Films that framed a regime: A comparative analysis of films A Dangerous Life (1988) and Aparisyon (2012)

Abstract

This study is a comparative analysis on films A Dangerous Life (1988) and Aparisyon (2012) on how life was depicted during the Marcos Regime in each film. Specifically, the study answered the following objectives: (1) To analyze and compare each film according to: Subtext, Main Conflict, Plot, and Characters, (2) To determine whether the agenda setting power of the media is evident, (3) To evaluate the angle used in framing the Marcos regime, (4) To determine the role the media played in both films. The researcher applied the agenda-setting theory of the media as she closely analysed and compared each film. It was found out that Life in the Marcos regime as portrayed in the film A Dangerous Life was tumultuous where supporting the wrong side can cost a person his or her life. The agenda-setting power was very evident in this film from the title “A Dangerous Life” it already suggests that life during that regime was a dangerous one. Similarly life in the Marcos administration as depicted in the film Aparisyon was an anxious one, where no one was safe and no one can be trusted. It showed that life was perilous for everyone whether they may be in the core of government, Manila or in secluded areas far from the political centre.