''Kristo'' is a 1996 Filipino biblical drama film depicting the life of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

. Produced by Cine Suerte Productions and Oasis of Love Movement (by Fr. Sonny Ramirez, OP, host of the telemagazine ''Sharing in the City''), ''Kristo'' stars

Mat Ranillo III Matias Archibald Ranillo III (born October 5, 1956), also known by his screen name Mat Ranillo III is a Filipino-born American actor. Personal life Matias Archibald Ranillo III is the second of seven children and the first son of actors Mat Ran ...

in the title role, together with Rez Cortez (

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas bet ...

),Ruel Vernal (

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

), Michael Locsin (

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

), freelance model and then college student Charmaine Rivera (in her first and only film appearance as the Virgin Mary), Amy Austria (

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

). The film also includes an all-star cast in their cameo appearances playing various characters. Among them are Gabby Concepción (

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

), husband-and-wife pair Rudy Fernandez and Lorna Tolentino (as

Simon of Cyrene Simon of Cyrene (, Standard Hebrew ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian Hebrew ''Šimʿôn''; , ''Simōn Kyrēnaios''; ) was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three ...

and Veronica respectively),

Aga Muhlach Ariel Aquino Muhlach"Aga Muchlach biography"
''IMDB''. Retrieved June 13, 2014. (; born August ...

( the demon-possessed man), Rachel Lobangco (the Temptress, in which Satan is in a female form in the temptation of the desert scene),

Sylvia Sanchez Jossette Campo-Atayde (born May 19, 1971), better known as Sylvia Sanchez, is a Filipina actress and comedian. She is the wife of Art Atayde and the mother of actors Arjo Atayde and actress Ria Atayde. Personal life Sanchez was born and raised ...

(the adulteress), '' Ang TV'' star and singer Lindsay Custodio (

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, a ...

), and

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956) is a Philippine film actor and politician. He is recognized as the “''King of Philippine Drama''” has appeared in over 120 films since the early 1970s. Regarded as an "acting genius" and ...

(as Dimas as credited in the film).

Plot

The film started on a

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

, "if the story of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

replaced the setting from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

to the

Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, what would the image and culture of the New Testament look like?" The narrative of ''Kristo'' is based on the combined Gospels of

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, Luke, and

, but imagined as occurring in Classical Filipino society with ethnic elements and some aspects of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...

and first-century

Judaea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous so ...

. ''Kristo'' was shot in various locations such as

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day ...

, Lawton and Luneta in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, as well as in Laguna and

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

. The film starts with an open book presenting the

Nativity of Jesus The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, his mother Mary was engaged to a man ...

in the form of illustrations. Live action scenes or the flow of the story follows the next page 30 years after, beginning with the preaching of John the Baptist and the

Baptism of Jesus The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bet ...

in the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

. ''Kristo'' cycles through the various episodes in Christ's ministry, his death, and resurrection, ending with his ascension and its illustrated version on the last page with a Biblical message, and upon closing the book, it found out that Jesus Christ is the one opening the book, reading about his life on earth.

Cast

Major roles

(''Hesu Kristo/Jesucristo'') *Charmaine Rivera as the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

(''Birheng María'') *

Amy Austria Esmeralda Diaz Tuazon (born December 13, 1961), known professionally as Amy Austria-Ventura, is a Filipino film and television actress. Austria is recognized as one of the defining actresses in Philippine cinema. She has won a FAMAS Award, 2 ...

(''María Magdalena'') *

Ruel Vernal Ruel is a surname of French origin. It may refer to: People * Antoine Ruel, Magic: The Gathering player * Claude Ruel, hockey coach * Jean Ruel, French botanist * Muddy Ruel, baseball coach * Olivier Ruel, Magic: The Gathering player * Pat Ru ...

(''Pedro'') *

Conrad Poe Conrad Castro Poe (April 11, 1948 – June 26, 2010) was a Filipino actor, and half-brother of Fernando Poe Jr. Early life He was born on April 11, 1948 to Fernando Poe Sr. and former leading lady Patricia Mijares. He was a paternal half-bro ...

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...

(''Andres'') *Edgar Mande as

James the Great James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob ( Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin ...

(''Santiago'') *Michael Locsin as

John the Apostle John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebede ...

