78-530: [REDACTED] Look up itim in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ITIM may refer to: ITIM: Resources and Advocacy for Jewish Life Immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif ITIM (news agency) International Tibet Independence Movement IBM Tivoli Identity Manager , an IBM software product for managing user access to computer resources ITIM: IT Infrastructure Monitoring Topics referred to by
156-459: A cinematographer , Mike de Leon was known for his award-winning work on the 1975 film Manila in the Claws of Light , which was directed by Lino Brocka . Although de Leon did not initially set out to become a director , following Manila , in 1975, he made a short film Monologo ( Monologue ), his second directorial effort after the 1972 short Sa Bisperas . Monologo would serve as a turning point,
234-454: A "stunning picture – beautifully built up with glowing images and color compositions that get us into the feelings of our man and into the characteristics of the mod world in which he dwells". Even director Ingmar Bergman , who generally disliked Antonioni's work, called the film a masterpiece. The conscience of Thomas in Blow-Up is not troubled by any sense of obligation or responsibility to
312-400: A blurred figure on the ground under a bush in the blow-up, which he suspects is the dead body of a man shot by the gunman. As evening falls, he goes back to the park without his camera and finds the body, but is scared off by the sound of a twig breaking. He returns to his studio to find it ransacked, with all of the negatives and prints gone except for one very grainy blow-up of what is possibly
390-506: A cautionary tale in which the pursuit of material gain is a threat to humanity." The plot of Blow-Up was inspired by Argentine-French writer Julio Cortázar 's 1959 short story "Las babas del diablo", collected in End of the Game and Other Stories , which in turn was based on a story told to Cortázar by photographer Sergio Larraín . The short story was subsequently retitled "Blow-Up" to connect it with
468-510: A childhood favorite of his, the 1954 feature Prinsipe Teñoso . De Leon recalled approaching Rolando Tinio , his former teacher, to discuss whether his wife, actress Ella Luansing, would play the espiritista in the film. However, Tinio turned the discussion into a criticism of Manila and the role eventually went to Sarah Joaquin. Principal photography commenced at the ancestral home of de Leon's family in San Miguel , Bulacan over
546-443: A former color grader and optical print operator at LVN Pictures. Lacap had first been hired by de Leon as a gaffer and lighting director for his short film Monologo . He would go on to be the cinematographer of several of de Leon's other films, including Kakabakaba Ka Ba? , Kisapmata , Batch '81 , and Sister Stella L . , as well as Peque Gallaga 's Oro, Plata, Mata and Marilou Diaz-Abaya 's José Rizal . Lacap
624-470: A ghost or a presence in his own house. [...] his camera saw it but he did not." Regarding the categorization of Itim as a horror film, de Leon explained that he accepted it, and added that others influences included Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now , that he had watched "in Germany in the mid-1970s", and Jack Clayton's The Innocents , that he had found extremely "frightening" and praised greatly. The film
702-518: A little different from most other Filipino films was that they didn't focus on depicting squalor and poverty, which international festivals love in third world films. Instead, they dealt with the corruption of the Filipino middle and upper classes, the abusive patriarchal rule in the Filipino family, or the fascist training instilled in student fraternities." The same year the director explained that "horror" had come to mean something even darker than what
780-403: A man following him and looking into his car. Thomas returns to his studio to find Jane, who asks desperately for the film. They have a conversation and flirt, but he deliberately hands her a different roll of film. She, in turn, gives him a false telephone number. Thomas makes several blow-ups of the film of Jane and her lover, which reveal Jane appearing to look worriedly at a person lurking in
858-413: A missing Catholic nun , is dead. Her younger sister, Teresa, is uneasy. Their mother asks the espiritista if she can speak to Rosa. The medium tells her to wait for Good Friday . Meanwhile, Jun, a young photographer from Manila , is visiting his mute and wheelchair-bound-father, Dr. Torres, in their provincial hometown during Holy Week . Throughout his visit, Jun photographs various Lenten rituals for
SECTION 10
#1733094141109936-486: A niche in folk Catholic practice, which does not take issue with religious syncretism ." The topic is thus approached with seriousness and confers a certain religious legitimacy to the practices of spiritism, distinguishing the séances in Itim from other depictions of such scenes in horror film. The character of Jun, the young photographer, first encounters the apostle statues when he takes photos of them as several women chant
