social media and appealed to theater owners - especially the SM, Ayala and Robinsons cinema chains - to provide more venues for the film. On the opening of its second week, the film was shown to 79 theaters in the Philippines and then was increased to 94 by the weekends due to the increase of popularity. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and social media coverage boosted the film's popularity, resulting in sold-out theaters nationwide - prompting cinema owners to show it again in their theaters.

Reception

Box office

Since its theatrical release on September 9, 2015, ''Heneral Luna'' has made in million gross sales at the box office - only short of the it needs to be able to break even at the box office, after cinemas' cut in ticket sales have been considered. On September 29, 2015, it passed the mark to become the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time. As an independent film, ''Heneral Luna'' had a limited marketing budget, resulting in relatively low sales in its first week - from September 9 to 15, 2015. Due to positive word of mouth, ticket sales surged on ''Heneral Lunas second release week, earning from September 16 to 22. despite the reduction in the number of theaters showing the film early in that week. The distributor of the film, Joji Alonso, noted that “the 1st day gross of the second week is way higher than the 1st day gross of the 1st week. And to think the number of theaters was reduced by more than half!” On the third week, when even mainstream films normally see a drop in box office sales, ''Heneral Lunas numbers surged even higher, earning from September 23 to 29. By the beginning of its fourth week, the film was averaging gross box office sales of about a day. Worldwide, the film made $4,625,639, including $206,040 in the USA.

Home media

A nationwide DVD release of ''Heneral Luna'' was done by distributor Magnavision, Inc. on December 18, 2015. Over 7,000 DVD copies of the film were sold in less than a month since its release making it the best-selling DVD of any Filipino historical film in the Philippines. Among the bonus features of the DVD are English subtitle, a music video for the film's official theme song, "Hanggang Wala Nang Bukas" by

, a making of - documentary, and a short film entitled ''Illustrado Problems'' directed by JP Habac, which featured the illustrado characters from ''Heneral Luna'' in a comedic light. On June 11, 2016, the film was broadcast for the first time on television through the

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

network. Artikulo Uno Productions and

ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation which is owned b ...

earlier announced a partnership to distribute ''Heneral Luna'' on all platforms of ABS-CBN including free-to-air, cable, global, video on demand, and pay per view. The film is available for streaming on

since August 28, 2020.

Filmmakers

A forum dubbed as “The Heneral Luna Revolution: Game Changer in Film Distribution” was held at Cinema 1 of Trinoma on October 27, 2015. The forum co-presented by QCinema and InterAksyon.com mainly tackled about the box office success of ''Heneral Luna'' and how could other indie films replicate this feat. The forum was moderated by InterAksyon.com editor-in-chief Roby Alampay and led by panel members director Jerrold Tarog and associate producers Vincent Nebrida and Ria Limjap.

Critical reception

''Heneral Luna'' received mostly positive reviews from film critics in the Philippines and historians alike. Historian and former

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, ceb, Nasodnong Komisyon alang sa Budaya ug mga Arte) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. ...

chair

Ambeth Ocampo Ambeth R. Ocampo (born 1961 in Manila) is a Filipino public historian, academic, cultural administrator, journalist, author, and independent curator. He is best known for his definitive writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal and o ...

strongly recommended the film, calling it "an engaging narrative, supported by wonderful cinematography and grounded on sound historical research." He added that "When I previewed the film, I commented that it should not open with a disclaimer simply because it is a cinematic retelling of what many consider textbook history and is not a doctoral dissertation." Comparisons have been drawn between Arcilla's portrayal of Luna in the film, and that of the character he played in

John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and '' ...

' 2010 film ''

Amigo Amigo(s) (Portuguese and Spanish for ''male friend'') may refer to: People * Carlos Amigo Vallejo (born 1934), Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop emeritus of Seville Places Facilities * Amigos School, a bilingual primary school in Cambridge, Ma ...

'', which was also set during the Filipino-American War, albeit on a much smaller scale - depicting the war as it was experienced in a single barrio. ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded br ...