(''Juan'') *

Rez Cortez Res Septimo Cortez (born January 4, 1956), better known as Rez Cortez, is a Filipino film and television actor and assistant director. Acting career Cortez's film career began in 1974, when he was introduced in ''Daigdig ng Sindak at Lagim''. ...

(''Judas Iscariote'') * Jorge Estregan Jr. as

(''Mateo'') *

Daniel Fernando Daniel Ramirez Fernando (born Cesar Fernando Ramirez; May 12, 1962) is a Filipino actor and politician who is the 34th and incumbent Governor of Bulacan. Fernando formerly worked as an actor in film and television. Fernando is critically acclai ...

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

*Patrick dela Rosa as

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

(''Tomàs'') *Dindo Arroyo as James the Less *Romy Romulo as

Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

(''Bartolome'') *

Tom Olivar Ricardo Aranda Cellona, known by his stage name Tom Olivar (born April 26, 1963), is a film and television actor in the Philippines. Career He is one of the active character actors in Philippine films and TV series since the 1980s. He appeared ...

Thaddeus Thaddeus (Latin ''Thaddaeus'', Ancient Greek Θαδδαῖος ''Thaddaĩos'', from Aramaic תדי ''Ṯaday'') is a male given name. As of the 1990 Census, ''Thaddeus'' was the 611th most popular male name in the United States, while ''Thad' ...

(''Tadeo'') *Nikki Martel as

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

(''Felipe'')

Cameo roles (in order of appearance)

* Gabby Conepción as

(''Juan Bautista'') *Rachel Lobangco as

The Temptress ''The Temptress'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo and starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore, and Roy D'Arcy. It premiered on October 10, 1926. The film melodrama was based on a novel by V ...

(''Mánunuksô'') *

Romy Diaz Jose Romeo Bustillos Diaz (November 28, 1940 – May 10, 2005) was a Filipino actor. He performed in films such as ''Ang Maestro'' (1981), ''The Impossible Kid'' (1982), ''Gising Na... Ang Higanteng Natutulog'' (1995) and ''Si Samson at Si Del ...

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

* Paquito Díaz as

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both ...

*Sheila Ysrael as

Herodias Herodias ( el, Ἡρῳδιάς, ''Hērǭdiás''; ''c.'' 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with John the Baptist's execution. Family rel ...

Tonton Gutierrez Eduardo Antonio Winsett Gutierrez, Jr. (born March 20, 1968), professionally known as Tonton Gutierrez, is a Filipino film and television actor best known for his role as Governor Eduardo Buenavista in the original hit teleserye ''Pangako Sa ...

as Lazarus *Lindsay Custodio as

Aga Muhlach Ariel Aquino Muhlach"Aga Muchlach biography"
''IMDB''. Retrieved June 13, 2014. (; born August ...

as the Gerasene Demoniac ('' Ang Sinapian ng masamáng espíritu'') *

as the Adultress (''Ang Mang-aapíd'') *

Ricky Davao Frederick Charles Davao, professionally known as Ricky Davao (born May 30, 1961) is a Filipino actor, television director, and industrial management engineer (graduated from Mapua Institute of Technology. He is the husband of actress Jackie Lou ...

Barabbas Barabbas (; ) was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast. Biblical account According to all four canoni ...

(''Barabás'') *

Dante Rivero Dante Rivero is a Filipino film and television actor who has won a FAMAS award and nominated for a Gawad Urian Award The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang ...

Nicodemus Nicodemus (; grc-gre, Νικόδημος, Nikódēmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: * He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (). * The second time Nicodemu ...

(''Nicodemo'') *

Maryo J. de los Reyes Mario Margarito Jorolan de los Reyes (October 17, 1952 – January 27, 2018), simply known as Maryo J. de los Reyes, was a Filipino film and television director. He began his career in the 1970s. Death He died after suffering a heart attack on ...

Annas Annas (also Ananus or Ananias;Goodman, Martin, "Rome & Jerusalem", Penguin Books, p.12 (2007) , ; grc-x-koine, Ἅννας, ; 23/22 BC – death date unknown, probably around AD 40) was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High ...

*Tony Mabesa as

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD), known simply as Caiaphas (; grc-x-koine, Καϊάφας, Kaïáphas ) in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest who, according to the gospels, organized a plot to kill Jesus. He famous ...

