THATCHER. Principled policies and decisions.
Kudos to the GMA News Channel for having had the bright idea of recently replaying a special telecast of “Firing Line,” in which Teddy Benigno had the rare privilege of interviewing no less than British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, decades ago.
Since the controversial “Iron Lady” had passed away only some days ago, it was an inspired move to replay the interview, so we made sure to stay up past our usual bedtime to catch it.
A possible problem with replays from decades past is that the material may have gone passé or irrelevant in the interim.
Happily, Benigno’s questions weren’t pegged to specific events, but probed more deeply into the tenets that Thatcher held dear, and had guided her throughout her controversial career.
Qualities
So, the views she intoned during the interview pretty much apply to this day—especially her thoughts on the qualities that make a good leader.
In her no-nonsense way, Thatcher stressed that principles weren’t abstract verities, but had to be tested and reaffirmed everytime a leader made a difficult and unpopular decision—in her case, during the short-lived Falkland War, as well as her stringent moves to reform and redeem the British economy, with their resulting loss of jobs and traditional sinecures.
Up to this day, decades after the fact, Thatcher has her supporters and haters—but, what can’t be gainsaid is the impact that she and her principled policies and decisions continue to have on the country she once led to a brave, new world of its own reimagining.
We hope that, from time to time, our TV networks will dig into their program vaults and come up with nostalgic special telecasts of shows that can recall and shed light on past events and seminal shared experiences, for the illumination of a new generation of viewers.
MAGDANGAL. Bundle of surprises.
A relevant development in this regard was the recent change in the positioning of the “nostalgic” channel, Jeepney TV, which can now be viewed on the more accessible Sky Cable Channel 9. The shift has resulted in our watching the channel more often, with sometimes instructive results.
‘Copacetic’ tandem
For instance, just last Monday, we caught the screening of an old Jolina Magdangal-Marvin Agustin teen starrer, and the two stars were so good together that we found ourselves wondering if a new movie could be conceptualized to bring their “copacetic” tandem back.
Of course, it would have to be an adult drama or comedy-drama, and more mature issues would have to be tackled, but it could work—no longer as a for-the-fans production, but more as a showcase for how much they’ve grown as actors.
In this regard, we also hear other people calling for a new film for the once popular tandem of Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual.
What about a “revival” vehicle for Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III? The last time they acted together, in “Bilangin Mo Ang Mga Bituin sa Langit” (was it?), the production caused quite a stir. Now that they’re much older and presumably even better performers, a “three-peat” could be quite a nostalgic trip—and treat. —Any takers?
P. S. Earlier this month, we caught another old movie co-starring Jolina with—Robin Padilla! And, Jolina strutted her stuff as a martial arts expert, of all things! —Hmm, this girl really was full of surprises!