'The boatman' and our college professor

Way back in college, I had a disagreement with my college "Film Art" professor because he ordered a halt to our viewing of "The Boatman" directed by Tikoy Aguiluz midway through the movie.

I felt insulted because prior to the screening, we discussed the guidelines in reviewing a film. Watch the movie from the beginning to the end and know the director's background were some of the things I still remember.

When the movie was showing sex scenes and all, suddenly the projector stopped and the lights went on. We wondered what happened. When our professor stood in front of the class, he said he decided to put a stop to the viewing because people might accuse him of allowing his students to watch pornographic film. Also, he did not want to be blamed should one of our classmates gets pregnant for watching films like "The Boatman" the director's cut.

I objected, of course. What were we in one of the best schools in Western Visayas for? Were we dumb? Apparently, that professor of ours thought so. Did he forget that we were already 18 years old and we were studying the medium itself? That he would be blamed should one of our classmates gets pregnant was a reason that drove me nuts. How do professors get their Phd, I wondered.

Of course, not all my classmates sided with me and even those who sided were scared to speak out for fear that our professor, the notorious-terror teacher, would give them a grade they will forever and ever regret for the rest of their life. Some of my classmates accused me I was only deprived so I was hungry to watch the fucking scenes all through out.

After the class was dismissed, my professor approached and asked me what was my problem. I did not have any problem and I told him so. With that he went away.

I was writing in the college paper and I decided to dedicating my column about what happened and my thoughts about it as a sign of protest. None among my adviser, my editor-in-chief, my managing editor wanted to publish my column which was written in Hiligaynon, the language of people living in Iloilo, Capiz, some parts of Bacolod and Mindanao.

I was so frustrated and angry I challenged our editor in chief to a fist fight. Gladly, he was cool headed and we might have ended up shaking each other's hands, I do not remember. I still have the cut-out of that column somewhere inserted in one of my files.

I have not changed my position on that incident. What my professor did was an exact contradiction to what he was teaching us--to watch a film from the beginning to the end before reviewing it. For that, he himself should be dragged back to elementary where he could re-learn about the power of words and the need for consistency.

The films we were watching were decided and lined up at the beginning of the semester. Why "The Boatman" was still on the list and was allowed for viewing only to be stopped at the middle is something that makes my blood shoot straight from my heart to my head even until now, almost 8 years have passed.