Bulaklak sa City Jail

Bulaklak sa City Jail (English: The Flowers of the City Jail) is a 1984 Filipino neo noir crime prison drama film directed by Mario O'Hara from a story and screenplay written by Lualhati Bautista, based on her novel of the same name. Starring Nora Aunor, Gina Alajar, Celia Rodriguez, Perla Bautista, Maya Valdez, Zenaida Amador, and Maritess Gutierrez, the film depicts the situation of women in the city jail.^[1]

Bulaklak sa City Jail
Official movie poster, released in 1984.
Directed by	Mario O'Hara
Written by	Lualhati Bautista
Based on	Bulaklak sa City Jail by Lualhati Bautista
Produced by	Archie Cobarrubias Cherry Cobarrubias
Starring	Nora Aunor Gina Alajar Celia Rodriguez Zenaida Amador
Cinematography	Johnny Araojo
Edited by	Efren Jarlego
Music by	Tony Aguilar
Production company	Cherubim Films
Release date	December 25, 1984 (1984-12-25)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	Philippines
Language	Filipino

Produced by Cherubim Films, the film was theatrically released on December 25, 1984, as one of the official entries for the 10th Metro Manila Film Festival. In 2019, it was digitally restored and remastered by ABS-CBN Film Restoration, in association with Kantana Thailand and Wildsound Studios.

Plot

Angela Aguilar, a nightclub singer, was sent to the women's section of the Manila City Jail for the crime of frustrated murder. She shares the cell with her fellow cellmates including Juliet, Lena, Viring, and Barbie. One day, the female inmates witness the riot in the men's sector and the warden's forced taking of Viring's daughter Sarah. The following day, Atty. Diaz became Angela's lawyer and advised her to confess the crime she committed to end the case. She pleaded not guilty and her case continues.

Cast

• Nora Aunor as Angela Aguilar, a nightclub singer who was charged with frustrated murder
• Gina Alajar as Juliet Navarete, Angela's cellmate who was charged with estafa and has a son
• Celia Rodriguez as Lena, a prostitute
• Perla Bautista as Viring, a woman who was imprisoned for killing her husband
• Maya Valdez as Barbie Berenguer, the prison overseer who was charged with arson
• Zenaida Amador as Tonya, the prison mayor who was charged with kidnapping
• Maritess Gutierrez as Patricia
• Gloria Romero as Patricia's mother
• Ricky Davao as Crisanto
• German Moreno as Warden Ambrocio
• Bella Flores as Olga Bella, a prison warden who receives bribes from the inmates
• Shyr Valdez as Yolly
• Tom Olivar as Paquito, a cowboy hat-wearing prison guard with evil intentions
• Augusto Victa as Warden Esteban
• Alvin Enriquez as Juliet's son
• Toby Alejar as Mike
• Gigette Reyes as Adela, Crisanto's wife
• Mandy Bustamante as Leon
• Romy Nario as Totoy
• Carmen Enriquez as Atty. Jacob
• Cris Daluz as Atty. Diaz
• Sarah Gayotin as Viring's daughter
• Edwin O'Hara as Fr. Eusebio

Production staff

• Director: Mario O'Hara
• Producer: Archie and Cherry Cobarubbias
• Writer: Lualhati Bautista (story and screenplay)
• Production Designer: Tony Aguilar
• Art Director: Jon Jon Portugal
• Assistant Director: Ricardo B. De Guzman and Jon Jon Portugal
• Sound Effects: Rodel Capule
• Sound Mixer: Vic Macamay
• Music: Tony Aguilar
• Film Editor: Efren Jarlego
• Cinematographer: Johnny Araojo
• Post-Production Facilities: Magnatech Omni
• Color Processing: LVN Pictures
• Production-in-Charge: Pearl Valdez
• Production Managers: Maritess Gutierrez and Andy Biag

Release

Cherubim Films released the film on December 25, 1984, and it is one of the following entries for the 10th Metro Manila Film Festival. It won six awards including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director.

Digital restoration

The restored version of the film was premiered on November 11, 2019, at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City as part of the Cinema One Originals film festival. It was attended by the film's surviving cast and staff members: actors Ricky Davao and Tom Olivar, film producer Cherry Cobarubbias, and former actress and now chef Maritess Gutierrez (she also represented her mother Gloria Romero) as well as the staff and crew of the ABS-CBN Film Archives and the channel head of Cinema One, Ronald Arguelles. Actress Pinky Amador (niece of the late Zenaida Amador, who died in 2008), actress-producer Ruby Flores-Arcilla (daughter of Bella Flores, who died in 2013), and director Denise O'Hara (niece of Mario O'Hara, who died in 2012) also attended the premiere as the representatives of the cast and staff members who were deceased or unable to attend.^[2][3]

Reception

Critical reception

Engelbert Rafferty, writing for Film Police Reviews, called the film a "classic" and praised the screenplay written by Lualhati Bautista, which she made alive and fascinated the viewers and the dramatic performances of the cast, particularly Nora Aunor for playing the character who was described as "a woman maltreated by society".^[4]

Awards and recognition

Year	Group	Category	Nominee	Result
1984	Metro Manila Film Festival	Best Picture	Bulaklak sa City Jail	Won
		Best Director	Mario O'Hara	Won
		Best Actress	Nora Aunor	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Tom Olivar	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Celia Rodriguez	Won
		Best Screenplay	Lualhati Bautista	Won
		Best Story	Lualhati Bautista	Won
1985	33rd FAMAS Awards	Best Actress	Nora Aunor	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Perla Bautista	Won
		Best Picture		Nominated
		Best Director	Mario O'Hara	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Lualhati Bautista	Nominated
	Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino)	Best Actress	Nora Aunor	Nominated
		Best Picture		Nominated
		Best Director	Mario O'Hara	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Perla Bautista	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Celia Rodriguez	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Lualhati Bautista	Nominated
		Best Editing	Efren Jarlego	Nominated
		Best Production Design	Tony Aguilar	Nominated
	Film Academy of the Philippines (Luna Awards)	Best Story Adaptation	Luhalhati Bautista	Won
		Best Actress	Nora Aunor	Nominated
	Catholic Mass Media Awards	Best Actress	Nora Aunor	Won

References

1. "Bulaklak Review". Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
2. "Restored BULAKLAK SA CITY JAIL and MISTERYO SA TUWA Interviews". Facebook. November 16, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
3. "Cinema One Originals Premiere of BULAKLAK SA CITY JAIL". Facebook. November 11, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
4. Rafferty, Engelbert (November 20, 2019). "Cinema One Originals 2019 Review: Bulaklak sa City Jail (Restored Version)". Film Police Reviews. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

External links

• Bulaklak sa City Jail at IMDb