MANONG: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF GERARDO DE LEON

Manong: The Life and Works of Gerardo de Leon is the first and only comprehensive and critical study of the life and works of National Artist for Film Gerardo de Leon (1913 – 1981). 

After describing Manong’s personal and artistic background, this over 700-page book presents the complete production data as well as the sources, synopses, dates of release, promotion, and critics’ analyses of each of about 82 films he did for Parlatone Hispano-Filipino (1938 – 1942), the Eiga Haikyusa (1944), Sampaguita Pictures (1946 – 1947), Premiere Productions (1948 – 1963), and the local and international independent companies (1958 – 1976). The last chapters analyze the major themes and unique visual style of Manong’s films as well as his enduring legacy to the Philippine cinema and nation. A filmography and other important documents end the study.

Engagingly written by well-known film critic and scholar Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson, this over-700 page fully documented and amply illustrated luxurious edition published by the University of the Philippines Press is the product of many years of research and writing. 

It has been hailed by film scholar and writer Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. as a “monumental work” that is “encyclopedic in terms of scope and information.” Film director and Manong protégé Dik Trofeo believes “this book does justice to Manong’s achievements” and from it “the reader will gain not only an in-depth understanding of Manong as an artist and as a person, but an appreciation as well of the history of Philippine cinema.”

For his part, film critic and professor Patrick Campos thinks the study “performs the painstaking act of combing through archival documents and personal recollections to ensure that a vivid portrait and a reconstituted corpus of the artist endure within the constellation of cultural memory.” 

Lastly, Maria Fe V. Ilagan, Manong’s only surviving daughter, and her family are “pleased and honored to know that a comprehensive study and documentation of my father’s personal life and legendary body of work, often regarded as “ahead of its time,” is now available to the public.”

The author, Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson, respected critic and scholar of Philippine film and theater, is professor emeritus of the UP Film Institute, College of Media and Communication, University of the Philippines Diliman.

October 8, 2025 | Wed | 5:00 to 7:00 PM

Red Carpet Cinema 3, Shangri-La Plaza Mall