1014-494: A possibility, or, at least, a promise." Commentators have noted that in the approach of the filmmaker religion and horror themes share the trope of darkness or blackness ( Itim meaning black ). A French retrospective presentation found that the typically Filipino syncretism of mysticism and Christianity is visible in the film through certain stylistic choices: " Itim shines with this singular harmony of gentleness and fear, of magical realism and spectral fantasy. [De Leon] lets
1092-419: Is Antonioni's first entirely English-language film and stars David Hemmings , Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles . Model Veruschka von Lehndorff is also featured as herself. The plot was inspired by Argentine-French writer Julio Cortázar 's 1959 short story " Las babas del diablo ", which was later retitled "Blow-Up" to tie in with the film. Set within the contemporary mod subculture of Swinging London ,
1170-451: Is a " thriller -suspense" story revolving around the efforts of a young and successful fashion photographer in his struggle to determine whether a series of photographs he takes at a public park contain evidence of a murder. As Thomas persists, his quest leads him initially to question his technical mastery over the "hidden truth" recorded by his camera, then toward a confrontation with the realities of his life of "material advantages, gained at
1248-462: Is a photo of his father and a young woman, who he soon learns is Rosa. It is revealed in another séance that the spirit of Rosa possesses Teresa. Rosa's spirit lets out that she was having an affair with Dr. Torres, who forced her to have an abortion, resulting in her death. Soon after the incident, Dr. Torres figured in a car accident that left him mute and paralyzed. After revealing what happened, Rosa exacts her revenge, causing Dr. Torres to fall down
1326-656: Is called into question. Anthony Quinn, writing for The Guardian in 2017 for the film's fiftieth anniversary, described Blow-Up as "a picture about perception and ambiguity", suggesting an association between elements of the film and the Zapruder film capturing the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy . According to author Thomas Beltzer, the film explores the "inherently alienating" qualities of mass media, where "the camera has turned us into passive voyeurs, programmable for predictable responses, ultimately helpless and even inhumanly dead". Bilge Eberi of Houston Press notes
1404-488: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages itim Itim ( lit. ' black ' in Filipino ), released overseas as The Rites of May , is a 1976 Philippine supernatural horror drama film and the feature directorial debut of Mike de Leon , with a screenplay by Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. and Gil Quito. The film, that has been described as "one of
1482-404: Is regarded as the first major production design work of Chionglo, who would later go on to be a respected director in his own right, best known for the trilogy consisting of Sibak , Burlesk King , and Twilight Dancers . On the set of Itim , Chionglo was also assigned to assist newcomer Santos as her acting coach . The film also served as the first cinematography work of Rody Lacap,
1560-518: Is set during Holy Week , which film academic Bliss Cua Lim described as "a season in which the mundane time of everyday life intersects with a biblical temporality of sin, repentance, and redemption ." The final scene occurs during Good Friday , which Lim suggested meant the story falls short of the redemption symbolized by Easter Sunday and thus "closes on the darkness of death, remorse, and frailty named in its title." There are several allusions to Catholic rites , devotions , and images, including
1638-445: The Pasyon . The statues then appear to Jun in a dream. They surround him and then suddenly begin moving towards and circling him, alerting Jun to the heinous deed committed by his father. Sison commented: "The folk Catholic imagery recognizes the divine intervention of religious images who will use dreamscape as a means to interrupt sinful patterns in the characters' lives and make metanoia
SECTION 20
#17330941411091716-536: The British Film Institute since the 1970s. On May 20, 2022, the restored version premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Cannes Classics section. It was personally introduced by Cannes Delegate General Thierry Frémaux . The restored version had its Philippine premiere at the 10th QCinema International Film Festival . In November that same year, the restored film was included in
