MOVIE SUMMARY

(The count of Monte Cristo)

In the turbulent days in which France was transitioning away from

Napoleonic rule, Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) and his closest friend, Fernand
Mondego (Pearce), aspire to gain the same two things: the next captaincy of
a ship in Morel's (Godfrey) Marseille-based shipping business and the hands
of the lovely Mercedes Iguanada (Dominczyk).
Dantes and Mondego are diverted to Elba on a shipping mission
because their captain requires medical attention. Assistance comes,
unexpectedly, in the form of the personal physician of the exiled Napoleon
(Norton). In return for the use of his doctor, Napoleon demands that Dantes
deliver a letter for him and that the mission and the letter be kept a secret.
Unknown to the illiterate Dantes, the letter will provide Bonapartists in
Marseille information of pertinence to a possible rescue of Napoleon. Also
unknown to him, Fernand has discovered and read the letter and has full
knowledge of its contents.
On his return to France, Dantes's fortunes peak as Morel names him
captain of one of his ships and an improved station in life prompts Edmond to
propose to Mercedes, who accepts the offer. In the process of being beaten
out of the two things that matter most to him in life, the jealous Fernand
knows that the letter Dantes is carrying can be used to falsely implicate him
in an act that might be viewed by local authorities as treasonous. Fernand,
and his confidant, shipping colleague Danglars (Woodington), betray Dantes
by making the magistrate Villefort (Frain) aware of the letter.
Dantes is taken by local authorities in front of Villefort. Despite his
determination that Dantes is innocent of any crime, he becomes edgy upon
learning that the letter was addressed to Noirtier Villefort, a known
Bonpartist, and, consequently, a politically inconvenient father for a young
man aspiring to a prominent law career in post-Napoleonic France. To

eliminate all evidence that his father was involved in plans for an escape
attempt by Napoleon from Elba, Villefort burns the letter and has Dantes
arrested and taken to the Chateau D'If, a maximum security prison, where
Dantes rots for over a decade, with no prospects of getting out in the
imaginable future.
Dantes befriends a fellow prisoner named Abbe Faria (Harris), who is a
great scholar and who, very gradually, transforms the unworldly Dantes into
a wise, learned and cultivated man. Faria is an old man, however, and when
he comes to realize that he is fatally ill, he tells Dantes of a great treasure
and where it is buried.
Secretly placing himself in Faria's burial sack, which is to be thrown
over the cliffs and into the river alongside the prison, Dantes manages to
escape. After a dangerous ordeal in which he mingles with, but ultimately
befriends, an enterprising, yet violent, group of smugglers led by Luigi
Vampa (Blanc), he makes his way back to Marseilles. Dantes now turns his
attention to claiming the treasure Abbe Faria had referred to.

After locating the treasure, Dantes's riches are suddenly boundless, but
rather than retiring to a life of leisure, his new raison d'etre is vengeance,
with the objects of his revenge being Fernand (now a count), Danglars (now a
baron), and Villefort (now a chief prosecutor), all of whom live in Paris. As
they are now members of Parisian high society, Dantes realizes that to gain
access to them, he'll need to reinvent himself, and uses some of his
newfound riches to purchase a huge estate near Paris. He then proclaims
himself to be the Count of Monte Cristo, and although nobody knows of him,
his claim is very credible in view of his visibly substantial wealth.
The Count plans a party at his new estate and invites many members
of Parisian high society, including all the objects of his vengeance. Now
having considerable access to each of them, one at a time, he successfully
sets them up for failure. Danglars is tricked into an act of embezzlement and

