Wednesday, October 12, 2016

                             
Directed by
Produced by
Based on
The Palace Thief
by 
Ethan Canin
Cinematography
Edited by
Harvey Rosenstick
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
·         September 9, 2002 
·       November 22, 2002


Characters
Main Character: William Hundert (Kevin Kline) He is a Classic history professor.
Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch) He is Mr William’s mischievous student and a son of a powerful senator.
Martin Blythe: A student who was supposed to be on Mr. Julius Caesar Contest.
Deepack: He was the crowned Caesar of the batch
Louise Masaodi: He was Mr. William’s colleague who is always with him.
Mr. WoodBridge: He is the Principal of the Academy
Elizabeth: Mr. William’s colleague

Summary

The story takes place at St. Benedict’s School for Boys wherein Mr. William Hundert was one of the professors. Mr. William instill in his students all about the virtue and integrity such as “A man’s character is his fate” and “Ambition and conquest without contribution are without significance.” A late student came in whose character seems to be arrogant and seems to be slow in class. Sedgewick Bell became the head of the pranks and made the class lively. Sedgewick Bell is a Senator’s son and when Mr. William met Sen. Bell who lacks integrity in his personality, he felt the need to approach and reach out to Sedgewick. Mr. William felt the need to let Sedgewick to take part on Mr. Julius Caesar Competition by changing his final quiz so that he will be able to be one of the finalists. 
Sedgwick, unwilling to face the possibility of losing the competition, he wrote the answers and fastening them inside his toga.   When Mr. William noticed that he is cheating, he immediately talked to the school headmaster but unfortunately he is not willing to call the boy on it, because his father is a senator and an audience.  So, Mr. Hundert uses a question not on his note cards, and Sedgwick is looses the competition and it made Deepack to win the competition. If only Mr. William didn’t pull his grades high, it would be Martin Blythe who ranked 4 on finals.

Many years later Mr. Hundert passes through his own ethical crisis, where he wasn’t selected as a headmaster.  Then He finds himself invited to proctor a rematch of the Mr. Julius Caeser competition. Mr. Hundert believes that Sedgwick is a changed man, and that his wealth has been gained as a result of honest industry.  But he is deeply disappointed when he finds Sedgwick again cheating in a second attempt to win the competition.  When confronted with his cheating, Mr. Hundert finds that Mr. Bell has no conscience regarding the teaching that he had made. While having the confrontation the young son of Mr. Bell overhears a conversation between his father and Mr. Hundert. 

But while Mr. Hundert feels he has failed to teach Mr. Bell the real lessons of history, he finds his other students who have done well in life. The film ends with Mr. Hundert back in his classroom, asking the young Mr. Blythe to read the inscription.  According to Mr. Hundert, history has no record of Shutruk Nuhunte because “great conquest and success without contribution is without significance.”

Movie Review and Critique


Watching the Emperor’s club is a part of our assignment in Philosophy and the movie showed us that a parent who can guide the child has an impact to a child’s personality. As far as I know, Sedgewick wants an attention because his parents couldn’t give it to him, that’s why he tend to be a rebel kid though this is not the main focus of the film but I found it as a factor of the conflict.  The film is about a student-teacher relationship; A teacher who teaches values to the student and being responsible in molding them. I guess it was normal in a school setting that a teacher has a great relationship more than the other student but it is not right when it already gets on the way that it affects grading the student. Human have a defense mechanism, whenever we feel threatened or we feel the need to fit in the crowd. There are times that we do things just to achieve our goal, even if it takes our integrity away from us and that is what I would want to instill in my life, that no matter what happens, I will strive hard and make sure that I will not get on other people’s way. I will never cheat because cheaters never win. One’s success is definitely sweeter if it is a fruit of hardships. Our emotions getting on our way is never right but we cannot erase the fact that there are things that I think that is right but are wrong for you and there are things that are wrong for you but are right for me, because we have a different perspective and the question is Who knows what is the real meaning of good and evil? Because what we know might be a fruit of someone’s perception.

 What is our reason for doing things? What is our motivation and inspiration? Just like what Thomas Aquinas had said “We do these things because our goal is for our own good or it is for the good, and just like Aristotle, Happiness is the ultimate goal of a man. But the main focused of the movie is that one mistake cannot determine who we are in the future, rather a series of continual choices that molds and makes the man, just like what Pietro Pomponazzi believed that “A man creates his own world.” Because we can be who we really wanted to be, along with hard work and passion someday, we will be the person that we wanted to be. Every human being should think twice before doing an action. Do not be impulsive and be carried away by our emotions because there are times that when we look back we then regret the act that has been done. In the film Mr. Hundert said that a great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance because for him, if we have contributed to society we will be remembered. I also remembered what Socrates had said that it is living that is important but living rightly. It just means that, We should not take our lives for granted, it doesn’t mean that we have a lot of time in this world, we will not live accordingly. And during the confrontation Me. Hundert told him that “We are forced to look at ourselves in the mirror and see who we really are.”

This is a great film, with deep understanding it can instill us great values and morals that one must and must not possess


 Ratings 3/5 stars





Wednesday, July 6, 2016

"Blog #1: Mythos"


Ano nga ba ang Alamat? 


