6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A modern-day version of the Bible story of Cain and Abel. Strong-willed matriarch Señora Pina favors her younger son Ellis over the older Loren, whom she blames for her husband's death. Ellis grows up cowardly and spoiled while Loren becomes a responsible family man despite his increasing resentment toward his mother. What began as sibling rivalry develops into a deep feud that later escalates into a large-scale war--with all the mayhem and bloodshed.
Starring: Christopher De Leon, Phillip Salvador, Carmi Martin, Cecille Castillo, Baby DelgadoForeign | 100% |
Drama | 33% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Filipino (Tagalog): DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (24-bit)
1381 kbps
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Lino Brocka (1939–1991) was among a half-dozen significant directors in the so-called Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema along with Ishmael Bernal, Celso Ad. Castillo, Mike de León, Peque Gallaga, and Mario O'Hara. This second wave of Filipino films were made during a prolonged period of censorship guidelines imposed by President Ferdinand Marcos. Brocka firmly opposed Marcos but he was careful not to inject overt sociopolitical messages into his films out of fear he would be driven into exile. Brocka's fortieth feature Cain and Abel (1982) (Cain at Abel, 1982) subtly inserts some sociopolitical tropes into its narrative discourse. It's a modern version of Cain versus Abel based on Genesis Chapter 4.
Doña Piña (Mona Lisa) is a matriarch and hacienda landowner living in an old but palatial home in an unknown province in the Philippines. She's also a widow with two sons. Lorenzo or "Lorens" (Phillip Salvador), Señora Piña's oldest, works the farm for her. He's married to Becky (Baby Delgado) and the couple has two sons. Ellis (Christopher de Leon), Señora Piña's youngest, has been away at university in Manila but decides to drop out and return home. Mother is aghast to see that he has a new girlfriend, Zita (Carmi Martin), who she doesn't warm up to. Ellis has an illegitimate child with Rina (Cecille Castillo), who's still the family's housekeeper. Ellis is undoubtedly Señora Piña's favorite son. She still blames Lorens for the death of her husband. She dotes on Ellis's baby a lot more than on Lorens's two kids. Though she doesn't approve of Zita, Señora Piña wants to grant 100 percent of her land to Ellis once she dies. Becky very much resents her favoritism and deems the family will completely aware to Lorens. So, Becky confronts the matriarch and a pivotal accident occurs that will have repercussions for everyone.
A tense family dinner.
Kani Releasing, a new boutique label which is a subsidiary of OCN Distribution (the sister firm to Vinegar Syndrome), has released Cain and Abel (1982) on an MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-25 that comes with an Amaray clear case. Before the film begins, Kani posts this prefatory restoration note in a white font that's set against a black background:
"This transfer of Cain and Abel originates from the sole extant 35 mm print held by the ABS-CBN film archives. The film was scanned on a Blackmagic Cintel scanner in 4K and restored in 2K at the Central Digital Lab in Manila in 2016.
Although presented at the 1982 San Sebastian Film Festival in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, circumstantial and historical evidence indicates the film was released in the Philippines in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is presented here as such. Due to the nature of the available element and limitations inherent to the restoration itself, some softness, warping and distortion is still apparent on the current transfer.
Considering the film's historical significance and the continuing importance of Sagip Pilikula, ABS-CBN's ongoing restoration project, we have elected to release the film as it is on home video. Please approach the transfer with understanding and empathy."
The warping is especially apparent during the first reel when there's any camera movement. But it lessens as the film progresses and once I got used to it, it really wasn't a distraction. Color values and grain structure are solid. You'll notice from these screenshots that the image has a naturally soft and hazy appearance. This is a byproduct of the source materials. Outside of the warping, print damage has been kept to a minimum. Kani encodes the feature at a mean video bitrate of 20983 kbps.
Kani has provided seven chapters for the 109-minute movie.
Kani has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono (1381 kbps, 24-bit) in Filipino (Tagalog). Sometimes, spoken words seem to register faintly as if the sound recording only captures background noise. There probably wasn't any sync sound or looping done in post-production. (Only two persons worked on the sound track.) It seems like dialogue was captured live so pitch will vary depending on the camera's distance in relation to the actors' placements. All in all, delivery was audible enough for me. Composer Max Jocson crafted an ominous score with "synth drones" that imply dread and forecast doom for some of the characters. There's also some pan flutes that give it a lyrical quality. Gunshots, bangs, and blasts provide some punch along the center channels.
Kani's optional white English subtitles are clear, legible, and easy to read.
I haven't seen much Philippine cinema and Lino Brocka's Cain and Abel (1982) was a pleasant surprise. Credit should go to Ricardo Lee for deftly translating a biblical story to '80s Filipino culture. Mona Lisa, Christopher de Leon, and Phillip Salvador each give excellent performances. Kani Releasing has delivered an imperfect transfer which has warping but remains very watchable. More work probably could have been devoted to improving the monaural sound track but it's free of pops, crackles, and dropouts. I really enjoyed Brocka scholar José B. Capino's video appreciation and wish that he had recorded a feature-length commentary. It's great that Kani got recent interviews with two of the actors. I haven't seen Criterion's restoration of Brocka's Manila in the Claws of Light (1975) but want to get it after seeing Cain and Abel. I suspect that those who enjoyed the earlier feature will want to check this one out, too. A SOLID RECOMMENDATION for Kani's package of a minor, once-lost classic.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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