Villefort is tricked into confessing to conspiracy to have his own father

murdered within earshot of local authorities.
The Count gains close access to Fernand and Mercedes, who are now
husband and wife, by paying the smuggler Luigi Vampa to pretend to kidnap
their son, Albert. This enables the Count himself to save Albert. Having saved
their son, the Count is now welcome in the home of Fernand and Mercedes.
Taking note of his mannerisms, Mercedes soon works out that the
Count is actually Edmond Dantes, but the Count still has a bone to pick with
her, as she married Fernand very shortly after his arrest and had Fernand's
son, Albert (Cavill), not long after that. This seemed a sign of her infidelity,
but the Count ultimately learns that Villefort had announced that Dantes was
dead shortly after the onset of his imprisonment. Fernand, it turns out, had
bargained for this announcement, from which he hoped to gain the hand of
Mercedes, by murdering, at Villefort's request, Villefort's father. Now
understanding that Mercedes had believed him dead, the Count is less
incensed by her marriage to Fernand, but still finds the very short period of
time between his imprisonment and their marriage very unsettling.
The Count is about to turn his back completely on Mercedes. But then,
Fernand's financial ruin from compulsive gambling compels him to leave
Paris to evade his debtors, against whom he has committed crimes. Unwilling
to follow Fernand with their son, Mercedes, finally, tells the Count the truth
---- she had married Fernand because she had, unknown to the Count, been
impregnated by Dantes shortly before he was arrested. She wanted Albert to
have a father. In truth, however, Albert's biological father is the Count
himself.
Finally willing to forgive her, the Count falls in love all over again with
Mercedes, and, with those who had betrayed them out of the way, they
resolve to live their lives, casting aside the dark and regrettable episodes
which had robbed them of so many happy times with each other and with
their son Albert.

Reaction/Reflection
(The count of Monte Cristo)
God will give me justice, this line which was engraved in the wall on
the prison was retained on my mind when I watched the movie The Count of
Monte Cristo. This movie amazed me very much because of its excellent
theme.
I really like the story because it has a mixed of drama, suspense and
romance. Furthermore, it was not a boring one to watch. The actors and
actresses were superb in portraying their roles especially James Caviezel who
portrayed the role of Edmond Dantes. Im also amazed with the settings of
the story. The views are awe-inspiring.
My adrenalin rush got higher because of many exciting scenes. First,
was when Edmond Dantes was whipped in the prison by the authorities
where he suffered in pain. Second, when another innocent prisoner taught
him to write, read and to fence where he became wise and plotted revenge.
Thirdly, when he fought with Fernand Mondego because it was very dramatic
and it suspend me. I noticed also the rainbow while they are fighting.
After I watched the movie, I remember the two novels of Rizal because
it has some similarities. Examples were the following; when Ibarra was
abducted and imprisoned, the unending love for Maria Clara, and in El
Filibusterismo where Ibarra disguised as Simoun and plotted for revenge
also. No doubt, why Rizal enjoyed reading the book of The Count of Monte
Cristo, by Alexander Dumas. And why people tried to made it as a movie.
The lavish scenery, dramatic acting and wonderful score all help make
"The Count of Monte Cristo" a film worth watching. Truly, the movie was one

of the best movies I watched in my eighteen years of existence and I really

love it. I learned in this movie that trials are not the reasons to give up but
inspirations to move on.

MOVIE SUMMARY
(Uncle Toms Cabin)

Having run up large debts, a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby

faces the prospect of losing everything he owns. Though he and his wife,
Emily Shelby, have a kindhearted and affectionate relationship with their
slaves, Shelby decides to raise money by selling two of his slaves to Mr.
Haley, a coarse slave trader. The slaves in question are Uncle Tom, a middleaged man with a wife and children on the farm, and Harry, the young son of
Mrs. Shelbys maid Eliza. When Shelby tells his wife about his agreement
with Haley, she is appalled because she has promised Eliza that Shelby
would not sell her son.
However, Eliza overhears the conversation between Shelby and his
wife and, after warning Uncle Tom and his wife, Aunt Chloe, she takes Harry
and flees to the North, hoping to find freedom with her husband George in
Canada. Haley pursues her, but two other Shelby slaves alert Eliza to the
danger. She miraculously evades capture by crossing the half-frozen Ohio
River, the boundary separating Kentucky from the North. Haley hires a slave
hunter named Loker and his gang to bring Eliza and Harry back to Kentucky.
Eliza and Harry make their way to a Quaker settlement, where the Quakers
agree to help transport them to safety. They are joined at the settlement by
George, who reunites joyously with his family for the trip to Canada.
Meanwhile, Uncle Tom sadly leaves his family and Masr George,
Shelbys young son and Toms friend, as Haley takes him to a boat on the
Mississippi to be transported to a slave market. On the boat, Tom meets an
angelic little white girl named Eva, who quickly befriends him. When Eva falls

