Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Cain and Abel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson April 15, 2022

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.

The first half or so of Cain and Abel is a domestic family drama rife with conflicting relationships. The second half transforms into a raw and bloody action picture along the lines of Sam Peckinpah and John Woo. One of Ellis's vigilante friends even references Straw Dogs (1971) and considers reenacting a violent scene from that film. Lorens and Ellis each have their own gangs. They're set upon wreaking vengeance on the other. Soon, the whole town is embroiled in a war. Cain and Abel shows its low-budget roots and is generally well-acted by the ensemble cast. Its weakest points are when it bogs down into high melodrama and goes over the top.

Cain and Abel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Cain and Abel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Cain and Abel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• CAIN and ABEL: An Appreciation (11:58, 1080p) - José B. Capino is the author of Martial Law Melodrama: Lino Brocka's Cinema Politics (2020). In this 2022 video essay, Capino discusses the importance the film Weighed But Found Wanting (1974) had to Brocka's career, the Philippine New Wave of the 1970s, and Cain and Abel (1982). He also discusses some of the films that Christopher de Leon and Mona Lisa previously appeared in. Capino examines the deep-space compositions in several scenes throughout Cain and Abel. He critiques the movie's visual patterns and characterization. Capino reflects on on how Cain and Abel can be interpreted as as sociopolitical allegory for the Ferdinand Marcos regime. Capino speaks in English and Kani provides English subtitles.

• Interview with Carmi Martin (13:13, 1080p) - Martin portrays De Leon's lover in Cain and Abel. She discusses how her career began as a teen model, her big-screen debut Dolphy's Angels (1980), doing situational comedies (which she enjoys more than dramas), and the experience of making Cain and Abel. On the latter, she talks of the honor of starring alongside Mona Lisa. Besides explaining what it was like to work with Brocka, Martin also describes her collaboration with director Ishmael Bernal. Martin explains how Bayan Ko (1984) was a commentary on the Marcos years and how Broca would take her to rallies and to court. Martin was recorded via Zoom in December 2021. She speaks in English and Kani delivers English subtitles.

• Interview with Christopher de Leon (16:02, 1080p) - also recorded via Zoom in December 2021, de Leon looks back at when both his parents worked at one of the major film studios in the Philippines. He explains how he got started in the industry, the pictures he made during the '70s and '80s (including Cain and Abel), and some of the country's most prominent directors. For the latter, he describes what it was like being directed by Lino Brocka. He reminisces on the American movie stars who'd attend festivals exhibiting Filipino films. Excerpts from a couple of de Leon's other films are shown and they're of subpar image quality. De Leon also speaks in English and Kani supplies English subtitles.

• 2016 Restoration Trailer (1:03, 1080p) - a trailer for Cain and Abel produced six years ago by ABS-CBN and the Central Digital Lab, who performed the digital restoration and remastering of the film. In Filipino (Tagalog), with English subtitles.

• Booklet - a twenty-page booklet featuring stills and illustrations from Cain and Abel as well as two pieces on the film. Author José B. Capino penned a new essay titled "Unrighteous Kin," which gives an overview of Lino Brocka's career, a critical analysis of Cain and Abel, and how the film was initially received. There's also the shorter "Notes and Annotations" by screenwriter Ricky Lee, who provided details on the first draft of his script and his experiences working with Brocka. Lee's story concept is reprinted here as well as an English translation of the unfilmed epilogue. The booklet's last couple pages contain a biography of Brocka and notes/credits about Cain and Abel's restoration.

Cain and Abel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.