“We used the small coastal town of Vigan in Northern Luzon for our setting. The family in the film is a prominent one, and they’re all concerned about their town, and none of them want to see it ruined by the war. I chose Vigan because it is one of the few towns that still looks the same as it did during the Spanish colonial period. It is the best-preserved example of an Old Spanish town in Asia. I considered that fact important because it gave me the motivation behind why any of the Filipinos in the film would corroborate with the Japanese.”
“I started shooting ANG MAHARIKI much in the same way as I’ve started my current documentary. With its priceless Old Spanish architecture, the town became more than a backdrop, because of the focus I gave to the great, big houses and the impressive Baroque cathedral. For me, photographing the town as extensively as I did bought me time as my nerves eased and in the end wasn’t wasted. In the film, the town comes alive to such an extent that I’m told that audiences share the same love for it as the Filipinos and Japanese do. However, it had to be more complicated than that, so as the film progresses, the audience is never quite sure what really motivates any of the characters. Could the sister really love the Japanese major? It is hard to believe that she could. When there is destruction all around Vigan, why is the town spared? We know the brother is in ang mahariki, or the resistance. At the same time, members of his family are corroborating. No clear explanation is provided. To this day over a hundred of the old houses, made with brick thick walls and red clay plastering, line along Calle Crisologo. Since the film was made, many tourists have gone to the town simply to see where it was made.
I remark now how because of the film I would like to see Vigan.
“My idea was to increase interest in the film by shooting on location rather then in a studio,” he says. “We used the interior of the cathedral and the inside and the outside of actual houses, which today might not seem innovative at all. I had a friend who lived in Vigan, and the friend opened many doors for us. I filled reel after reel and didn’t concentrate on a structured plot. And I ran out of money before we finished, even though Al Perez didn’t take a salary. He, instead, accepted a piece of the box office. I thought I’d failed. It hadn’t come together, as I had envisioned it. I thought of approaching Emelda. I knew Emelda and knew she was approachable. She entertained the idea long enough for me to drop her name when I approached other people. Many of them liked the idea of having Al Perez as my leading man but didn’t like him in the role of the Japanese major. They wanted him to play a Marcos-like hero. had already shot most of the film and told them what it would cost to completely redo it. It was Al Perez who finally sold the film. But before the film opened, Emelda withdrew her support, which caused the distributor to postpone the premiere. Again, Al Perez came to my rescue. It was his stardom that sold it again. Still many critics boycotted it. Finally, one of them went to see ANG MAHARIKI, and let’s say the rest was history. I was very appreciative of all of the praise, but I had no idea that that year it would win the FAMAS Best Film Award.”
Randy Ford
