8 Ways Hamilton and Heneral Luna Revived Patriotism Through Pop Media

images from Tech Insider and Inquirer.net

In 2015, a one-of-a-kind musical took the United States by storm. Hamilton, a musical whose cast was composed almost entirely of young Persons of Color, touched the hearts of its viewers and listeners. It made people laugh and cry. It made people get on their feet and cheer as the curtains closed, then leave the theatre mulling over important issues.

Earlier that same year, many, many miles away, a movie took a small island nation called the Philippines by storm. The film, an all-original runaway blockbuster in a country mired in template rom-coms and Hollywood leftovers, galvanized moviegoers. It made people laugh and cry. It made people get on their feet and cheer as the last scene faded into black, then leave the theatre mulling over important issues.

It must be no coincidence that these movies rocked our lives in the same year. 2015 was one year before general elections in both the United States and the Philippines — a time when people were starting to think seriously about the leaders they want to elect.

And that time is not over yet. As we reach this turning point, we look to pop media to hold up mirrors so we can better see ourselves and our political situation.

The musical and movie both share this special function. But there are more similarities than this between the two productions. Let’s start with the obvious… and no, I don’t mean the fact that the titles both begin with the letter “H.” Although nameologists may find that worth noting.

1. They both break new ground by being about lesser known heroes

Alexander Hamilton had been so overlooked as a Founding Father, that there was talk about him being removed from the face of the 10-dollar bill. Before the musical rose to fame, it seemed Hamilton’s achievements have been pushed to the fringes of memory, and were even in danger of falling off the edge.

image from CBS News

On his part, Antonio is, quite simply, the other Luna. When one hears the surname “Luna,” one would probably immediately think of Juan — painter of the Spoliarium, a grandiose work of art hailed as one of the inspirations for the revolutionary movement. For one thing it inspired Jose Rizal to write the landmark novel Noli Me Tangere, which he himself called “the Latin echo of the Spoliarium”.

image from Wikipedia

In Juan’s shadow, little brother Antonio barely gets a mention. Compared to other revolutionary war heroes such as, say, Andres Bonifacio or Gregorio del Pilar, there is very little notice given to the hotheaded “mananampal” or “face-striker.” The lack of detail in many history books makes his contribution to the revolution seem unsexy — and worse, his character comes across as bland and two-dimensional.

2. Their protagonists are both flawed, and in that way relatable

The musical makes no bones about calling Alexander Hamilton an “obnoxious, arrogant, loud-mouthed bother,” among many other unflattering things.

In the shadow of the more majestic George Washington — the ideal projection of whom in the musical is described in casting calls as “John Legend meets Mufasa” — Hamilton’s defects are highlighted. In their interactions, Hamilton appears small, unrestrained and vindictive.

Antonio Luna, on his part, cannot avoid comparison with the oft-venerated Jose Rizal, the unofficial national hero, who was in fact a contemporary and a love rival of his. Rizal gets a bit of air time in the movie (though without speaking roles) and through this cameo it is highlighted that, unlike Luna, he was calm, passive, and isolated in his resistance.

The movie makes mention of the infamous “Luna temper,” which is used by the general’s detractors to imply that he is prone to making brash, unwise decisions. This is not entirely unfounded, as we can see in the disastrous showdown with Gen. Tomas Mascardo in Laguna, which might have been avoided, if Luna had only been less feisty and more diplomatic.

Showing these two heroes vis a vis better-known and more frequently idealized historical figures, simply put, makes them seem more human.

3. They both decry lack of national unity

As they are portrayed in the musical and the movie, the heroes of both productions lament the lack of unity in their respective nations. The troops keep retreating, the government bigwigs keep feuding, regional pride keeps military orders from being carried out and essential laws from being passed.

Our heroes must gather their resources and bulldoze through the noise, in order to get things done. Heneral Luna works with this as a central theme. For the historical figure Luna, who was reportedly assassinated by his own allies (though the events surrounding the assassination itself are a mystery to this day), this factioning even proved fatal.