1794-476: The digital restoration of Itim , delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic led director Mike de Leon to fund the restoration himself. The restoration was done by L'Immagine Ritrovata, the same film lab de Leon worked with for the restoration of his films Batch '81 and Kisapmata , as well as for the restoration of Manila in the Claws of Light . The restoration used the original negatives, which had been stored at
1872-503: The uninterrupted chanting of the Pasyon ; a veiled statue of the Virgin Mary ; and a group of twelve life-size saint statues representing the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. These allusions, theologist Antonio Sison contended, are presented through the lens of " folk Catholic imaginary ", that blends images of Catholicism with the Filipino primal religion . As such, the séances depicted are not part of Catholic belief but "occup(y)
1950-709: The "Mike De Leon, Self-Portrait of a Filipino Filmmaker" retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City . It was screened alongside screenwriter Clodualdo del Mundo's behind-the-scenes documentary Itim: An Exploration in Cinema . The following month, Itim was shown in another retrospective, "Mike de Leon: A Life in (Moving) Pictures" at the Three Continents Festival in Nantes , France . In March 2023, Itim
2028-423: The 1978 Asian Film Festival, Itim was awarded Best Picture, and Charo Santos was recognized as Best Actress. Mike de Leon's sophomore feature, Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising , as well as Eddie Romero 's Ganito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? were also festival entries. De Leon's father, producer Manuel de Leon (although not a producer of Itim ), accepted the award for Best Picture on his son's behalf. In 1956,
2106-470: The Manila-based magazine he works for. He comes across Teresa and takes her photograph while she is dazed. Following this are several chance encounters where she exhibits strange behaviors she does not seem to have control over. Soon, however, they discover that it was not chance but the supernatural that brought them together. In the clinic of his father, Jun finds a film negative; he develops it and sees it
2184-600: The Skin Trade . Most of Blow-Up was shot on location throughout London. The film's opening scene was filmed on the Plaza of The Economist Building in St. James's Street , Westminster , a project by ' New Brutalist ' architects Alison and Peter Smithson that was constructed between 1959 and 1964. The park scenes were filmed at Maryon Park in Charlton ; the park has changed little since
2262-746: The Spiders from Mars would later be photographed) and Cheyne Walk in Chelsea . The scene in which the Yardbirds perform "Stroll On" – a modified version of " Train Kept A-Rollin' " with new lyrics – was filmed in a replica of the Ricky-Tick club at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood , Hertfordshire from 12 to 14 October 1966. Janet Street-Porter appears in the scene as an extra. Actor Ronan O'Casey claimed that
2340-411: The body. After driving into town, he sees Jane and follows her into the Ricky-Tick club, where the Yardbirds are performing the song "Stroll On". A buzzing noise in guitarist Jeff Beck 's amplifier angers him so much that he smashes his guitar and throws its neck into the crowd. The crowd, previously disengaged, fights over the guitar neck. Thomas grabs the neck and runs out of the club, with much of
2418-466: The contract. Following these setbacks, de Leon asked for Brocka's assistance in casting Hilda Koronel , but her fee was beyond their budget. As a result, the production was risked on newcomers, including Charo Santos and Susan Valdez. After winning the Baron Travel Girl beauty pageant , Santos, then a college student, was noticed by Brocka. The latter referred Santos to de Leon and a screen test
ITIM - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-495: The contrast between "the sinewy movements of the girls, their psychedelic jumpsuits and slinky dresses and multicolored minis," and "the blurred, frozen, inchoate unknowability of the death contained within [Thomas'] image," which "is a glimpse of the eternal and elemental...that completely reorders, or rather disorders, Thomas's world. As an artist, he can't capture it or understand it or do anything with it. As an individual, he can't possess it or consume it." Roger Ebert described
2574-433: The course of two months in 1976. Since it was his family's home, built in the 1920s at his grand-mother Dona Narcisa Vda. de Leon's request, de Leon took liberties with the set production, including removing walls and moving old furniture around, much to the displeasure of his father when he visited the set. The house is the place "where more than two decades later [de Leon] would also shoot Bayaning 3rd World . " Itim
2652-453: The crowd chasing after him; once he is away from the crowd, he tosses the neck away and walks on. A passer-by picks up the neck and examines it, but also discards it. At a drug-drenched party in a house on the Thames, Thomas asks a cannabis -addled Ron to come to the park as a witness, but cannot convince him of what has happened. Instead, Thomas joins the party at Ron's insistence and wakes up in
