October | 2013

As a third year Mass Communication student, I never thought that at this level we would be able to go on a tour. A film tour specifically happened last September 30, 2013, Monday, with MC1137, Professor Datu Jamal Ashley Abbas and with the Mowelfund Film Institute’s workers and staff, which let us enter Philippine Film History in person and see the equipments, crafts, posters used, pictures, and statues of people in line with film industry. The field trip also served as a relaxation and a bonding with friends, professor and classmates as we experience Final Term’s pressure. It was a fun-learning experience because we were able to personally see what our professor teaches us inside the classroom. Let me share the things I remember during the film trip and if possible, I will also post pictures taken inside the museum.

Meet me (upper picture: leftmost and lower picture: rightmost) with my Block 7 friends. 😉

First, we went to a room where Fernando Poe Jr.’s film posters, artifacts are placed. There is also a portion inside the room that tells something about Lino Brocka. We watched a cartoon as an introduction, it was made by a student or a work shopper of Mowelfund. According to our guide, the tuition for three months costs up to 40K in terms and negotiable. He invited us to join the workshop if we’re interested and planning to pursue film industry in the future. The guide explained the Mowelfund’s history, who founded it, the chairman, what it does, what is it for and where its fund comes from. After that, he gave us tickets and a pamphlet that has Philippine Theater’s History.

Once again, we met Antonio Ramos, the person who first introduced films into Philippines. There are also pictures of Dalagang Bukid and the Philippine’s first movie house, Cine Walgrah. Even though these were tackled inside the classroom, it’s more awesome and interesting to see pictures while introducing them together with the equipements used before. They are so cool. Some of my classmates took a photo of it.

During the tour, we’re also with our professor so he used to explain these and that including the four productions, and its superstars: LVN who’s known for musical starring Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa; Sampaguita for Drama films with Gloria Romero and Luis Gonzales; Premiere for action films with Fernando Poe Jr. and Lebran’s english-language movies.

Then we move on to Philippine Horror films. Where stuffs like Tyanak, Tikbalang, Kapre, Aswamg, Dila ng tiktik and others are placed.

We also get to encounter some of of the dresses, accessories, swords, shoes and different props used by different Filipino artists. We saw Susan Roces’ dress, Darna’s costume, etc.

We also saw pictures of old and new pictures of artists and some of the posters used during showing of films in movie houses such as Enteng Kabisote, Magic Temple and Scorpio Nights.

I had fun and learned a lot from this tour. I am thankful for people who organized that museum and preserved such stuffs for the new generation who will benefit from it just like us. I hope that they will continue what Mowelfund has started and its legacy, and if possible, improve it and give more attention. Because as we’ve noticed, it was not improved and updated. Nevertheless, I enjoyed our film trip. 🙂

Mulholland Drive written and directed by David Lynch was probably the most controversial and daring movie I’ve watched in my entire life! Why is that? Even though I’m used into watching films with kissing scenes, love scenes, sexual acts between a girl and a boy or a boy with another boy (started when I watched GMA 7’s My Husband’s Lover, although scenes between the bi-sexuals are not that intimate), this is my first time to watch a movie wherein the relationship is between two girls, lesbians. I don’t know why I’m reacting this way, maybe because I see myself 12 years ago. I was kinda boyish and admire girls but never wanted to end up loving the same sex because after all, I wanted to have my own family. Anyway, I do respect them. 🙂

Aside from the movies daring scenes between Dianne (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Harring), the movie’s story and sequence made me find it hard to understand what happened and what’s already happening! In the beginning, I thought I was able to catch the story and was trying to predict what will happen next, what would be the next scenario and situation but as the movie go along the way, as different characters are inserted on the film, I was like… “Hala, anong nangyayari? Sino nanaman ‘tong bagong artista na pumasok?” And began asking questions to myself, to my seatmate, raising my voice because I can no longer understand it and I’m quite pressured because our professor told us that there will be an essay about the movie afterwards! *fudge*

Second opinions and predictions withing the front row where I was seated that that are popping out while I was really trying it hard to understand who’s Rita? Who’s Betty? Who’s Dianne? What’s the connection between the cowboy and the director who will be saying, “This is the girl.” and the significance of keys, the grandparents, the diner where Dianne and the guy whom she asked (pala) to kill her ex-lover who apparently fell in love with another guy, the reason why she was motivated to kill her.

On the first scene, there is this car where Rita is placed until it crashed to another car which caused the people inside it’s death. But fortunately, Rita was able to survive and stayed on a house where Dianne resides. Rita lost her memory so Dianne helped Rita to recover until they fell in love with each other. Dianne helped Rita through going to significant places, one of it was the Silencio Theatre.

According to the host of the theater, there is no band or an orchestra inside the theater. Everything that they will hear are just recorded. Same thing with everything happened right after Rita’s car accident. Right after Dianne knew that Rita cheated on her and fell in love with another guy, she asked someone to kill her and every moment she was with Rita from the car accident are just fantasy. It was all recorded in her mind. It’s actually just in her mind. She created a world where she and Rita’s love continues. Dianne hallucinated and her dream with her ex-lover, Rita, were all recorded.