This article is about the 1978 adult animated film. For the song by UDD, see UDD (band) § Discography. For the television series by Marissa L. Flores, see Tadhana.
Tadhana | |
---|---|
Archivo 1984 film poster | |
Directed by | Nonoy Marcelo |
Written by | Nonoy Marcelo |
Based on | Tadhana: History of the Filipino People by Ferdinand Marcos |
Produced by | Imee Marcos |
Release date |
|
Running time | 54 minutes |
Country | Philippines |
Language |
|
Tadhana (or Nonoy Marcelo's "Tadhana") is a 1978 Philippine adult animated musical historical satire film written and directed by cartoonist Nonoy Marcelo in his directorial debut.
Based on a book of the same name by Ferdinand Marcos, the tenth president of the Philippines, Tadhana was commissioned by the Marcos' government to contributed as a part of the martial law agenda. The film served Imee Marcos as a producer alongside his uncle and collaborator José Zabala-Santos.
Tadhana was shown on Philippine television to commemorate the sixth anniversary of Martial Law.
Premise
The film presents a satirical, humorous and poignant view of the Philippines' history of Spanish colonization through highly original and surreal vignettes fusing art, mythology and music.
Cast
- Nonoy Marcelo as Kulafu
- Pandy Aviado as Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
- Bert Marcelo as Father Tausi
- Estrella Kuenzler
- Yoyoy Villame as Lapu-Lapu
Production
Nonoy Marcelo (left) and Imee Marcos (right) worked together to contribute the film for the sixth anniversary.Development
After his first interest of animation filmmaking in the Philippines while working on as a cartoonist, he was hired by the government and worked in animation at the National Media Production Center beginning in 1977. Then, he collaborated with Imee Marcos, who first sought to contribute the 1977 short propaganda film Da Real Makoy, and his uncle José Zabala-Santos by creating the first-ever full-length animated film in the Philippines, which originally conceived as a television pilot that sought to teach the nation's history from the perspective of the Marcos administration.
While writing and directed the film, he added his own interpretation of this history, including whimsical, satirical, sometimes subversive and particularly anti-clerical touches to the narrative. Imee insists that while it was not only a literally faithful adaptation of her father's books, it was faithful to their themes.
Filming
The animation studio was set up in Quezon City to highlighting the strategic focus placed on the project. The film took production in three months, employed with a team of sixty artists, including printmaker Pandy Aviado, served as the film’s assistant director, and Santiago Bose, by Imee. Some production crews and artists also voiced for the film including Aviado and Marcelo himself.
Release
Tadhana made a broadcasting premiere as a television film on GMA 7, RPN 9, and IBC 13 to commemorate the sixth anniversary of Martial Law.
Legacy
Following the immense success of Tadhana and the "turning point" of Philippine animation as a labor hub in the 1980s, it was initiative of broadcasting catered to a broad audience and embedded the film within the popular cultural milieu of the time. Due to lack of commercial release in local theaters, the film was never credited to be the first animated film in the Philippines until Adarna: The Mythical Bird in 1997.
None of copies of known print or negative 35mm film left in archive from GMA after years of one-time broadcast, only a video copy recorded off that broadcast by Mr. Teddy Co, who lent his copy to Mowelfund Film Institute. Tadhana was screened at the National Gallery Singapore’s ‘Painting with Light,’ an annual festival of international films on art. Before the screening, the film was rated NC16 for "some nudity" by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
References
- ^ "Tadhana by Ferdinand E. Marcos". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- Philippine Animation Festival » 2009 » Lifetime Achievement Awardee » Jose Zabala Santos Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine. Animahenasyon. Retrieved on 2011-05-25.
- ^ "Tadhana ( 1978-09-21 (PH) )". Peliplat (in Spanish). Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- Aviado, Pandy (2005). "Isang Balik-tingin sa Pagsasa-Animation ng Tadhana". Huling Ptyk: Da Art of Nonoy Marcelo. The House Printers Corporation. pp. 75–78.
- ^ Sketchpride (November 20, 2009). "For Young Pinoy Audience: Tadhana (1970's)". For Young Pinoy Audience. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- LENT, JOHN A. "The "Sleeper" Status of Southeast Asian Animation" (PDF). LentSpread.
- Mayuga, Sylvia L. (2005). "Revisiting Da Real Makoy". Huling Ptyk: Da Art of Nonoy Marcelo. The House Printers Corporation. pp. 68–69.
The two Nonoy Marcelo and Egay Navarro] managed to push the limits, casually capturing their producer Imee smoothing the way with coy Barbie-doll eyes.
- Tadhana (1978) | MUBI. Retrieved November 17, 2024 – via mubi.com.
- David, Joel (2013). "Forms and Types: Early History of Filipino Animation" (PDF). Amateurish.com.
- Archivo 1984 Gallery (October 20, 2018). "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Unraveling the Mystery of Tadhana: A Deep Dive into the 1978 Animated Film". gist.ly. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- Marcelo, Nonoy (July 16, 2022), Tadhana (Animation), Pandy Aviado, Estrella Kuenzler, Bert 'Tawa' Marcelo, retrieved November 17, 2024
- ^ Florentino, Maria Paulina P. (July 20, 2018). "Re-animating Philippine Cinema: For Filipinos, By Filipinos". The Reflective Practitioner. 3: 37–57. ISSN 2467-5830.
- Aviado, Pandy (2005). "Isang Balik-tingin sa Pagsasa-Animation ng Tadhana". Huling Ptyk: Da Art of Nonoy Marcelo. The House Printers Corporation. pp. 75–78.
- "Unraveling the Mystery of Tadhana: A Deep Dive into the 1978 Animated Film". gist.ly. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- "Marking of the Past: Original Feature-length Animated Films in the Philippines | animationstudies 2.0". Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- "Nonoy Marcelo's 'Tadhana' now screening at National Gallery Singapore". Manila Standard.
- Admin-Ngs (June 7, 2022). "INCITE—Programme Two (PART 2)". Painting with Light. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
External links
Categories:- 1978 films
- 1978 animated films
- 1978 directorial debut films
- Tagalog-language films
- Cultural depictions of Ferdinand Magellan
- Cultural depictions of Filipino people
- Films set in the Philippines
- Philippine adult animated films
- Philippine comedy films
- Philippine historical films
- Philippine musical films
- Philippine parody films
- Philippine satirical films
- Philippine television films
- Propaganda films
- Films based on Philippine novels