Often cited as the greatest Filipino film in history and one of the world’s best according to The Criterion Collection, “Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag,” the seminal work by National Artist for Cinema Lino Brocka, has long sculpted its place in every Filipino cinephile’s consciousness. Adapted from the Tagalog novel “Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag” by Edgardo M. Reyes, this neo-noir social drama chronicles the story of Julio Madiaga, played by Bembol Roco, a young fisherman from the province who arrives in Manila to track down his lover Ligaya, played by Hilda Koronel.
Filipino poet Enrique Villasis is one of the work’s solid admirers. As proof, he even planned to write his latest collection “Manansala,” released by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House this year, as an homage to both the film and book, only it didn’t pan out as he hoped. “Originally, ito ang sinasabi kong ambisyong tunguhin ng koleksyon, binalak kong isulat ang koleksyon mula sa punto de bista ni Julio Madiaga,” he tells CNN Philippines Life. “Isang intertextual na aklat sana ang ‘Manansala.’ Pero wala pa akong poetic fortitude para gawin ang ganitong proyekto.”
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