Manila in the Claws of Light[1] (Tagalog: Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag) is a 1975 Philippine neo noir drama mystery film directed by Lino Brocka from a screenplay written by Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., based on the novel In the Claws of Brightness by Edgardo M. Reyes.
It tells the story of Júlio Madiaga, a young man from the province of Marinduque who arrives in Manila for a mission to find his lover Ligaya.
He continues encountering various people in Manila, including callboys (male prostitutes) and family members of co-workers, and reunites with former workmate Pol, who supported him earlier and was a good friend.
Pol informs him the next day that Ligaya died that night - she allegedly fell down a flight of stairs, but her bruising suggests she was killed by Ah-Tek, the man who rented her from Mrs. Cruz and kept her and their baby imprisoned.
In 1970, Ateneo de Manila graduate Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. re-enrolled in his alma mater to take a short course in film writing.
Del Mundo finished his script for Pepot Artista, which was supposed to be a major assignment, by the middle of the semester; earlier than what was expected.
Del Mundo, who just returned from his four-year course in Kansas, gave De Leon his blessing and agreed to further polish the screenplay.
[citation needed] Lino Brocka, who had just received acclaim for his previous work, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, was approached by De Leon to direct the adaptation.
Brocka took this as an opportunity to create a commentary about urban poverty amidst the Marcos dictatorship and included homosexual themes not present in the original source.
Jay Ilagan, who had previously acted in Brocka's films, initially played the lead role of Julio Madiaga.
Upon viewing the dailies, Brocka was convinced that Ilagan, who had a very healthy appearance, did not meet his vision of Julio—a pitiful vagrant that wades in and around the urban gutters.
Lou Salvador, Jr., a former matinee idol famous for playing angst-ridden romantic leads in LVN's teen rebel pictures, was cast against type as the wise and sympathetic Atong.
[5] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times made it a "NYT Critics' Pick" and wrote, "The movie's palpable, deeply lived-in realism is among its great attractions, largely because the film isn't just a story about a young Filipino Everyman, but because it's also a de facto record of Manila in the 1970s.
"[6] Inkoo Kang of The Village Voice wrote, "The intimate proletarian melodrama The Claws of Light succeeds where so many political allegories fail: With ethical and emotional sophistication, it dramatizes the suffering of the disadvantaged with characters that feel individual yet archetypal.
"[7] Meanwhile, Jose Capino, writing for The Criterion Collection, noted that the film was met with "charges of anti-Chinese racism from reviewers".
[8] Keith Uhlich of Time Out New York rated it 4/5 stars and wrote that it is "widely (and understandably) considered one of the pinnacles of Filipino cinema".
It was presented by Grand Leisure Corporation and features music by Von de Guzman, choreography by Douglas Nierras, and production design by Jun Flavier Pablo.