2730-538: The darkness take over the setting to the point of making it a character in its own right." This implied a particular use of colour that restoration enhanced. A French review of the restoration version indicated: "Often described by critics as a slow-burn, atmospheric horror, the film has the expected oppressive darkness against white compounded with unexpected dark browns and maroons in interiors against verdant backgrounds. The Italian film laboratory L'Immagine Ritrovata restored these qualities to their proper depth, soaking
2808-435: The director was "[m]eticulous in preparing a shot . He was particular about how the lighting was set up." which implied long waits from the actors on set. The more experienced Tommy Abuel also recalled that de Leon "was mainly concerned with the technical aspects of the film such as camera angles , shots, lighting , etc." De Leon himself admitted he was not an actor's director, but rather treated film acting as an element of
2886-453: The expense of ideals". Finally, he questions the reality of his own existence. Film historian Gordon Gow identifies the object in Antonioni's use of suspense: "In the case of Blow-Up, the mystery [i.e. whether a murder took place] is relevant to the film, but the solution of it is not. Indeed, the absence of a solution is part of the point: life's uncertainty...the true suspense resides not in
2964-412: The experience piquing his interest in directing. Brocka, was the first person to view the rough cut of Monologo. He subsequently encouraged de Leon to pursue directing. De Leon thus later described Itim as an offshoot of Monologo . The script of Itim was written by Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. , who wrote the script of Manila , and del Mundo's brother-in-law, Gil Quito. Quito conceived of setting
3042-510: The festival's highest honour. The American release of the counterculture-era film with its explicit sexual content defied Hollywood's Production Code , and its subsequent critical and commercial success influenced the abandonment of the code in 1968 in favour of the MPAA film rating system . Blowup has influenced subsequent films including Francis Ford Coppola 's The Conversation (1974) and Brian De Palma 's Blow Out (1981). In 2012, it
3120-459: The fictional genre supposed, as his country was now facing not imaginary ghosts but the actual "monsters of Philippine politics", adding that the said monsters, "after a long wait in the subterranean caverns of hell, ha[d] returned to ravish and rape my country all over again. The crazy thing is that we invited them back.” A 2023 French review of the DVD version wrote that Mike de Leon used "fantasy [...] as
3198-431: The film Child of Sorrow , produced by Manuel de Leon, had received the same honor. Itim also received four Gawad Urian awards: Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Editing, and Best Sound. Blowup Blowup (also styled Blow-Up ) is a 1966 psychological mystery film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni , co-written by Antonioni, Tonino Guerra and Edward Bond and produced by Carlo Ponti . It
ITIM - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-497: The film a "far-out, uptight and vibrantly exciting picture" that represented a "screeching change of creative direction" for Antonioni; the magazine predicted it would "undoubtedly be by far the most popular movie Antonioni has ever made". Bosley Crowther , film critic of The New York Times , called it a "fascinating picture", but expressed reservations, describing the "usual Antonioni passages of seemingly endless wanderings" as "redundant and long"; nevertheless, he called Blow-Up
3354-463: The film as "a hypnotic conjuring act, in which a character is awakened briefly from a deep sleep of bored alienation and then drifts away again. This is the arc of the film. Not 'Swinging London.' Not existential mystery. Not the parallels between what Hemmings does with his photos and what Antonioni does with Hemmings. But simply the observations that we are happy when we are doing what we do well, and unhappy seeking pleasure elsewhere. I imagine Antonioni
3432-402: The film calls it "an esoteric psychological drama that leans towards genre cinema". It has also been described as Leon's "horror masterpiece". In a mixed retrospective review for AsianMoviePlus, however, Don Anelli criticized the "unnecessary technical flourishes" and the "slow-burn" pace of the film, and stated that Itim was a "generally enjoyable if somewhat flawed supernatural effort". At
3510-462: The film during Holy Week and incorporating spiritualism . He recalled that the script was written with relative ease, except for the ending. Spiritist Becky Gutierrez was on set as a consultant for the psychic-related elements of the film. She wrote down the incantations from her actual séances for the production team, which were then used to inform the final scene. De Leon also credits production designer Mel Chionglo for assistance in re-writing