into the river, Tom dives in to save her, and her father, Augustine St. Clare,
gratefully agrees to buy Tom from Haley. Tom travels with the St. Clares to
their home in New Orleans, where he grows increasingly invaluable to the St.
Clare household and increasingly close to Eva, with whom he shares a
devout Christianity.
Up North, George and Eliza remain in flight from Loker and his men.
When Loker attempts to capture them, George shoots him in the side, and
the other slave hunters retreat. Eliza convinces George and the Quakers to
bring Loker to the next settlement, where he can be healed. Meanwhile, in
New Orleans, St. Clare discusses slavery with his cousin Ophelia, who
opposes slavery as an institution but harbors deep prejudices against blacks.
St. Clare, by contrast, feels no hostility against blacks but tolerates slavery
because he feels powerless to change it. To help Ophelia overcome her
bigotry, he buys Topsy, a young black girl who was abused by her past
master and arranges for Ophelia to begin educating her.
After Tom has lived with the St. Clares for two years, Eva grows very ill.
She slowly weakens, then dies, with a vision of heaven before her. Her death
has a profound effect on everyone who knew her: Ophelia resolves to love
the slaves, Topsy learns to trust and feel attached to others, and St. Clare
decides to set Tom free. However, before he can act on his decision, St. Clare
is stabbed to death while trying to settle a brawl. As he dies, he at last finds
God and goes to be reunited with his mother in heaven.
St. Clares cruel wife, Marie, sells Tom to a vicious plantation owner
named Simon Legree. Tom is taken to rural Louisiana with a group of new
slaves, including Emmeline, whom the demonic Legree has purchased to use
as a sex slave, replacing his previous sex slave Cassy. Legree takes a strong
dislike to Tom when Tom refuses to whip a fellow slave as ordered. Tom
receives a severe beating, and Legree resolves to crush his faith in God. Tom
meets Cassy, and hears her story. Separated from her daughter by slavery,

she became pregnant again but killed the child because she could not stand
to have another child taken from her.
Around this time, with the help of Tom Lokernow a changed man
after being healed by the QuakersGeorge, Eliza, and Harry at last cross
over into Canada from Lake Erie and obtain their freedom. In Louisiana,
Toms faith is sorely tested by his hardships, and he nearly ceases to believe.
He has two visions, howeverone of Christ and one of Evawhich renew his
spiritual strength and give him the courage to withstand Legrees torments.
He encourages Cassy to escape. She does so, taking Emmeline with her,
after she devises a ruse in which she and Emmeline pretend to be ghosts.
When Tom refuses to tell Legree where Cassy and Emmeline have gone,
Legree orders his overseers to beat him. When Tom is near death, he forgives
Legree and the overseers. George Shelby arrives with money in hand to buy
Toms freedom, but he is too late. He can only watch as Tom dies a martyrs
death.
Taking a boat toward freedom, Cassy and Emmeline meet George
Harriss sister and travel with her to Canada, where Cassy realizes that Eliza
is her long-lost daughter. The newly reunited family travels to France and
decides to move to Liberia, the African nation created for former American
slaves. George Shelby returns to the Kentucky farm, where, after his fathers
death, he sets all the slaves free in honor of Toms memory. He urges them to
think on Toms sacrifice every time they look at his cabin and to lead a pious
Christian life, just as Tom did.

Reaction/Reflection
(Uncle Tom's Cabin)

The movie Uncle Tom's Cabin is a movie that moves many people. This
is a movie that displays Harriet Beecher Stowe's immortal classic of an
American literature. Also Uncle Tom's Cabin is a book that Abraham Lincoln