(''Caifás'') *

Lou Veloso Luciano "Lou" Mariñas Veloso (born January 7, 1948) is a Filipino actor, comedian, director and politician. He is known for his supporting roles in over 30 comedy films, which include ''Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang'' (1985), ''Pulis Patola'' (1993 ...

as a

Pharisee The Pharisees (; he, פְּרוּשִׁים, Pərūšīm) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temp ...

(''Pariseo'') * Romy Rivera as

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

(''Póncio Pilato'') *Maila Gumila as Claudia Prócula * Rudy Fernández as

(''Simón ang Cireneo'') * Lorna Tolentino as Veronica (''Verónica'') *

Gardo Versoza Mennen Torres Polintan (born July 8, 1969), known professionally as Gardo Verzosa, is a Filipino actor and comedian. Career He started out in roles such as Sabik Sa Halik, Machete II, Halimuyak Ng Babae and Kirot. He was known as "NINO ESPEDI ...

as Gestas (''Hestas'') * Christopher de León as

Dismas The Penitent Thief, also known as the Good Thief, Wise Thief, Grateful Thief, or Thief on the Cross, is one of two unnamed thieves in Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke describes him asking Jesus ...

(''Dimas'') *

Dan Alvaro Dan Alvaro (born Rolando Galura 1951) is a Filipino actor both in movies and television. His niece is actress Glaiza de Castro and his nephew is actor Alcris Galura. He is the father of actor Ram Alvaro. Career In 1984, Alvaro played as the br ...

as Longinus (''Longino'')

Behind the scenes

*Before being adapted into a film, ''Kristo'' was a '' Senákulo'' (traditional Filipino Passion Play) in dance-drama played at the Folk Arts Theater (now Day By Day Christian Fellowship) in April 1977. Both Ranillo and Cortez reprised their respective roles as Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot from the 1977 production. *Ranillo was also nominated as "Best Actor" by the Film Academy of the Philippines in 1997 for his performance. *This was director Ben Yalung's second religious film after ''Divine Mercy: Sa Buhay ni Sister Faustina'' (

Divine Mercy The Divine Mercy is a form of God's compassion, an act of grace based on trust or forgiveness. In Catholicism, it refers specifically to a devotion which had its origin in the apparitions of Jesus Christ reported by Faustina Kowalska. Etym ...

: In the Life of

Sister Faustina Maria Faustyna Kowalska, OLM (born Helena Kowalska; 25 August 1905 – 5 October 1938), also known as ''Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament'', Faustyna popularly spelled "Faustina", was a Polish Catholic religious sister a ...

) starring former matinee idol and MTV VJ

Donita Rose Donita Rose Cavett (born December 5, 1974) is a Filipino-American actress, TV host and former MTV Asia VJ. Early and personal life Donita Rose Cavett was born in Utah on 5 December 1974 and moved to the Philippines when she was five years old. ...

in March 1993. Yalung also produced and directed his 3rd religious film, ''Ama Namin'' ( Our Father) under Premiere Productions and DWXI Prayer Partners Foundation and ''Birhen ng Manaoag'' ( Virgin of Manaoag) was released in 2005. *Ranillo eldest child,

Krista Krista is a female given name, a mostly North European (Finland, Estonia and Sweden) variant of the male name Christian. The name Krista can be spelled with a "Ch", making it Christa. It means "Follower of Christ". People named Krista *Krista All ...

, was nicknamed after the film. *Prior to playing Jesus Christ, Ranillo also portrayed the role of

Lorenzo Ruiz Lorenzo Ruiz ( fil, Lorenzo Ruiz ng Maynila; zh, link=no, 李樂倫; es, link=no, Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila; November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637), also called Saint Lorenzo of Manila, is a Filipino saint venerated in the Catholic Church. ...

in the 1988 film '' Lorenzo Ruiz: The Saint... A Filipino''. *Majority of the actors who played the Twelve Apostles are actors who normally play as antagonists in Philippine action movies. Ranillo himself plays as a villain in most movie appearances he made in the 1990s.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0450790
''Kristo The Play'' (Website)
In the post credits scene,Jesu Kristo goes to Peaceberg 1996 films 1996 drama films Biographical films about Jesus Cultural depictions of John the Baptist Cultural depictions of Saint Peter Filipino-language films Film portrayals of Jesus' death and resurrection Films about Catholicism Philippine drama films Portrayals of Mary Magdalene in film Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film Cultural depictions of Pontius Pilate Cultural depictions of Judas Iscariot Cine Suerte films