'' Arts and Books editor Lito B. Zulueta suggests that "By focusing on arguably the most rugged—and therefore the most dynamic—figure of the Philippine war against the American invaders, Jerrold Tarog’s 'Heneral Luna' revives the historical action movie and in effect, revitalizes two dormant genres—the action film and more important, the historical film." Michael Kho Lim from the '' Daily Tribune'' also gave a positive review, saying “Timely as it is significant. John Arcilla breathes life to Luna. Complex. Poetic. Gripping.” Rappler critic Oggs Cruz calls the film “precise in its storytelling and in its depiction of the major players of the revolution," furthering that "John Arcilla is excellent. Tarog makes his character human… and creates an essay of everything that is wrong with our nationhood. Tarog’s ''Heneral Luna'' is fascinating, beautiful to gaze at, and genuinely affecting.”

ClickTheCity ''ClickTheCity'' is an entertainment and lifestyle guide website in the Philippines. It provides a companion mobile application. ClickTheCity started in 2000 as an online directory of restaurants, shops, TV and movie schedules in Metro Manila ...

critic Philbert Ortiz Dy gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, saying "Beyond its obvious technical achievement, ''Heneral Luna'' is worth seeing for its audacious approach to tackling our country’s tragic history. All at once bold, artful, darkly funny, informed and deeply entertaining, it makes the revolution come alive in surprising, delightful ways. This film triumphs in capturing the spirit of its subject, the whole enterprise fueled with a heady mix of rage, irreverence and a genuine love of country. It is everything that an Antonio Luna biopic should be.”

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, a

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

gives the film a score of 75% based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 5.25/10. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". ''Heneral Luna'' received a Grade A from

Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines The Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) is a body of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, tasked with grading Filipino films by quality. It is represented in the Philippine Film Export Services Office. The CEB was established in 2003, succ ...

Accolades

Themes and symbolism

A number of visual motifs throughout film have symbolic significance, particularly for audiences familiar with the History of the period and

Filipino culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by cultural diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by the ...

. A Philippine revolutionary flag is displayed prominently in the film's bookend scenes, becoming dirtier and more ragged when the film reverts to its framing device as the events of the film unfold. The burning flag during the end credits is a poignant experience for Filipino audiences, as flag-burning is not legal under the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines. In a scene towards the end of the film, the bodies of Luna and Román are dragged across the courtyard in a manner highly reminiscent of the ''

Spoliarium The ''Spoliarium'' (often misspelled ''Spolarium'') is a painting by Filipino painter Juan Luna. Luna, working on canvas, spent eight months completing the painting which depicts dying gladiators. The painting was submitted by Luna to the ''Expos ...

'', a painting which has served as artistic icon of

Filipino nationalism Filipino nationalism refers to the establishment and support of a political identity associated with the modern nation-state of the Philippines, leading to a wide-ranging campaign for political, social, and economic freedom in the Philippines. ...

, painted in 1884 by Luna's own brother,

Historical accuracy and significance

With much of the film based on the works of Vivencio R. Jose, the film not only stayed true to the broad historical narrative, but to lesser known elements of Luna's personality, such as his penchant for musical instruments, his close relationship to his mother, his love of women, and his passion for the Philippine countryside. Tarog described the film as an "attempt to identify the ills" of Philippine society, emphasizing that the Filipinos' biggest enemy has been their own selves and not necessarily colonialization, and has been in "a cycle of betrayal". In one of the press conferences for the film's release, Tarog noted that the film took minor creative liberties such as Antonio Luna's frequent usage of the Filipino

profanity Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rud ...

such as the word ''putang ina'' (roughly translated as "son of a bitch") in the film in an effort to connect the film to the Filipino

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s ...

generation which was the film's target audience. There were also inaccuracies in the film's battle scenes. In its depiction of the Battle of Santo Tomas, the Filipinos are shown to be victorious against the Americans when in fact it was the Americans who won and they only suffered two casualties. Also, the man who saved Luna after his brave charge on horseback wasn't Colonel Roman as depicted in film, but was actually Alejandro Avecilla. Historian and columnist John Nery notes that an important part of Luna's personal history, his non-support of the first phase of the Philippine revolution - is not mentioned in the film, although he also notes that the event takes place outside the movie's timeframe, and the film does not contradict it. Nery notes that, "Luna’s atonement is not part of the movie’s backstory (although on viewing the movie a second time I imagined it would easily fit the movie’s main narrative). Does this lessen director Jerrold Tarog’s work, or lead actor John Arcilla’s art? I do not think so, because the movie approaches the Luna story on its own terms." One of the creative liberties taken by the film with the historical timeline is that it portrays

as still holding a position of leadership at Luna's funeral, in June 1899; historically, however, Mabini had been pressured by his political adversaries into resigning from government a month earlier, in May 1899, replaced in his post as

. The film portrays the relationship between Mabini and Pedro Paterno as amicable.