credited with the starting of the civil war. Uncle Tom's Cabin is the
eyewitness story about the slavery in the Deep South. Although Harriet
Beecher Stowe wrote the book in 1852 the release of this book and later the
movie were one of the few that told of the hardships crossed with the old
ways of slavery.
Uncle Tom's Cabin, described by Stowe herself as a "series of sketches"
depicting the human cruelty of slavery, opens with a description of Arthur
Shelby's Kentucky plantation during the antebellum period. Although Shelby
is not characterized as a cruel master, he has nevertheless incurred serious
debts- prompting him sell some slaves to avoid financial ruin. Mr. Haley, the
slave trader, purchases Uncle Tom, Shelby's loyal servant since childhood,
and five-year-old Harry, a beautiful and talented child who sings, dances and
mimes. Shelby regrets taking the child away from his mother, Eliza, as much
as he regrets betraying Uncle Tom's faithfulness. Eliza overhears Mrs. Shelby,
a very religious woman, protesting her husband's decision, and decides to
flee the plantation with her son. George, her husband from a neighboring
plantation, has already left for Canada via the "underground railroad," a
secret network of people who usher runaway slaves to freedom in the North.
Eliza plans to do the same, and tries to convince Uncle Tom to save himself
and come with her. Uncle Tom, however, must remain loyal to his master,
despite his betrayal and the risk of death at the cruel hands of a new master,
and does not accompany Eliza on her journey to the Ohio River.
Throughout the novel, Stowe shows slavery as hurtful and harmful to
individual slaves, physically and emotionally; she knows this will have a
wrenching emotional effect upon her audience. Thus Harris's forcing George
to kill his own dog, Eliza's painful and frightened flight away from the only
home she remembers, Tom's heartbroken farewell to his wife and children,
the separation of old Aunt Hagar from her last and only child, the brutal
whippings endured by George, Prue, Tom all of these incidents are
effective in showing the institution as it creates pain.
But even more terrible, from Stowe's point of view, is its creation of
moral injury. Beginning subtly, with her sketch of Black Sam on Shelby's

farm, whose morality is compromised by his need to promote himself as a

favorite to his master (making him willing to help capture Eliza and her son if
need be), Stowe shows slaves whose moral and spiritual soundness is
damaged or destroyed by what happens to them. Lucy, on the steamboat,
commits suicide despite Tom's efforts to help her. Old Prue, in New Orleans,
tells Tom she would rather go to hell than to a heaven where white people
are; she is in despair, and she dies in this condition. Cassy, too, is in despair;
she has committed murder and attempted murder, and she is ready to kill
Legree. St. Clare's slaves, who have learned to see themselves as
materialistically as their owners see them, are morally degenerate. The
thousands of slaves sold into sexual slavery or used sexually by their owners
are in grave moral danger. Children like Topsy, raised to think of themselves
as objects, of no value, are being set up, through absolutely no fault of their
own, for morally barren lives and worse, for lives of sin: the choice of evil
over good.
The theme of Uncle Tom's Cabin, then, is the conflict between the evil
of slavery and the good of Christian love. Eva, symbolic of this sort of love, is
killed (mythically) by slavery, but like Tom, she triumphs over death and thus
over evil. If Tom were willing to hate Legree, to deny him Christian love, still
he would not necessarily be willing to kill the man, as Cassy asks, or to allow
Cassy to kill him, or to run away along with Cassy and Emmeline and leave
Legree's other slaves to face the consequences nor, of course, would he
necessarily be willing to give up Cassy and Emmeline's hiding place to
Legree; the difference, however, would be one of degree, not of kind. Tom
too, then, dies but triumphs over death as, we are meant to understand,
do the two men who have carried out Legree's orders to kill him, saved from
evil by Tom's dying love and forgiveness. Legree does not so triumph; in spite
of Tom's prayers, we are told that he continues to choose evil and at last dies
in it, physically as he has spiritually and no doubt luckily for the popularity
of the novel, whose readers might have protested had the villain been
allowed to escape his just punishment in the afterlife.

MOVIE SUMMARY
(Flame in the Wind)

