Introduction

The youngest of the Philippine arts, film has evolved to become the most popular of all
the art forms. Introduced only in 1897, films have ranged from silent movies to talkies;
black and white to color. Outpacing its predecessors by gaining public acceptance, from
one end of the country to the other, its viewers come from all walks of life. Nationwide,
there are more than 1000 movie theaters. Early in the 1980s, it was estimated in Metro
Manila alone, there were around 2.5 million moviegoers. As an art form, it reflects the
culture and the beliefs of the people it caters to and most times, is the one who shapes
their consciousness.
Philippine film as discussed in this paper includes films made by Filipino people
exhibited in this country and possibly in other countries from the 1930s to the 1990s. The
films may be silent pictures or talkies, black and white or color. They also include films
such as documentaries, animation, experimental or alternative films and other types of
films.
This paper has three purposes or objectives. It intends, first of all, to provide a
comprehensible background of the art of film in the Philippines. It provides insights on
how the Philippine film has influenced Philippine culture and vice-versa. This is done by
documenting the important events and important films in the area of film for the past
ninety years. Second, it intends to explain the different trends and styles common in the
Philippine film. And finally, it concludes with an analysis on how two important events in
history, namely World War II and Martial Law altered the course of contemporary
Philippine film.
However, this paper is limited to films only from the particular time period of the 1930s
to the 1990s. It fails to give a picture of how films were like ever since it started in 1897.
This paper is also severely limited due to the unavailability and the lack of materials that
discuss thoroughly the history of Philippine film. Film materials for those made during
the pre-WWII years are simply non-existent. Data for this paper was gathered from the
essays and reviews written by the artists and the critics they. It goes without saying that
the resources were tested to the formative years of Philippine cinema, starting from the
1930s, were a time of discovering the film genre as a new medium
of art. Scripts and characterisations in films came from popular theatre and familiar local
literature. Nationalistic films were also quite popular, although they were labeled as being
too subversive.
The 1940s and the war brought to the Philippine cinema the consciousness of reality.
Movie themes consisting primarily of war and heroism had proven to be a huge hit
among local audience.

THE FIRST FILIPINO FILM PRODUCERS

Jose Nepomuceno, The Father of Philippine Cinema,Collection of Dennis Villegas

The very first Filipinos filmmakers were Jose Nepomuceno, Vicente Salumbides, Julian
Manansala, and Carmen Concha. Later producers include the Silos brothers (Juan,
Manuel, Cesar, Octavio), Carlos Vander Tolosa, Jose Domingo Badilla and Rafael
Fernandez.
Jose Nepomuceno is widely considered as the Father of Filipino Cinematography, long
before the art of film-making was firmly established in the Philippine Islands.
One of the best photographers in Manila in the early 20th century, Nepomuceno owned
the Electro-Photo Studio Parhelio in Plaza Goiti (now Plaza Lacson). He evntually sold
his photography equipments and studio to concentrate on making movies. As a
cinematographer, Nepomuceno shot various newsreels and documentaries produced by
his own production company, Malayan Movies(1917). His films were shown in many
Manila theaters at that time. In 1919, Nepomuceno produced and directed Dalagang
Bukid, the first ever Filipino-made movie. Based on the zarzuela play by Hermogenes
Ilagan, Dalagang Bukid starred in the title role. Nepomuceno's other later movies
include La Venganza de Don Silvestre(1920), La Mariposa Negra(1920), El Capullo
Marchito (1921), and Hoy o Nunca, Besame(1923). In 1930, Nepomuceno produced his
masterpiece, Noli Me Tangere, considered one of the greatest films in Philippine cinema
history.
The Philippine Cinema
First rateTechnically sleek. Over and above all. These are phrases often times used to
characterize an American film. These generally refer to a film's sound, photography,
acting, story and production design. In short, these American flicks are number one in
every film's aspects. On the other hand, Filipino movies are generally characterized as
sloppy and are just perfect to kill time (both for the ones in the production side and the
viewers). More often than not, viewers would say that imperfection seems to be the rule
for Filipino movies rather an exception. If an American film's perfection and excellence is
brought about by their culture of being what they can be, is this imperfection in Filipino
films also reflected upon our Filipino culture? Superior quality is never a criterion for
making our Filipino films. These films are often attacked as having thin plots, being weak
on logic and motivation, being predictable and its structure being prone to digressions.

Who are setting the standards, anyway? Why is the classical American cinema used as the
basis for criticizing the Filipino films? Are the Filipino films still at the far end of the
American films? Do we still need to go a long way to level up with the so-called
perfection that the American films have attained and practiced? For one to really find out,
one should know the underlying streaks of Filipino films by heart.