The art of a movie like Madrasta (Star Cinema Productions, Inc., 1996) is to conceal the obvious. When the levers and the pulleys of the plot are concealed by good writing and acting, we get great entertainment like Minsan, Minahal Kita (2000). When they're fairly well masked, we get sincere films like Hanggang Kailan Kita Mamahalin (1997). When every prop and device is displayed, we get Madrasta. The movie is really about Sharon Cuneta’s Mariel. Zsa Zsa Padilla is absent for much of the first half, until she turns up to see her grown-up children. Cuneta can create characters of astonishing conviction (Diane in Minsan, Minahal Kita). Here she has to be the voice of reason for the entire movie. There’s not a rest period where she just gets to be this woman. Every scene has a purpose, we're reminded of the value of those brief, quiet scenes in which directors like Lino Brocka take a beat and let us see the characters simply being. Madrasta has a certain tact. It wants us to cry, but it doesn't hold a gun on us and enforce its emotions with sentimental terrorism. Cuneta is immensely likable and Christopher de Leon seems caring and reasonable. We would have enjoyed spending time with them, if they'd been able to pull themselves away from the plot.
I did some direct comparisons with my DVD and the improvements in terms of detail, clarity, depth and fluidity are quite remarkable. In fact, I believe that even on mid-size monitors the difference in quality can be striking because there are shadow nuances, fine details and highlights that are not present on the DVD release. The film's precise color scheme is also a lot more effective because saturation levels are improved and there's an entire range of new and expanded nuances. Some minor density fluctuations remain, but they are not introduced by questionable digital adjustments. I specifically want to mention that some are part of the original cinematography, while a few are inherited from the elements that were accessed during the restoration process. It is easy to tell that the audio has been remastered because stability and balance are outstanding. The score by Willy Cruz opens an extra dose of ambient flavor to the desired atmosphere. The dialog is clean, stable and easy to follow. Even after taking into consideration the film's many missteps, Madrasta still remains a worthwhile and honest drama that is able to portray the many dilemmas a family often must go through. While a few moments seemed to strain for melodrama, they were able to look like prime examples of unstrained subtlety.