3588-506: The film follows a fashion photographer (Hemmings) who believes he has unwittingly captured a murder on film. The cinematographer was Carlo di Palma . The film's non- diegetic music was scored by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock , and the English rock group The Yardbirds are seen performing "Stroll On". In the main competition of the 1967 Cannes Film Festival , Blowup won the Palme d'Or ,
3666-501: The film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics. American director Martin Scorsese included Blow-Up on his list of "39 Essential Foreign Films for a Young Filmmaker". Films such as The Conversation , Blow Out , Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Enemy of the State have been inspired by Blow-Up . Warner Home Video released a Region 1 DVD of
3744-510: The film on their list of the Ten Best Films of the '70s. In 1998, after a screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reader Theater , as part of a Festival of Philippine Cinema, Ray Privett highly praised the "sparse, long-take style" of the film and its soundtrack and stated that watching the film was an experience that would haunt him for some time. A retrospective review of
3822-475: The film was shot, although Antonioni painted the grass green to meet his requirements. Photographer John Cowan leased his studio at 39 Princes Place in Notting Hill to Antonioni for much of the interior and exterior filming, and Cowan's own photographic murals are featured in the film. Other locations included Heddon Street (where the cover of David Bowie 's album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and
3900-496: The film's mysterious nature is the product of an "unfinished" production. In a 1999 letter to Roger Ebert , O'Casey wrote that scenes that would have "depict[ed] the planning of the murder and its aftermath – scenes with Vanessa, Sarah Miles, and Jeremy Glover, Vanessa's new young lover who plots with her to murder me – were never shot because the film went seriously over budget." O'Casey had previously told this story to Der Spiegel in 1967, where he stated that Dyson Lovell played
3978-508: The film, in which Thomas fails to resolve the contradictions and ambiguities that arise from his investigations and his own life. Thomas' fate is known and the audience's suspense is resolved, but Antonioni leaves the meaning of the film open to speculation. Gow considers two interpretations for the ending: "Since Blow-Up is not resolved happily, but rather in a total surrender to fantasy and consequently to oblivion, we can take it either as an exhortation to come to terms with reality, or as
SECTION 50
#17330941411094056-422: The film. The life of Swinging London photographer David Bailey was also an influence on the plot. Several people were offered the role of the protagonist, including Sean Connery (who declined when Antonioni refused to show him the script), David Bailey, and Terence Stamp , who was replaced shortly before filming began after Antonioni saw David Hemmings in a stage production of Dylan Thomas ' Adventures in
4134-450: The girl [Vanessa Redgrave as Jane] he has photographed in the park. Human relationships do not go very deep with Thomas. Selfish and self-tormented, he draws what confidence he can from the mastery he has over his camera. Yet his blow-ups of the pictures from the park disclose that the camera has possibly functioned independently [of him], in the sense that there is more in the photographs than Thomas realized when he took them. Thus his mastery
4212-440: The house at sunrise. He then returns to the park alone, only to find that the body is gone. Thomas watches a mime troupe perform a mock-tennis match at the park, and picks up the imaginary ball and throws it back to the two players when asked. As he watches the mimes continue to play, the sound of the ball being played is heard. His image then fades away, leaving only the grass. Uncredited: Antonioni's screenplay for Blow-Up
4290-552: The models and walks off, leaving them and the production staff in the lurch. As he leaves the studio, two teenage aspiring models ask to speak to him, but he brushes them off and drives off to visit an antique shop near Maryon Park . Wandering into the park, Thomas furtively takes photographs of two lovers. The woman, Jane, is furious at being photographed and pursues Thomas, demanding his film and attempting to take his camera. He refuses, and continues to photograph her as she runs away. Thomas then meets his agent Ron for lunch and notices
