The Claws of Light (1975)

Original title

Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag

Directed by

Lino Brocka

Genre

drama film

Country

Philippines

Runtime

2h 05m

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 75 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young man from the countryside goes to Manila to search for his missing girlfriend. He navigates the city's harsh realities of crime and poverty while trying to survive.

grittybleakatmosphericnoirishintensesuspensefulrawmelancholic

What happens

Manila in the Claws of Light (Filipino: Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag) is a 1975 Philippine neo noir drama film directed by Lino Brocka from a screenplay written by Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., based on the novel In the Claws of Brightness by Edgardo M. Reyes. The film stars Hilda Koronel, Lou Salvador, Jr., Tommy Abuel, and in his film debut, Rafael Roco, Jr. The film features cinematography by Mike de Leon and editing by brothers Edgardo and Ike Jarlego. It tells the story of Júlio Madiaga, a young man from the province of Marinduque who arrives in Manila for a mission to find his lover Ligaya. While making plans for his mission, he has to survive the conditions in the capital city, contending with issues like crime and prostitution. It is one of the many films in the Philippines released during the Marcos era which lasted until the 1986 revolution, and in retrospect, one of the few films to gain international critical recognition. It is widely considered the greatest Philippine film of all time by voters, especially the local and international filmmakers and critics. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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