Lino Brocka: Two Films (Blu-ray + DVD) Blu Ray – Rafael Roco Jr, Bembel Roco

Two Filipino dramas directed by Lino Brocka. In ‘Manila in the Claws of Light’ (1975) young Júlio Madiaga (Bembol Roco) leaves his rural home and travels to the urban sprawl of Manila. He picks up a job as a construction worker, but is not accustomed to such hard labour and so he struggles at first. Júlio begins to make friends and spend time in the markets. On one such outing, he meets someone who could point him in the direction of the woman Júlio loves, a girl named Ligaya Paraiso (Hilda Koronel) who also came to Manila in the hopes of a good education. But just as Júlio and Ligaya begin to reconnect, the criminal underbelly of the city makes itself known to them. In ‘Insiang’ (1976) the titular character (Koronel) is a young woman living with her bitter mother Tonya (Mona Lisa) in a slum. Tonya’s husband left her some time ago but his family remained with her, until now. Tonya casts them out to make way for her new boyfriend, a terrible bully named Dado (Ruel Vernal) who is far younger than her. Insiang is forced to flee her home but finds no solace in her friend Bebot (Rez Cortez).

Two Films by Lino Brocka (Limited Edition 4-disc DVD + Blu-ray set) Manila in the Claws of Light (1975) + Insiang (1976) Filipino director Lino Brocka was a force of nature in world cinema, his powerful work illuminating the harsh social realities of life in his home country. His films have been largely unavailable on DVD and Blu-ray but now, thanks to Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, his two finest works have been rescued from obscurity and restored in 4K. A fascinating portrait of life in Manila’s corrupt, teeming urban jungle, Manila in the Claws of Light finds Julio, a 21-year-old rural fisherman, arriving in the Filipino capital to look for his girlfriend. Robbed of his cash, he struggles to survive drifting through the city in search of his beloved. Insiang is the story of a girl who, having been raped by her mother’s boyfriend, seeks comfort in the arms of her would-be suitor Bebot. Finding him little better than her attacker, she is forced to return home where she sets about exacting her revenge. Special features: New 4K restorations of both films Manila… A Filipino Film (Mike de Leon, 1975, 33 mins): fascinating making-of documentary featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage Manila stills and collections gallery Visions Cinema: Film in the Philippines (Ron Orders, 1983, 40 mins): Tony Rayns interviews Lino Brocka and other prominent Filipino directors. Signed: Lino Brocka (Christian Blackwood, 1987, 84 mins): award-winning, feature-length documentary exploring the director’s life and work The Guardian Lecture: Lino Brocka in conversation with Tony Rayns (1982, 62 mins, audio only) Illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Cathy Landicho Clark, an archive interview with Lino Brocka and full film credits.