4. They’re both based on single biographies, which present fresh and interesting takes on the protagonists

The musical Hamilton was inspired by the biography “Alexander Hamilton,” written by Ron Chernow, whose award-winning book about George Washington won the Pulitzer Prize in 2011. In the words of Chernow, Hamilton was “as brilliant if not more brilliant than any of the other Founding Fathers.”

image from Amazon

The movie Heneral Luna, in turn, was inspired by the biography The Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna, written by acclaimed historian Vivencio Jose. The book — which, alas, is now out of print -presents Luna as a “Renaissance man,” certainly prone to outbursts of temper, but also capable of deep thought and displays of artistic finesse. He was, in fact, an accomplished artist, scholar, and military strategist.

These books have one thing in common: they go against popular versions of history. They are sort of rebellious, in that way. Though both men are remembered as “heroes” and “patriots,” certain perceived flaws in their character have reduced them to forgettable stereotypes. The truth is, Hamilton wasn’t a hotheaded loser; Luna wasn’t an ill-tempered boor.

5. They liberally apply humor

image from Twitter

What turns people off most historical productions? They’ve been done to death. There’s little effort to make them entertaining.

Modern-day artistic creators who work with pop media should always bear in mind their need to engage. Technical excellence is not enough — in fact, it may not even be all that important.

image from Punjetry. Translation: “How should I fight? By biting them?”

6. They speak in the vernacular

Music may be a universal language, but rap and hip-hop are recent developments, the music of the times.

It is worth noting that the creator of the Broadway play, Lin-Manuel Miranda, was inspired not only by the Founding Father after which it is named, but also by Tupac Shakur, an influential rap figure whose controversial, poetic and hard-hitting lyrics reminded him of Alexander Hamilton.

This connection between a hero from the distant past and a hero from the recent past has helped in creating a protagonist that modern audiences can identify with, and a mode of storytelling that resonates to the core.

Tupac Shakur image from Answers Africa

On the other hand, the movie Heneral Luna makes expert use of contemporary Filipino — not outdated Tagalog, as one may expect from a historical production.

image from 8list.ph. Luna speaks to a British train official. Translation: “Talking to me in English in my own country? Shit.”

Not to mention, cussing is a mode of expressing frustration which cuts across generations. And in the movie, the cussing wasn’t excessive: it was strategically positioned to compel audiences to care.

7. They both remind us that we’ve banded together against foreign oppressors

The first part of Hamilton deals with the struggle for American independence from British reign.

The entire Heneral Luna movie zeroes in on one man’s point of view regarding the struggle for independence against American occupation, after a beleaguered Spain sold the country to the United States for US$20 million. Ultimately, it was a lost cause, and the revolutionary government surrendered to the United States in 1901.

I imagine it won’t be difficult to see the irony in comparing a movie about a nation’s struggle to be free of America, and a musical about the American struggle to be free. But it’s still worth noting. Both works electrify one’s nationalistic spirit, remind people that they are part of a once-fractured nation which once joined forces for the sake of liberation.

8. They’re both about going back to the basics of nationhood

Both productions explore a number of themes, but they each have one overarching message.

In Hamilton, it’s that America was founded on principles of freedom and opportunity, allowing even a “bastard, orphan immigrant” a shot at making a real difference.

image from The Daily Beast

In Heneral Luna, it’s that nation-building is hampered by personal motivations. The movie ends on a morbid note, with the general brutally killed. As the film shows, his murderers might have even seen themselves as patriots, and seen Luna as an enemy of the republic.

But like a slap in the face of their self-righteousness, the movie says that Luna was in fact the one who embodied patriotism, most notably the philosophy of “Bayan muna bago ang sarili” — “Nation over self.”

image from Inquirer.net

These productions, and their central themes, made waves precisely because we needed them to. This is a crucial time, and we’re looking back at how our nations were formed, if we’re going in the right direction, and how we can pitch in.

While we ponder nation-building, we can also think about how we have been inspired to do so. We can look at the power of popular media to spark a brand new revolution within people’s hearts and minds, and how these works help to ferry important messages from the past, into the present.