Ang alamat ay isang uri ng panitikan at kwentong bayan na nagsasaad ng mga kwento ukol sa mga pinagmulan ng mga bagay-bagay na maari nating makita sa ating daigdig. Ito ay kadalasang nagsasalaysay ng mga pangyayari tungkol sa mga tunay na tao at pook at mayroong mga pinagbatayan sa kasaysayan. Ito ay mga kwento ng mga mahiwagang pangyayari na nagpasalinsalin sa bibig ng mga taong bayan kung kaya't hindi matukoy ang may akda nito.
Ang mga kwento ay tiyak kapupulutan ng aral at ito rin ay sumasalamin sa kultura ng bayang pinagmulan nito.
Ang salitang alamat ay panumbas sa salitang "legend" ng ingles


Halimbawa

* Alamat ng Pinya       *Alamat ng Sampaguita
* Alamat ng Macopa  *Alamat ng Maya
* Alamat ng Makahiya * Alamat ng Duryan

Alamat ni Maria Makiling
Noong unang panahon, ang mga diwata o diyos ay namuhay tulad at kasa-kasama ng mga tao. Kahit na sila ay mahiwaga, nagsalita sila at umibig, namili sa talipapa at iba pang karaniwang gawain ng mga tao. Si Maria ay kaisang-isang anak nina Dayang Makiling at Gat Panahon, na pawang isang bathala o engkantado. Dahil kaisa- isang anak nila si Maria kung kaya’t siya ang nagbibigay liwanag sa buhay ng mga ito at kayamanang impok ng kanilang buhay. Si Maria’y hindi taga-lupa,ngunit siya’y nakikisalamuha sa mga madla. May taglay na di matatawarang ganda si Maria na kahit ang mga dalaga ay mistulang nahihiyang bumati sakanya at ang mga lalaki naman ay ginagalang ang kagandahan niya.
Dalawang katulong na Aeta ang lagi niyang kasama pagpunta satalipapa. Hindi lumalayo ang mga Aeta, bitbit ang isang buslo ng luya na ipinagpa-palit ni Mariang Makiling - wala pang salapi nuon, at ang “bilihan” sa katunayan ay palitan lamang ng mga dala-dalang bagay - sa mga salakot, banig , at sutla.

Isang araw, nagtungo sa talipapa ng Makiling si Gat Dula, ang panginuon sa nayon ng Bai, upang mamili at mag-aliw. Siksikan ang mga tao duon sapagkat “araw ng pamilihan” nuon, at lahat sa nayon ay nasa talipapa. Nanduon din nuon si Mariang Makiling at nagkataon, nakasabay niya si Gat Dula sa “pagtawad” sa isang piraso ng balat ng hayop. Kapwa nakaharap sa nagtitinda, nagkadikit ang kanilang mga balikat, at nagkatinginan silang dalawa. Hindi sinasadya, nahipo pa ni Gat Dulaang kamay ni Mariang Makiling sapagkat hawak nilang magka-sabay an
Bilang hindi ng paumanhin, yumuko si Gat Dula kay Maria na, sa hinhin, ay hindi sumagot at tumingin sa malayo. Nagkakilala sila at pagkaraan ng mahabang pag-uusap, nakangiti nang bahagya si Marianang maghiwalay sila. Mula nuon, madalas dumalaw si Gat Dula sa bahay nina Gat Panahon at Dayang Makiling, subalit kahit kailan man, hindi na niya nakaharap si Mariang Makiling. Lagi siyang wala sa bahay at tumutulong sa mga tao. Nuon kasi, gawi ng mga tao kapag nagigipit na lumapit sa mga diwata at humingi ng tulong, at pakay naman ng mga diwata ang tumulong sa mga tao
.
Isa pang dahilan na hindi na nagkita muli sina Gat Dula at si Maria Makiling ay dahil siya ay isang nilalang na tao samantalang si Maria ay isang diwata at  hindi maaaring mag-ibigan ang dalawang magka-ibang nilalang.

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1. Historical
Si Maria Makiling ay tila hango sa bundok ng Makiling na matatagpuan sa Laguna. Ito ang nagsisilbing tagabantay ng lugar at kung sino man ang sumubok na gumambala ay siyang mananagot sa tagabantay.

2. Scientific
Marami nang mga kaso ang nakalap na di umanong nadisgrasya sa bundok na ito.
ang alitang

Maria ay madalas na pangalan ng mga kababaihan sa Pilipinas at ang Makiling naman ay (uneven) di pantay.

3. Ang aral na maari nating matutunan sa story ni Makiling ay ang pagging responsable sa ating mga ginagawa. Ang pagkakakroon ng isang tapat at busilak na puso. Siya ay larawan ng pagmamahal kung kaya't dapat natin tularan ang mga magagandang asal na mayroon siya. Dahil siya rin ang tagapag alaga ng kagubatan mas mabuti din na alagaan natin ang ating kalikasan dahil ito ay ating tirahan. Maaring totoo o hindi ang kwentong ito ngunit dapat nating pahalagahan ang aral na ating natutunan.

4. Totoo na hindi natin maaring pagsamahin ang mga bagay na magkaiba. Maari nating mahalin ang mga bagay pero kahit kailan hindi natin ito pwedeng pagsamahin. Totoo din na may mga taong mas inuuna ang kanilang responsibilidad kaysa sa kahit ano mang bagay na kahit ang pansariling kaligayahan ay mistulang naibabaon sa limot. Maihahalintulad natin ito sa ating mga magulang na mas pinipili nilang isa alang alang ang kagustuhan ng kanilang mga mahal kaysa sa kanilang pansariling kasiyahan. Ang pagmamahal ay kailan man hindi nakakalimot.

5. Kailangan natin ng mga Alamat at iba pang mga kwneto dahil ito ay nakakapag bigay buhay sa ating kasaysayan, mga nakaraan na pawang ngayon lamang nangyari at Ito rin ay naghahatid ng aral sa mga kabataan at sa mamamayan.