Recently, a tabloid article came out saying that highly respected scriptwriters Pete Lacaba and Ricky Lee are "on the warpath" against directors Adolf Alix Jr. and Raya Martin of the upcoming independent movie, Manila.
The two-part indie film will feature matinee idol Piolo Pascual, who reportedly got so thrilled with the project that he agreed to co-produce the film.
In a previous interview, Adolf revealed that Piolo will be portraying two roles: William, a drug addict who is trying to restore his self-worth by re-establishing his relationship with the people around him; and Philip, a bodyguard employed to look over a mayor's son, only to be disillusioned in the end after a series of unfortunate events lead him to discover the underworld.
Manila is said to be "inspired" by Ishmael Bernal's 1980 classic, Manila By Night and by Lino Brocka's 1979 opus, Jaguar (slang for guwardiya, or security guard). Both films tackled the country's social problems, as vividly reflected on the cramped, seedy streets of Manila, and in the film noir about a security guard trapped by malice and deception.
"Raya and I feel that that the themes of both films [Manila By Night and Jaguar] are still relevant," explained Adolf, who co-wrote the script with Ramon Sarmiento, in an interview with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that was posted last June 17.
"Both films also speak of how cruel the city can be to people... it's also about men trying to belong and reconcile with their past."
Manila By Night was written and directed by Ishmael Bernal, with input on the script from Ricky Lee and other writers. Jaguar's screenplay is credited to both Ricky Lee and Pete Lacaba.
ETHICS ISSUE. In separate conversations with Lee and Lacaba, the two multi-awarded writers are in the dark about the extent of Manila By Night and Jaguar's influence on the indie film.
"Sana pinaalam man lang sa amin," remarked Ricky Lee in a phone conversation with PEP yesterday morning, September 24. "Ang dami-dami kong naririnig and ang dami-daming nagtatanong sa akin."
Interestingly, Adolf was a former student of Ricky Lee in his movie and television scriptwriting workshop.
"Ang una ko pa namang tinuturo sa mga estudyante ko is ethics," he said.
"Number one sa akin ‘yan, ang respeto sa mga kapwa mo manunulat, kasi mababa na nga ang tingin sa mga scriptwriters dito sa atin, 'tapos may mga ganito ka pang maririnig. Nakakalungkot."
Ricky said that Adolf did try to reach him—apologizing about the issue—but only recently.
"Hindi ko sinagot," Ricky Lee said. "Kasi hindi ko alam ang nararamdaman ko. Ang tagal-tagal na nung pelikula [Manila], nasimulan na lahat, ipapalabas na lang, ang sa akin lang, bakit ngayon lang sila nagsasabi?"
Lacaba, on the other hand, does not want to make a big issue out of the tabloid report, but he sees the need to sit down with fellow writers given the varying feedback that he and Ricky have been getting.
In an email he sent to PEP: "Ang pagkakaintindi ko, batay sa ilang items na lumabas sa diyaryo, ay 'inspired by' Jaguar ang pelikulang ginagawa ni Adolf Alix. Hindi naman ito malaking isyu para sa akin dahil ang Jaguar mismo ay masasabing 'inspired by' an article by Nick Joaquin, na ang pamagat ay 'The Boy Who Wanted to Become Society'.
"Ang pagkakakaalam naman ni Ricky, batay sa natanggap niyang impormasyon, ay 'based on' Jaguar ang pelikulang ginagawa ni Adolf—ibig sabihin, gagamitin ang pamagat ng pelikula at pati ilang tauhan mula sa pelikulang kami ni Ricky ang scriptwriters. Kaya, kako, kailangang magkausap-usap kami nina Ricky and Adolf tungkol dito, para magkalinawan kung ano nga ba."
PEP received a text message from Adolf this morning, September 26, informing us that he is currently in Thailand for the Bangkok Film Festival, where his 2007 indie picture, Tambolista, is one of the participating films. He'll be back on Sunday, September 28.