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| International Silent Film Festival organizers trying out ethnic instruments |
Missing
one film during the second day of the 6th International Silent Film
Festival made me more determined to complete the rest of the festival’s run. I
adjusted my travel time in preparation of whatever unfortunate incidents I
might encounter along the way. Amazingly, I experienced little or no traffic at
all during the last two days of the festival so I was able to arrive at the
Shang Cineplex at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall with lots of time to spare.
La Signora delle Cameglie
With
all the opportunities that the Embassy of Italy has given me, there was no way
that I was going to miss their film for this year, La Signora delle Cameglie accompanied by music act Garlic. And I
should also note that I am familiar with some of the members of Garlic, namely guitarist
Francis “Brew” Reyes, bassist Louie Talan and drummer Zach Lucero. So this
screening was yet another one that I could not afford to miss. Well, think that
this year, I had an impression that I couldn’t afford to miss any of the events
during the entire festival.
Originally
shown back in 1915, La Signore delle
Cameglie, directed by Gustavo Serena and Baldassarre Neuroni was the oldest
film screened this year and it showed. The film was shaky with lots of
scratches and the storytelling style and shots employed wasn’t as clear or
creative back then. But this film was a great window to see how movie making
was during the early days and that interested me more than the actual plot of
the film which was adapted from the novel La
Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The novel
and the film told the story of a sickly courtesan named Marguerite Gautier who
became the object of affection of Armand Duval. Marguerite’s declining health
coupled with Armand’s father objecting to their love affair both lead to the
tragic ending of the film. It’s a good thing that I am already very familiar
with the plot of the film thanks to the opera La Traviata which was adapted
from the same novel. Throughout the film, I couldn’t help but take note of
which parts were similar to the opera and which parts were not. I also noticed
that this film used tints to give “color” to the film. Despite being
technically a black and white film, the picture had a reddish tint when the
story took place during autumn. And then it took on a bluish hue once the story
progressed into the winter season.
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| Embassy of Italy officers and Garlic |
The
music that accompanied the film could be best summed up in two words for me:
understated elegance. Playing down and solidly supporting the film, the music
captured the happy go lucky, free wheeling lifestyle during the earlier part of
the film. And then the trio was able to switch into a contrasting and heartrending
feel when the film got to its tragic ending. They didn’t go for the
authenticity of the music of the era but rather went for emotional
authenticity.
Pelikula and The Eternity
Before
the two films presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines was screened, an art talk featuring French film critic and historian Max
Tessier and Filipino film maker Raymond Red. Max Tessier talked about a lot of
old films but since I am not really knowledgeable about film history, I wasn’t
able to relate much. Raymond Red used the floor to serve as an introduction to
the two films, Pelikula and The Eternity that were shown right after the art
talk.
Both
films were experimental and they are not to everyone’s taste. There wasn’t
really much of a narrative especially on the first film Pelikula which focused more on the form rather than the content.
The second film, The Eternity had
more of a story but it wasn’t easy to grasp. I remember a man submitting an
application a few times and then he ends up killing someone. A chase ensues
until the man finds himself trap with no way out of his predicament.
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| FDCP Officers, Max Tessier, Raymond Red and Diwa de Leon with his band |
The
music for this film was played by Diwa de Leon who also collaborated with
Raymond Red with the recent Cinemalaya film, Kamera Obskura. Diwa once again used
the hegalong (he brought two in fact), an unusual instrument that is rarely
seen and heard in mainstream music. Despite a brief technical glitch, he made
the film more accessible through his use of music. After the film was screened,
he and the rest of his band played an encore which sent some of the organizers
on their feet. So delighted were they that they gamely posed for photos holding
the various ethnic instruments.
Safety Last
The
film Safety Last, presented by the
Embassy of the United States of America
was the closing film of the film festival. I am so glad that Mr. Alan Holst,
Cultural Officer of the US Embassy chose this film among the many films out
there from the United States
which was briefly shown through a short clip prior to the screening of the
movie. And I am very pleased that they found the perfect music act for this
film which is the equally fun band Radioactive Sago Project. At first, I was a
bit disappointed that front man Lourd de Veyra wasn’t with the band. But after
watching the film, I think that his vocals which are actually spoken, would
only serve as a distraction. Instead, the rest of the band played snippets of
their vast repertoire throughout the film, cleverly fitting the characters and
the hilarious situations from the movie.
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| US Embassy Cultural Officer Alan Holst and Radioactive Sago Project |
I
was amazed on how well preserved this film was since it was first shown back in
1923. The film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor told the story of a
young store clerk who got into a huge mess just because he wanted to impress
the girl of his dreams. A quick cash making scheme in order to keep up the ruse
that he has actually made it in the big city turned into a hilarious chase up a
tall building. One thing I realized while watching the film was that comedy
during the silent era had to be physical. Puns, play on words and other spoken
things would not be as effective on silent films. While some physical and slapstick
comedy may not click with modern day audiences, Safety Last is one prime
example of an enduring work whose effectiveness in eliciting laughter didn’t
fade over time. One thing I also noticed while watching the film was that the
standard of beauty back then was totally different from what is beautiful right
now. The female protagonists from the Metropolis, La Signora delle Cameglie and
Safety Last all fit the same template. So it was very interesting not only to
see the evolution of film throughout the decades but also to see the perception
of beauty as well.
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| Radioactive Sago Project |
Prior
to the screening of the closing film, closing cocktails for invited guests were
held at the Shangri-La Plaza Atrium. It was nice to see Radioactive Sago Project
guitarist, Junji Lerma who was a co-adjudicator during the Philippine Popular MusicFestival. In conclusion, it was a very satisfying film festival for me and my
only major gripe was that I missed one screening due to circumstances beyond my
control. There’s nothing left for me to do but to aim for seeing all films next
year when the 7th International Silent Film Festival happens.
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