The show focused on the community of Haviland and its citizens. The
main families were the Skerba, Reynolds, Austens, and Farrells.
When the series began, Haviland's richest citizen, widowed Kate
Austen (Kathleen Maguire) wrote a novel, in the same manner as Main
Street, which showed Haviland's citizens in a less than perfect light. After the
novel was stopped by her publisher, she and her son, Chris (Richard
Thomas), left Haviland, never to return. Her former mother-in-law, Louise
Austen (Josephine Nichols) remained in town to become a friend to Jason
Farrell (Walter Coy), who had marital troubles with his wife, Leslie (Rita
Lloyd); Kate's place as town gossip was taken by Miriam Bentley (Lesley
Woods).
The later stories were focused on young love, embodied by the two
Skerba sisters, Linda (Barbara Rodell; Jane Elliot) and Jane (Beverly Hayes;
Margaret Ladd), battling over the same young man, Steve Reynolds, the son
of Kate's former book publisher, Craig Reynolds (Frank Schofield). Linda, who
eventually went to New York, to become an actress, dated her director, Paul
Davis (Conard Fowkes); and sensible Jane remained behind in Haviland and
married Steve Reynolds (Gordon Gray; Tom Holland). However, later on,
Linda and wealthy Roxanne Farrell Reynolds (Margaret Hayes) vied for the
same guy, Doug Colton (Ion Berger), who eventually married Roxanne for her
money.
When the show's title was changed to A Time for Us, (the title which it
became better known) the Skerba family (besides Jane and Linda, the family
included their father Al (Roy Poole), a construction foreman; and Martha
(Lenka Peterson), the sympathetic mother) underwent a name change as
well.

Since the name, Skerba, was considered somewhat ethnic for the time,
it was changed to the more Americanized name of Driscoll. Which was
successful in that it eliminated the class conflict that had been part of the
show's first year, and put the Driscolls on the same social footing as the
other families of Haviland.
The series is notable for beginning many careers of performers. Leslie
Charleson, Jane Elliot, Margaret Ladd, Terry Logan, and Barbara Rodell are
among them. Oscar-nominated actress Anne Revere also appeared on this
show.

Reaction/Reflection
(Flame in the Wind)

This movie is a set in the splendor and terror of the Spanish Inquisition
and is a gripping drama of heroic Christian faith. Carlos, an earnest young
nobleman, faces a choice: the church system offers safety, protection, and
respectability; but the Scriptures offer Christ and salvation from sin and with
these, torture and death. This film vividly portrays the conflict between
following the Bible and following religious tradition.

MOVIE SUMMARY
(Jose Rizal)
The movie begins in 1891 with Jose Rizal, played by Cesar Montano, as
an established author and linguist who speaks more than 20 languages. He
vows to write about the sufferings of the Filipino people under the tyranny of
Spanish rule, and about their abuse by corrupt priests. Rizal's writings
galvanize the Filipino people but earn the scorn of the Spanish government,
which vows to crush the rebellion of the Filipinos.

The Spanish military capture and torture Jose's brother Paciano, played
by Pen Medina, to determine Jose's role in the rebellion. During a flashback,
Jose says Paciano greatly influenced him by exposing him to the injustice
going on in the Philippines. Paciano is released after his interrogation and
returns to Manila, where the family plans to go on the run. An order is given
to arrest Jose Rizal on sight.
The movie cuts back to Jose's childhood, when he was called Pepe.
When he is a child, his mother is falsely arrested for attempted murder and
jailed for two years. He gets attention from educators early on for his
intelligence and writing prowess. As a young man, he criticizes a college
professor for stating that Spaniards are superior to Filipinos. Filipino students
start fighting Spanish students after Jose starts raising the issue of Filipino
independence. Cutting back to 1896, Jose is captured and put on trial, and
his books are banned.
The film then cuts back and forth between Jose's rise as a revolutionary
and his fall from grace during his trial. As a student, Rizal spent significant
time in Madrid but then became disgusted with Spain's occupation of Filipino
land and Spanish treatment of Filipino citizens. The mayor of Madrid is
arrested and discredited for having a Rizal book. A violent revolt breaks out
in 1896, which Jose does not support because he sees it as mass suicide.
Going back to the trial, enormous pressure is put upon Jose's defense
attorneys, with critics branding them as traitors for defending the rebel.
It is revealed in a flashback that Jose had fathered a child that had died
soon after birth, adding to his inner turmoil as he buried his only son. In the
trial, his books are examined and criticized for their pro-Filipino stance
against Spanish imperialists. He is found guilty of staging a rebellion through
his speaking and writing, and he's condemned to death by firing squad. He
sneaks a poem to his family before his execution, and he yells "It is done!" A
full-blown rebellion is soon under way. Two years later, in 1898, the Filipino
flag is lifted triumphantly as the citizens celebrate their independence.