4368-477: The most remarkable debuts in cinema history", stars Tommy Abuel as a young photographer visiting his father (played by Mario Montenegro ) in his provincial town during the Lenten season . There, he encounters a mysterious woman, Teresa, played by Charo Santos in her acting debut. Itim addresses the topics of occultism and religion in a "foray into gothic horror, exploring the spiritual nature of life and people in
4446-400: The mystery of the photographic blow-ups, but in the instability of Thomas himself." In an interview at the time of the film's release, Antonioni stated that the film "is not about man's relationship with man, it is about man's relationship with reality". According to Gow, "a mystery without a solution is instrumental to the theme of disorientation" which is sustained until the final moments of
4524-441: The object, this intensely meaningful object. Yet, out of the context, it's just a broken piece of a guitar [...] the important point here being that meaning, and the construction we put on reality, is always a group social function. And it's contextual." On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an 87% approval rating based on 54 reviews from film critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. On Metacritic ,
4602-602: The only way of justice for a violence that is sadly concrete and inscribed in the mores of this patriarchal society." and that the director used the invisible to figure real "monstrosities". Initially released in 1976, it was made commercially available in the Philippines in 1977. The film was internationally screened for the first time in 1979 at Filmex in Los Angeles . Although the Asian Film Archive offered to fund
4680-513: The overall film. In order to achieve a bleak and moody atmosphere, de Leon used various post-production techniques that imagined the cinematography's darkness as a protagonist , including exposing the negatives twice. A tricky procedure, several negatives were ruined in the process, requiring the re-shooting of the respective scenes. The film was scored by Max Jocson, who worked with de Leon on Manila . For several scenes of Itim , Jocson scored "against picture" by having live musicians play
4758-427: The part of the murderous lover. Two scenes appear to give credence to this: first when Lovell is seen apparently tampering with Thomas' car, and later when he and Jane are seen following Thomas in a Rover 2000 . Thomas drives a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III 'Chinese Eye' Mulliner Park Ward Drophead Coupé owned by DJ and television presenter Jimmy Savile . The car was originally painted white, then painted black by
SECTION 60
#17330941411094836-490: The process. The film earned $ 5.9 million (about $ 41.2 million in 2023) in the United States and Canada in 1967. Critic Andrew Sarris called the film "a mod masterpiece". In Playboy magazine, film critic Arthur Knight wrote that Blow-Up would come to be considered "as important and seminal a film as Citizen Kane , Open City , and Hiroshima, Mon Amour – perhaps even more so". Time magazine called
4914-467: The production. Only about one hundred coach built Silver Clouds IIIs were made with the unique slanted headlights, and it remains an iconic element of the film. MGM did not gain approval for the film under the MPAA 's Production Code in the United States. The film was condemned by the National Legion of Decency . MGM released the film through a subsidiary distributor, Premier Productions , and it
4992-463: The quiet little town of San Ildefonso ". The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Association of Filipino Film Critics) included the film on their list of the Ten Best Films of the Decade. In 2022, Itim was digitally restored, with a subsequent theatrical premiere as part of the Cannes Classics section at the 75th Cannes Film Festival . During a séance , an espiritista (medium) exclaims that Rosa,
5070-404: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title ITIM . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ITIM&oldid=916134391 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
5148-577: The score while the film was being projected in real time. In a 2022 interview, de Leon explained why he had been interested in making a film containing elements of supernatural or at least fantastic, that he had started exploring in his 1975 short film, Monologo; he stated that he considered that short to be a ghost story , a genre he related to Lafcadio Hearn 's writings, which he liked very much, but also to Antonioni's 1966 film Blowup ; in that film, still according to de Leon, "[t]he character takes photos and he does not realize that he has photographed
5226-447: The stairs and die. I got interested in doing a film that used a camera to tell a story with one character, no dialogue and just sound effects. One thing I liked about Blow-up was the idea of existential alienation. Monologo was a ghost story. The character takes photos and he does not realize that he has photographed a ghost or a presence in his own house. I mean, his camera saw it but he did not. That kinda blew my mind. Originally
