5th International Silent Film Festival

Film Festivals at the Shangri-La Plaza have been very popular among movie buffs because not only do they get the chance to see films that are unique but they get to see it for free. No wonder that a lot of people line up in order to get tickets to see these films and a lot of times, the time spent lining up to get the free tickets is actually longer than the duration of the film itself. Such is the appeal and drawing power of these film festivals and the 5^th International Silent Film Festival was no exception.

Richard Künzel, Director of Goethe-Institut Philippinen 

The films shown during this festival may be old but the addition of live music performance during the screening of the films makes it a unique experience that film buff dare not miss. And add to that the fact that each film is only screened once truly make tickets for each screening in such high demand. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to worry about lining up and securing tickets thanks to the Japan Foundation, Manila and the Goethe-Institut Philippinen. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend the opening night of this festival but was glad nonetheless to be able to see both films that were shown that evening.

Brides of Sulu

Before the screening of this film, Teddy Co from Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA) had a detailed slideshow presentation regarding this movie that opened the festival. He said that based on his findings, there is a huge possibility that Brides of Sulu, marketed as a US production for years, is actually at least two earlier Filipino films from the silent era combined and edited to make it seem like one film. Even without this presentation, viewers would realize for themselves that the parts of the film didn’t seem to fit in well to become a cohesive whole. The parts that were probably taken from the film Moro Pirates, had a wider scope, was shot better and felt like a documentary. The acted out parts, thought to be taken from the film Princess Tarhata looked like the film lacked any financial backing taking into consideration the time that it was shot. The film as a whole felt really uneven and disjointed and I do think that the mystery regarding the origin of the movie was more interesting than the film itself. As for the music, Armor Rapista was supposed to be accompanied by the Panday Pandikal Cultural Troupe in providing the music but the group missed their flight and Rapista had to make do with a different set of musicians. Despite this setback, they were able to perform well providing memorable and distinct themes for every scene in the film. The native woodwind  phrases with rampaging drums during the chase scenes were nicely contrasted with the romantic theme coming from what sounded like a harmonica. And the music somehow made the film felt a bit more put together than it was.

Nosferatu

While the first film screened was an obscure one, the next film Nosferatu from Germany is one  popular silent film. It is a very faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula up to the ending but changes had to be made since during the production of the film, the novel was still not yet public domain and the studio wasn’t able to secure the rights to the novel. And knowing this made me realize that this film, along with the others screened during this festival, is indeed really old. For this film, the Far Eastern University Chorale performed the music of Stephane von Bothmer who also directed the choir.

The Far Eastern University Chorale

I was seated at the section where the subtitles were obscured by some members of the choir. But since the memory of the novel Dracula was still fresh, I was still able to follow the flow of the story. But my attention during the screening was more focused on the music and at von Bothmer along with the FEU Chorale. I think that the music composed by von Bothmer was scarier and creepier than the film itself. The film seemed so well polished that it didn’t scare me at all. Count Orlok did look scary but the film wasn’t able to set the mood in order to make everything a lot scarier. Since film making was still in its early stages back then, I was more forgiving. Thankfully, the music gave the film more character and was very successful in establishing the mood, conveying horror and suspense as well.

What really fascinated me the most about the two films was that they were glimpses of a time that has come and gone. I realized that everyone involved in these films are already dead and yet their work lived on. It’s just a shame that many more films from the silent era weren’t preserved and got lost never to be recovered. It’s odd that I was only supposed to watch a couple of silent films with live music accompaniment and yet my mind wandered off into thoughts of ages past. It might be that I’m getting older and getting more nostalgic but I’d like to believe that it’s just proof that there’s more to a film than what was just screened inside the theater.