Кристофер де Леон впервые за 52 года посмотрел свой дебютный фильм «Тинимбаг ка нгунит куланг»

Nathalie Tomada - The Philippine Star September 7, 2026 | 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-two years after “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” launched his showbiz career, Christopher de Leon finally saw the film for the second time and revisited a string of acting firsts. The 1974 Lino Brocka classic was his first movie. His very first scene took around nine takes. It gave him his first onscreen kiss, with actress and future director Laurice Guillen. And by the end of it all, the then 19-year-old newcomer walked away with his first-ever Best Actor award from FAMAS. Christopher, along with direk Laurice, graced the special screening of the 4K digitally restored version of “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” at the Red Carpet Cinema in Shangri-La Plaza. The restoration was made possible through the joint efforts of the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ Philippine Film Archive and L’Immagine Ritrovata, in partnership with Carlotta Films and Janus Films/The Criterion Collection. Presented as the opening film of the FDCP’s Philippine Film Industry Month celebration, “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” also kicked off the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Philippine cinema’s Second Golden Age led by FDCP chair Jose Javier Reyes. “This was my first movie. First of all, dito po ako nanalo ng first Best Actor award,” he said. “And in this movie, I had to audition. I had to, you know, take up classes — acting lessons, breaking down scripts, voice lessons. And during this, while filming, we were doing ‘Godspell’ (stage production) all at the same time. That’s where I got all my knowledge about acting, I mean, being an actor.” Though he had acting pedigree — actor-turned-director Gil de Leon and LVN star Lilia Dizon being his parents — Christopher, nevertheless, regarded “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” as the beginning of his own journey in showbiz. “So, this was the start of my movie career and my entertainment career, and I thank God for that. “Maraming salamat sa Diyos at ginawa Niya akong — you know, I come from a family of actors. But yun na nga, salamat sa Diyos at ginawa Niya akong isang artista. At hanggang ngayon, patuloy pang gumagawa ng pelikula.” In retrospect, it was quite the initiation for the teenager as he was surrounded by some of Philippine cinema’s finest artists. He could still remember his very first scene, which had him acting opposite acting greats Lolita Rodriguez and Mario O’Hara, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Brocka. “This is, for me, at that time, mind-blowing. Ang first take ko dito... What? Eight, nine? Ang ka-eksena mo, Lolita Rodriguez, Mario O’Hara. Oh no! Oh no!” he recalled, laughing. “So I was like, wow! Take nine yata yun. And after that, nagtuluy-tuloy na. They guided us. Lino guided me. Lolita guided me. Mario (also).” His character Junior is a privileged student gradually confronted by the hypocrisy, cruelty and prejudice beneath the supposedly respectable surface of his small provincial town. Increasingly disillusioned with the people around him, he befriends the community’s outcasts, Kuala (Rodriguez), a mentally ill woman, and Berto (O’Hara), a man disfigured by leprosy. According to Christopher, the film exposed a society’s hypocrisy. “Ang pelikulang ito ay makabuluhan. Ang tinatalakay ng pelikulang ito ay tungkol sa sort of a hypocrisy of the society,” he said. He pointed to a church scene, wherein churchgoers skipped the priest’s homily to smoke and engage in idle and lewd talk outside. “Yung mga makikita ninyo sa isang eksena ditong mga nagsisimba. Pero pagka-homily na, yung mga lalaki nasa labas, nagkukuwentuhan. Yung mga babae, nagtsitsismisan.” He also couldn’t forget Rodriguez’s restrained performance, from her expression to the single tear that fell as her character Kuala appeared to have regained her senses and recognized Junior, just before dying. “Lolita was very good. Very sad dun sa… nung namatay siya,” he said. “And then her expression, all the time, she was maintaining her character — glassy eyes, teary-eyed. And then sa last… parang she became lucid again… sabi niya, ‘Junior.’” He was equally struck by Brocka’s staging of the film’s final scene, where Junior emerges carrying Kuala and Berto’s newborn child and walks through the townspeople. “The last scene was like parting of the sea,” he said. “It was the director’s prerogative, the director’s way of doing what he wants to emphasize.” Even the way the townspeople stood almost motionless bore meaning. “Maski na iyong mga taong hindi gumalaw, yung symbolism, nandun.” Another scene that stood out for him was his first kissing scene with Laurice. The latter played Milagros, a college girl and the illegitimate daughter of the town’s mayor. “Ang kaeksena ko, ang ka-kissing scene ko... here in this movie, si Madam Laurice Guillen. Sa bowlingan. Sa madilim na bowlingan,” he said. After watching the restored movie, he said he and direk Laurice laughed over that bowling-alley intimate scene all over again. “Kanina nagtatawanan kami,” he told reporters after the screening. But his nerves at that time of the shoot, he admitted, were a different story. “My nerves were shaking then. But natapos namin and ang ganda naman lumabas.” He, likewise, described Laurice as someone who was reserved off-camera but completely focused once a scene began. “She was very reserved. She was very quiet before, you know. You don’t hear her too much behind the camera. She’s intense. She’s into it, in character. Pag sinabi mong trabaho na, in character na siya. I was, like, intimidated,” he recalled. “Doing a love scene, my first kissing scene with her, my first kissing scene onscreen. Grabe!” The screening proved to be a rare opportunity for Christopher to see the entire film again. He said the last time he watched it was “50-plus years ago.” “Second time ko lang napanood,” he further stressed, while also noting how many of the people who worked on the film were no longer around. More than feeling “nostalgic,” Christopher felt a renewed appreciation of the film. “Ganda pala (nito),” he said, sharing also that what he saw in his younger performance was “minimalism.” He further recalled learning on the job by simply watching how Brocka and the actors would “attack their scenes.” Looking back, Christopher could only be grateful for the guidance they gave him as he found footing in the film that started it all for him. “Nagpapasalamat ako. They were very cooperative and they were teaching me,” he said. Latest Trending Latest Latest abtest By Jan Milo Severo | 14 hours ago 17 hours ago By Jan Milo Severo | 19 hours ago 20 hours ago 20 hours ago