Bernal as Auteur: Primary Biographical Notes

Abstract

The paper discloses selected author-considered details on Ishmael Bernal's family and clan background that can provide further insights on his stature as an auteur, culled from a detailed clan story, which describes the values, problems, conflicts, quirks, and gifts of the clan that nurtured Bernal. It also considers a number of Bernal films and several previously unavailable writings in terms of their content, which indicate confluences in Bernal's thinking with those of other family members. The paper uses the politique des auteurs, whose proponents uphold the primacy of the director as the creative force behind the creation of a film, although they also recognize filmmaking as a collaborative project. The paper strives to articulate certain manifestations of the visions which were manifest in Bernal's films as well as his literary output.