Isabel and conspiracy theories related to Ysidra Cojuangco

In an interview with CNN Philippines'

Pia Hontiveros Ana Patricia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan (born Ana Patricia Navarro Hontiveros; March 10, 1967), better known as Pia Hontiveros, is a Filipina broadcast journalist. She is the sister of Ginggay and Risa Hontiveros. She is also the cousin of the 80' ...

, Tarog revealed that the name of the character Isabel, played by Mylene Dizon, is "a wink" to conspiracy theorists who believe there was a relationship between Luna and Ysidra Cojuangco. According to the theory, made popular early in the term of President Benigno Aquino III, who is a descendant of Cojuangco, money squirreled away by Luna from the revolution was actually the source of the Cojuangco family fortune. However, Tarog also revealed that he found no evidence of any such relationship between Ysidra and Luna, and that the name was thus nothing more than a humorous reference. Instead, Tarog revealed that Dizon's character was a composite of several of Luna's lovers and Nicolasa Dayrit, the woman who tried to intervene between Mascardo and Luna during their argument.

Controversies

Given the socio-political nature of the film's themes, and the production's success relative to the majority of the Philippines' indie films and historical films, numerous aspects of the public reception to the film have been covered in media.

Early pull-out

One of the more unusual aspects of the public response to ''Heneral Luna'' was the successful campaign to put the film back in theaters. At first, more than half of the theaters that premiered the movie on September 9 had pulled it out after less than 5 days, which is typical practice for commercial movie theaters showing independent Filipino films. By September 16, only 40 of the 101 theaters that premiered it were still showing it. This resulted in a clamor among netizens and artists to bring the film back. This helped create word of mouth publicity for the film after its first week, resulting in packed cinemas on the film's first weekend. As a result, cinemas decided to screen the film again, with second and third week box office results significantly higher than the first. By the end of the film's first weekend, Heneral Luna was showing in 120 cinemas - higher than the number of cinemas that originally screened it.

Lack of knowledge about Mabini's paralysis

The film's popularity has also led to some criticism of the Philippine educational system, due to reports of numerous incidents - including one during a Q&A with actor Epy Quizon, who portrayed

in the film - in which school-age youths asked why Mabini never stood up throughout the film, implying a lack of familiarity with the famously paralytic statesman.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

noted this as well. In the 2015 ''Gawad'' Apolinario Mabini awarding ceremonies on September 29, 2015, he noted the issue was "a reflection of how little some of the youth know about history," considering Mabini's intelligence played a role in building the Philippines' democratic institution. He later hinted about tasking Education Secretary

Armin Luistro Brother Armin Altamirano Luistro, FSC (born December 24, 1961) is a Filipino Lasallian Brother who served as secretary of the Department of Education of the Philippines under President Benigno Aquino III. Luistro entered De La Salle Scholasti ...

to resolve the impasse.

Portrayal of Aguinaldo

A number of historians have noted that the Film's portrayal of Emilio Aguinaldo is more negative than it thought to be by the viewers due to the plot. Reacting to the film,

Transport secretary The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent i ...

Joseph Emilio Abaya Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo Abaya (born May 28, 1966) is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and military officer. He was the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) of the Philippines under the administration of P ...

, who is one of Aguinaldo's descendants, said that he maintains his belief that his great grandfather did not assassinate Luna.

, Cavite Mayor Angelo Emilio Aguinaldo said during the sidelines of the municipality’s tourism campaign launch. He is not happy about as historical movies made over the past few years, the filmmakers were debasing General Emilio Aguinaldo. He also revealed that neither he nor the members of his family were informed of the film, nor did they have their permission. However, the director has indicated that one of the hopes of the planned trilogy is to present a more rounded portrayal of Aguinaldo. Actor Mon Confiado was given specific instructions never to portray Aguinaldo as a villain - while the audience might see him as a villain because of the plot, the portrayal itself would hinge on character motivations, such as the need for self-preservation, and never simple villainy.

