It was one of the classics na matagal ko na dapat hinanap at pinanood. Coz when I saw it yesterday in Fox Movies, I realized I’ve been missing out on one of the best films Hollywood ever produced.
Hindi ko sya naumpisahan. Ang inabot ko ay yong eksena where Joanna (Meryl Streep) was saying goodbye to Ted (Dustin Hoffman). In fact, it was Meryl’s face that stopped me from clicking the remote control further. I’m a sucker for Meryl’s films – that I’ve confessed a long time ago.
And boy was I delighted nang ma-realize ko na ito yong Kramer vs Kramer! Must be my lucky day. I stopped fiddling with my laptop, never took my eyes off the tv set and got lost with the riveting drama presented scene after scene after scene.
The film was made in 1979. Kasagsagan ng feminism at women’s lib ideology. That’s why the plot presented a different twist. Normally kasi sa mga family drama, it was the husband leaving the family. Dito, it was Joanna who left her husband Ted and young son Billy ‘to find herself’.
What followed was the story of how Ted struggled to keep pace with two very demanding roles – an advertising executive and a father to a young son. He loses out on the first, but was successful in the latter. Ang ganda nong development ng relasyon between Ted and Billy that led to a strong bond between father and son.
Only to be interrupted nong bumalik na ang mother (Joanna) to claim right to her son. Nagkaroon ng courtroom drama when the custody battle ensued. Joanna won the right to her son but the story provided a
n ending which is more sensitive and morally correct than the court ruling.
Ang maganda dito, balanse yong presentation ng sides ni Joanna at Ted. You can empathize with both and it will make you struggle if you will take sides. At first, kampi ako kay Ted. But I got to understand Joanna and felt for her too.
It won Best Picture sa Oscars in 1979. Totally agree. The story, in it’s wonderfully simple plot, was successful in bringing a whole gamut of emotions into the screen. Very effective yong editing, even the musical score and the cinematography. In short, it’s a very well crafted film kaya deserving din si Robert Benton in his Best Director award.
It also won Best Writing from Another Medium (today I think it’s called Best Screenplay Adaptation) for Benton and Avery Corman who was the author of the novel the movie was based from.
Dustin Hoffman, of course, deserves his Best Actor trophy as well as Meryl who got her first Oscar. Kaso, it was Best Supporting Actress. Which puzzled me dahil lead naman yong role nya. kahit pa sabihing kakaunti yong sequences nya sa film, it could never be considered supporting dahil sya ang lead female character. Ah well, just one of the many Oscar blunders.
But the main dramatic fiber of the film was the kid, Billy, effectively portrayed by the then 7-yr old Justin Henry. In fact, it was his character that pulled the film together. Magaling si Dustin. Magaling si Meryl. Pero mas magaling yong bata. Dahil kung hindi sya ganon kagaling, hindi lalabas na ganon ka-heart wrenching yong film.
Sya ang medyo nagpa-iyak sa akin ng dalawang beses. Una nong nag-sorry sya sa
father nya after throwing a tantrum over dinner. Second, nong tinutulungan nyang mag-luto ang Daddy nya the day before na susunduin sya ng Mom nya. Simple yong eksena, walang dialog. Pero matindi ang dating. Galing-galing ng bata! If I could only rewrite Oscar’s history, sya ang papanalunin ko for Best Supporting Actor. (Sabi sa official Oscar site, he remains to be the youngest Oscar nominee till this date.)
Naalala ko tuloy yong The Pursuit of Happyness ni Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden Smith. Ito yong mga klase ng films na dapat mapanood ng lahat ng mga father. Coz once in a while, we have to be reminded how wonderful father and son relationship can be.
Hindi ko sya naumpisahan. Ang inabot ko ay yong eksena where Joanna (Meryl Streep) was saying goodbye to Ted (Dustin Hoffman). In fact, it was Meryl’s face that stopped me from clicking the remote control further. I’m a sucker for Meryl’s films – that I’ve confessed a long time ago.
And boy was I delighted nang ma-realize ko na ito yong Kramer vs Kramer! Must be my lucky day. I stopped fiddling with my laptop, never took my eyes off the tv set and got lost with the riveting drama presented scene after scene after scene.
The film was made in 1979. Kasagsagan ng feminism at women’s lib ideology. That’s why the plot presented a different twist. Normally kasi sa mga family drama, it was the husband leaving the family. Dito, it was Joanna who left her husband Ted and young son Billy ‘to find herself’.
What followed was the story of how Ted struggled to keep pace with two very demanding roles – an advertising executive and a father to a young son. He loses out on the first, but was successful in the latter. Ang ganda nong development ng relasyon between Ted and Billy that led to a strong bond between father and son.
Only to be interrupted nong bumalik na ang mother (Joanna) to claim right to her son. Nagkaroon ng courtroom drama when the custody battle ensued. Joanna won the right to her son but the story provided a
n ending which is more sensitive and morally correct than the court ruling.Ang maganda dito, balanse yong presentation ng sides ni Joanna at Ted. You can empathize with both and it will make you struggle if you will take sides. At first, kampi ako kay Ted. But I got to understand Joanna and felt for her too.
It won Best Picture sa Oscars in 1979. Totally agree. The story, in it’s wonderfully simple plot, was successful in bringing a whole gamut of emotions into the screen. Very effective yong editing, even the musical score and the cinematography. In short, it’s a very well crafted film kaya deserving din si Robert Benton in his Best Director award.
It also won Best Writing from Another Medium (today I think it’s called Best Screenplay Adaptation) for Benton and Avery Corman who was the author of the novel the movie was based from.
Dustin Hoffman, of course, deserves his Best Actor trophy as well as Meryl who got her first Oscar. Kaso, it was Best Supporting Actress. Which puzzled me dahil lead naman yong role nya. kahit pa sabihing kakaunti yong sequences nya sa film, it could never be considered supporting dahil sya ang lead female character. Ah well, just one of the many Oscar blunders.
But the main dramatic fiber of the film was the kid, Billy, effectively portrayed by the then 7-yr old Justin Henry. In fact, it was his character that pulled the film together. Magaling si Dustin. Magaling si Meryl. Pero mas magaling yong bata. Dahil kung hindi sya ganon kagaling, hindi lalabas na ganon ka-heart wrenching yong film.
Sya ang medyo nagpa-iyak sa akin ng dalawang beses. Una nong nag-sorry sya sa
father nya after throwing a tantrum over dinner. Second, nong tinutulungan nyang mag-luto ang Daddy nya the day before na susunduin sya ng Mom nya. Simple yong eksena, walang dialog. Pero matindi ang dating. Galing-galing ng bata! If I could only rewrite Oscar’s history, sya ang papanalunin ko for Best Supporting Actor. (Sabi sa official Oscar site, he remains to be the youngest Oscar nominee till this date.)Naalala ko tuloy yong The Pursuit of Happyness ni Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden Smith. Ito yong mga klase ng films na dapat mapanood ng lahat ng mga father. Coz once in a while, we have to be reminded how wonderful father and son relationship can be.
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