imelda and the 3000 shoes

Title:
Imelda (A-)
PH Release Date:
July 21, 2004
Featuring:
Imelda Marcos
Director:
Ramona S. Diaz
Editor / Music:
Ldy Marino / Grace Nono and Bob Ares
Photography:
Ferne Pearlstein
Producer:
Cine Diaz, Soros Documentary Foundation
Studio:
Unitel Pictures

“Thank God when they opened this mail, they found this review, not class A shoes from Greenhills – Y meldo

The first time I read that skeleton thing, I thought that was something Melanie Marquez will say, but then again, it’s funny yet it’s smart, so it’s highly unlikely. I would have to admit that I am a pro- martial law type of guy, most of the members of my family are (that includes our dog). So, that may affect quite a bit my writing, but I though of that right before I watched the film and when I went out, it was a totally different story.

Imelda Marcos is probably one of the most celebrated or rather infamous characters of the past 50 years. She was the wife of Ferdinand Marcos, became the governor of the Philippines during the martial law, owns 3000 pairs of shoes (half of which was stolen by tweety--- the yellow birdie), dresses extravagantly, considered as one of the propitiators of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino and of course, the gigantic hairstyle (which up to now I don’t know how she does).

This movie is all about her. You’ll see how pretty she was when she was younger, how nifty she was, and how smart she seem to appear. But in the beginning of the second half of that may start to change a little, especially when she starts sharing her asinine philosophies, which totally caught me off guard (an upside down heart, and an upright down heart equals? two hearts intertwined?)

This movie won the Excellence in Cinematography award from the Sundance Film Festival (Redford Film Feast), which I agree with (not because I saw the other entries). The visuals was superb, they handled the camera very well, it was usual yet very unconventional (if yah know what I mean). The clips they showed too, were so good, you would love every single part of it. How I wish though that they showed the interviewer during the duration of the film cuz it will be more convincing for me, not that it was not.

I won’t spoil it for you furthermore (isn’t it obvious that I’m in a hurry), what can I add though is that if you were born 30 years or so ago, you may have an idea of all the stuff conferred to in this film, but for someone as young as me (I’m 14 going on 40) you maybe startled by all the stuff you’ll see or at the very least be bewildered by it.

Overall it was a film to enjoy, a miserable part of an icon is never a boring topic. You’ll learn how too much power can make the person crazy (or how much shoes can fit into a person’s closet) and most of all how lost of power can turn you much crazier. At the end of the movie you may realize, that there is truly an Imelda in all of us (or not).