5304-407: The séance scene. According to de Leon, screenwriter Ricky Lee initially worked on the script but requested not to be credited; the director believed that Lee, known then as a former student activist, made the request due to the lack of overt social relevance in Itim . Initially, de Leon, as he explains in a 2022 interview, was interested in casting big-name actors, as was the common practice at
5382-541: The time in Indonesian film. The original idea was an erotic thriller with Alma Moreno and Bembol Roco , the latter of whom starred in Brocka's Manila . According to de Leon, after Manila , Roco committed to appear in de Leon's directorial debut but had a schedule conflict with another film he had already signed on to act in. Regarding Moreno, the director was put off when her manager demanded there be full payment upon signing
5460-456: The trees with a pistol. Thomas excitedly calls Ron, claiming that his impromptu photo session may have saved a man's life. He is then disturbed by a knock on the door from the teenage girls. They have a sexual encounter in the studio before he falls asleep. After awakening, he learns that the girls hope he will photograph them, but is distracted by a detail in one of his blow-ups. He tells them to leave, saying, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow!" Thomas examines
5538-614: The viewers in a bath of voluminous, deliberate color, light, and shadow." This includes "darkness ( dilim ) and light ( liwanag )—the selfsame words that haunt the urban protagonist of Itim from the first evening on". A presentation of the film at the MoMa stated that Itim expressed its director's "fears" about “the dark side" of culture in the Philippines, namely "the Spanish colonial legacies of superstition and antiscience". In 2022, de Leon commented in an interview: "One thing that made my films
5616-401: Was arranged. Santos was subsequently offered her first acting role. As Santos refused to do any erotic scenes , or even to kiss on screen, de Leon scrapped the original concept of an erotic thriller and instead delved into Catholic guilt through the lens of the horror genre . The film also served as the acting debut of Susan Valdez, albeit in a non-speaking role; prior to the film, Valdez
5694-417: Was co-cinematographer with Ely Cruz, who also worked with de Leon on Monologo , and would go on to photograph Peque Gallaga's Scorpio Nights , among others. Santos described de Leon on set as seeing "a genius in action", adding: "He storyboarded the entire movie in his head, even before the first shot. He expects perfection from everyone." There were similar recollections by Susan Valdez, who recalls how
5772-399: Was happy when he was making this film." In his commentary for the DVD edition of the film, Peter Brunette connects it to the existentialist tenet that actions and experiences have no inherent meaning, but are given a meaning within a particular context. According to Brunette, this is demonstrated by the scene in which Thomas takes Jeff Beck's guitar neck out onto the street: "He's rescued
5850-494: Was known as a commercial model . The main role of the photographer was given to Tommy Abuel, who de Leon had worked with on Manila . Meanwhile, the more seasoned Mario Montenegro and Mona Lisa were cast due to de Leon's familiarity with them as actors of LVN Pictures , which was formerly run by de Leon's grandmother Narcisa de León . De Leon admitted that Montenegro was his favorite of the LVN actors, for his costume films , particularly
5928-482: Was ranked No. 144 in the Sight and Sound critics' poll of the greatest films of all time and No. 59 in the directors' poll. After spending the night at a doss house , where he has taken pictures for a book of art photographs, photographer Thomas is late for a photo shoot with model Veruschka at his studio, which in turn makes him late for a shoot with other models later in the morning. He grows bored and frustrated with
6006-521: Was released on Blu-ray Disc by Carlotta Films as part of a five-box set of a selection of films directed by de Leon. Itim was a commercial flop upon its initial theatrical release, running for only one week. Filipino film critic Pio de Castro III lauded Itim in a contemporary Times Journal review, writing that the film was enigmatic, technically excellent, and "the touchstone against which all other films of 1977 will be gauged." The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Film Critics) included
6084-533: Was shown widely in North American cinemas; the film's critical and commercial success played a major role in the abolition of the Production Code and its replacement with the MPAA rating system shortly thereafter. Film writer Richard Corliss stated in 2007 that the film grossed $ 20 million (about $ 139 million in 2023) on a $ 1.8 million budget and "helped liberate Hollywood from its puritanical prurience" in
#108891