Reaction/Reflection
(Jose Rizal)
I think that Cesar Montanos interpretation of our hero Rizal is better
than todays Rizal thespians. I guess, his acting became the springboard of
all Rizal-to-be actors. Overall, the movies great with a bit of flaws but still
great. My reaction would be based on these three ideas: Cesars
performance, the movies flaws, and lastly, its good sides.
Firstly, Cesar Montano is a man worthy of praises for his excellent
performance in his portrayal of Dr. Rizal. His actions embodied and
convinced the audience that he is Rizal; he is not the contemporary Montano
but instead, he is the personification of our national hero. Rizals hesitations,
his daydreams, his anger, and happiness these were all seen within Cesars
eyes. Youd almost say he was born as the reincarnation of Rizal because his
acting was almost natural. The way he walked, talked, and acted out his
feelings were neither too dramatic nor too somber it was the right mixture
of both and it turned out splendidly.
Now, how am I sure that that is how the real Rizal works? That that is
how the actual Rizal acts, speaks, and behaves? Well, Im not. Like most
people who lived out of Rizals time frame, I am only assuming things
according to how I see Rizal through various exposures to his works,
biographies, subjects, topics, ideas, trivia, and generally on what had been
taught in school.
Every individual, being unique in nature, has his or her own unique mind that
works in different ways. That is why, I view Rizal as to how Cesar played it
and whatever view you may have, that does not generally apply to me. This
is my reaction to Cesars acting and if some people do not agree with that,
Im fine with that. But dont have misconceptions that I like Cesar Montano
as an artist and that Im an avid fan of him, which Im not. I am simply
stating my opinions on his performance without any biases of the sort.

The second part of my reaction is about the movies flaws. If you are
not very familiar with Philippine history; the Spanish Colonial Era; Jose Rizal
and the other propagandists; and or you are simply not good with time
frames, then this movie will confuse you. Why? For the reason that, the
movies structure is of the conversational type every instances that a
certain conversation triggers something, the influx in time is imminent from
the present, the screen plays a narration of either the past; an episode from
Dr. Rizals works; or the past in yet, another past. It flows like a dream within
a dream. It shows Dr. Rizals life in bits like a puzzle that works out its way
to assemble its lost pieces. Eventhough this certain type of movie structure
has its own charm and beauty, certain audiences might get confuse. Thus, it
becomes highly recommendable for viewers to have even a bit of
background to fully capture the intent of the film.
Furthermore, I do not know if this is included but, my copy is like the
films structure shown in bits and pieces plus a certain file does not have an
audio when you reach its middle part. But then, maybe it was just that this
film is old enough to be considered as vintage for those who live in the 21st
century like me so its quality is not of the highest quality.
Lastly, of course I will not focus myself and waste my time until the
end of my paper, criticizing this movie and pointing out its flaws. I will also
give out its good points.
One of it I think is the way the movie was presented. I know that I had
just criticized it on my previous reaction but it could also be its natural
charm. The novelty of the presentation of its structure is what made it
most interesting. Instead of the plain and clichd story telling type, it invoked
the audiences mind to stitch up the memories presented giving them the
opportunity to see inside Rizals mind. It is a stimulating activity wherein the
audience sees the events just as how Rizal remembers it not on a
storytellers point of view rather, on the POV of Rizal and how his fate
unfolded before him towards his self-induced death.

This movie may be an older version and of the medium quality but it
still gives its audience a great view on the events during Rizals time. It still
gives off that nationalistic spirit and feeling at the end when the guns were
triggered and the awful thud of Rizals lifeless body finally fell back on the
earth of his homeland. It is done.
Reflection:
While watching the movie, I felt good and I felt bad. Good for the times
when Rizal was enjoying the joys of the world, the glory of living, and the
thrill of experiences. And then I felt bad for the worst times: the brutality; the
inhumane acts towards our ancestors; and the permanent scar it left on our
people ignorant love for the foreign world and its glittering gifts.

R
E
A
CT
PI 311
IO
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PA

University of Eastern Philippines

University Town, Northern Samar

(Rizal, Life, and Woks)

MOVIES:

The Count Of Monte

Cristo
Uncle Toms Cabin

A Flame In The Wind

Jos Rizal

SUBMITTED BY:

TERESA F. PULGA
BSCE 2B

SUBMITTED TO:
JOSE E. VIVA

PROFESSOR