Filipino Classic Film Oro, Plata, Mata Is Now Available On Netflix!
Peque Gallaga’s 1982 film, ‘Oro, Plata, Mata’ can now be streamed on Netflix beginning this month.
If you and your partner have been wanting to rewatch the classic movie Oro, Plata, Mata, then check out Netflix. This month, the streaming site posted the classic movie in its growing portfolio of Filipino films.
Director Jose Javier Reyes, who wrote and was part of the team putting together the film, recalled the moment he became part of one of the country’s masterpiece films of all time.
Jose Javier Reyes: How Oro, Plata, Mata came about
On his Facebook page, Direk Joey recalled when he was asked to join after coming home from the US.
“I was 27 years old fresh from my studies in Indiana University and have written only four screenplays under Regal Films,” he wrote. “I have heard of Peque because of his work in television. And I knew he was a visionary, a maverick. But I did not expect those meetings in his abode in New Manila where he showed me the rough sequence treatment of his project entitled, ‘The Jungle Story’ would yield a film that changed all our lives.”
Direk Joey admitted that it was a daunting challenge. Especially since it was set during the time when the Japanese occupied the country.
“How could we make the four lead females more interesting? Would I be willing to spend time with him and his staff to collaborate on this project? It was a most daunting task as it was a challenge. To show how the Filipinos were so damaged by the Second World War. The words of my late father reverberated. After the Japanese occupation, the Filipinos were never the same. Our moral fiber was destroyed by the brutality we experienced and the endurance that was demanded in order to survive,” he shared.
It was during a ride in Marikina when his mother reminded him to tell the contractor about the number of steps on the stairway of their new home that he got the idea for the title.
“When I arrived in New Manila where Peque, his wife Mads, and Don Escudero were waiting (with a three-year-old Wanggo running around in his toddler underwear), I announced to the group, ‘I have found our title: it is ORO, PLATA, MATA.'”
Now that the film is on Netflix, it will allow a new generation of filmgoers to see the movie. Direk Joey also thanked the people behind the film for changing his life as a writer.
What is the movie all about?
Set in Negros during World War II, Oro, Plata, Mata tells the story of two wealthy families. They try to cope with the changes that war brought. The film became one of Peque Gallaga’s contributions to Philippine cinema. It was even shown at international festivals after its premiere.
The movie starred Cherie Gil, Sandy Andolong, Liza Lorena, and Joel Torre. All of them eventually became top actors in Philippine cinema.
Peque Gallaga died in 2020 at the age of 76. Meanwhile, Cherie Gil passed away last August at the age of 59.
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