Benedikt Jerome B.

Cubinar
PI 10 H-1R
Mirrors Seen in Gold, Silver, and Death
World War II is no doubt one of the most striking features in the history of the Philippines
as it was one of the lowest points of the country. The Japanese occupation started December 8,
1941 (Borlaza, 2015) which was the start of the slow degradation of the countrys morale which
further worsened when tragedies came (i.e. The Fall of Bataan, Death March, etc.). The countrys
slow decreasing morale was clearly shown in the movie Oro, Plata, Mata.
In translation, Oro means gold, Plata means silver, and Mata means death (Anima,
2013). The title of the movie, Oro, Plata, Mata, already has a descending effect like counting
from ten down to zero: from something as precious to gold, then to something less precious like
silver, and then death. In my opinion, it is as if the title itself is the thesis statement of the movie
(considering my understanding of the movie to be correct). Further explanation would be
discussed in the below parts of this paper.
The first few scenes showed luxury of the family portrayed in the movie. There was a
party, a birthday of a woman though I have forgotten the characters name. It was extravagant, as
if the party was meant to flaunt the familys riches. There was even a part where the men talked
about letting the Japanese attack as if they were safe even from the midst of the war. However,
the celebration was cut by one of the characters receiving a bad news. The Japanese forces were
advancing. This was the start of the slow fall of despair to the characters.

Next is the scene when the main characters moved to another house which still reeks of
luxury. Mahjong was played by women every time they get the chance. Actually, mahjong was
played a lot in the movie. This alone shows a lot of oro (gold) in the scene along with the huge
house, dozens of helpers in the house, one of the mahjong-playing women having a lot of
jewelry, and even already owning an electric generator by that time. However, the moments of
gold were cut off soon by the further advancing of the Japanese army which leads us to the
plata (silver).
Plata starts when the setting moved to the mountains. It was almost the same. Riches
are still seen. Mahjong was still played. Helpers were still present. However, the status of living
for the upper class was still seen as comfortable. The house was no longer concrete but it did
not change much except maybe for the setting itself. The upper class still did not work. But this
pushed the scenes to the final part which is mata (death).
With the head of the helpers (if memory serves right) feeling oppressed, vengeance was
sought. If I understood the scenes correctly, the helper allied himself with the Japanese before
going back to the mountains, to the family, to cause chaos. There were so many deaths portrayed
in the movie, even more so, ending it with a battle scene which presented more deaths. Thus,
mata is achieved as the final act.
The movie portrayed a lot of culture. First, with how the women acted. The first scene
showed a boy telling a girl that they should kiss. However, when they did, guilt washed over the
girl which meant that at that point in time, women were still, as what the elders say in and by
their standards, mahinhin. Women were supposedly Maria Claras. However, as the story
progressed, it was shown that it did not matter. Perhaps it was the effect of the war itself. It is a

time when culture is more like something which cannot be prioritized to salvage; that is, survival
first before beliefs. This is also shown in the scene when the Sto. Nios were left by the lady of
the house before going to the mountains to hide from the Japanese.
All in all, I think what made the movie great as it is, is the fact that it presented the effects
of the Japanese occupation during World War 2 in something as basic as a family, and even more
so, in a rich family which is perhaps seen as powerful during those times. The changes were
drastic. From laughing at the Japanese for attacking, leading to the point when they had to defend
themselves.
Although there were some impossibilities in the movie such as two men taking a whole
lot of enemies in a building (typical Filipino action superpower), it did not raise as much
eyebrows (I think). The strength of the movie lies in its plot and the effects. Taking into account
the prosthetics used for the injuries (e.g. the guy who turned mute, the man in the river/fall which
was killed by the mute, and the blood splats during the battle scene), plus the erotic scenes which
were as visual as it could be allowed, the film was successful into saying that those things were
not impossible at that time. Injuries like that really did happen during World War II, probably
even worse.
The movie Oro, Plata, Mata was successful in showing an extremely low point in the
country. Low in culture, low in faith, and low in morale. But it did not just happen in a flash. It
came creeping over. It was effective in showing the effects of the war and how tragic it is.
Anima, N. (2013, March 6). Building A House? Oro, Plata, Mata. Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
Positively Filipino: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/3/building-a-house-oroplata-mata
Borlaza, G. C. (2015, 24 February). Philippines World War II. Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
Encyclopedia Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/456399/Philippines/23718/World-War-II