Unauthorized releases

Upon learning that

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

copies of the film were already circulating, the cast and crew of the film campaigned on social media to discourage potential viewers from buying or

downloading In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...

unlicensed copies of the film, and were soon joined by fans posting image macros and other such memes encouraging viewers to support the film instead of unauthorized copies. The

Optical Media Board The Optical Media Board (OMB, formerly known as the Videogram Regulatory Board (VRB), is a Philippine government agency that is part of the Office of the President of the Philippines, responsible for regulating the production, use and distribution ...

and the Philippine National Police made raids against the distribution of illegal DVD copies of the film.

Sequel

Noting the breakout success of ''Heneral Luna'', director Jerrold Tarog said there are plans to make it the first of a trilogy if it generated enough revenues. The other two films would individually focus on

and

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his de ...

. Tarog likened the mid-credits scene of ''Heneral Luna'' to mid- or end-credit scenes of films in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

that show potential plot points in an upcoming film. Tarog has also expressed interest in making a film featuring female revolutionary

Teresa Magbanua Teresa Magbanua y Ferraris (October 13, 1868 – August 1947), better known as Teresa Magbanua and dubbed as the "Visayan Joan of Arc", was a Filipino schoolteacher and military leader. Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Philippines, she retired from edu ...

, who led troops in the Visayas region during the war. At an interview on Radio Republic, Tarog indicated that his next project as a director would either be an adaptation of

Arnold Arre Clem Arnold Lawrence Arre (born September 2, 1971) is a Filipino comic book writer, artist and self-taught animator best known for his graphic novels '' The Mythology Class'' (1999) and '' Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat'' (2006). He was born in Metro ...

's ''

The Mythology Class ''The Mythology Class'' is a Philippine graphic novel written and illustrated by Arnold Arre. It was originally published by Arre in four issues in 1999, and was collected into a special edition by Adarna House in September 2005. The latest edition ...

'', or the sequel to ''Heneral Luna'', whose title he revealed to be ''Goryo'' (which would eventually be changed later to ''Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral''), confirming that it would focus on Gregorio del Pilar. At a special thanksgiving party on October 29, 2015 - Antonio Luna's 149th birth anniversary - co-producer EA Rocha confirmed that the del Pilar biopic is "in development" with a projected release scheduled in a few years time. On February 6, 2017, Tarog announced through his Twitter account that a short film bridging the events of ''Heneral Luna'' to that of ''Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral'' would be released on February 15 alongside the film '' I'm Drunk, I Love You''. The 20-minute short film, titled ''Angelito,'' focused on the fate of the Bernal brothers after Luna's assassination with Art Acuña, Alex Medina, Arron Villaflor and Carlo Aquino reprising their roles in ''Heneral Luna''.

In popular culture

Due to the film's success, KFC Philippines released commercials featuring Arcilla reprising his role as the film's titular character in late 2017 for their Christmas promos. The first commercial features Luna planning to demote himself to colonel to promote the fast food chain's Christmas offers. The second commercial, while also promoting the same products and offers, featured Luna with three Filipino KFC colonels played by

Ronaldo Valdez Ronald James Gibbs (born November 27, 1947, in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines), popularly known by his on-screen name Ronaldo Valdez, is a veteran Filipino film and television actor whose career spanned for almost five decades. Valdez is the f ...

, and

Pen Medina Crispin "Pen" Parungao Medina Sr. (born August 27, 1950, in Arayat, Pampanga) is an actor from the Philippines who started acting in theater plays in his youth. He eventually played versatile roles on the big screen and in various television s ...

References

External links

* * * *
Official YouTube channel
{{Philippine submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film 2015 films 2015 biographical drama films Biographical action films Biographical films about military leaders Cultural depictions of Andrés Bonifacio Cultural depictions of Apolinario Mabini Cultural depictions of Emilio Aguinaldo Cultural depictions of Filipino men Cultural depictions of José Rizal Films set during the Philippine–American War Philippine biographical films Philippine war films Philippine films based on actual events Philippine historical films Philippine New Wave Films directed by Jerrold Tarog Films set in the 1890s Films shot in Bataan Films shot in Batangas Films shot in Ilocos Norte Films shot in Ilocos Sur Films shot in Laguna (province) Films shot in Rizal Films shot in Tarlac War epic films Historical action films 2015 drama films