The Sights and Sounds of Manila: Part One
The Sights and Sounds of Manila: Part One
Feature art by Jacob Angeles and Kyle Livelo
When we want to watch a film coming from Asia, we tend to look to Japan, Hong Kong, or South Korea for recommendations. Don’t discount the cinemas of Mainland China, Thailand, and even Indonesia. Meanwhile, here in the Philippines and its capital city Manila, one can’t help but feel like we have been lagging behind our neighbors when it comes to cinema. Often, the capital is depicted as a crime-ridden backdrop for action and B-movies.
Are there any films set in Manila that do not scream dangerous or at least provide a semblance of dignity? Well, the answer here is quite complicated, and it’s often tragic.
Old Manila Theaters collage | Photos from Atlas Obscura, Cinema Treasures, Arquitectura Manila and the author
The Philippines is one of the first countries in Asia to acquire cinematic technology. In 1896, Salon de Pertierra was established in what is known today located in Peterson Building in Escolta corner Tomas Pinpin Street in Binondo. Other theaters in the area and straddling all the way to Avenida, in which many of the structures today sadly no longer exist, include the Lyric Theater, where the 1937 Disney feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was first shown in Philippine shores and served as the home of Warner Bros. titles, IDEAL Theater (MGM), Universal Theater (Universal Pictures) and Capitol Theater (Columbia Pictures).
The Metropolitan Theater (now known as The MET) served as Manila’s answer to The Grand Opera House in Paris and opened its doors in 1931 as a replacement to the Manila Grand Opera House, which is now the present-day Manila Grand Opera Hotel. Alongside stage plays, dance performances, zarzuelas and the vaudeville, the Metropolitan Theater was the venue for LVN Pictures’ inaugural film, Giliw Ko. Today, after an intensive restoration process that began in 2018 after it was turned over to the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the theater has reopened its doors to continue its cinematic legacy.
Through the passage of time, commerce had shifted from Manila to Cubao and the Ayala-developed Makati, which contributed to the city’s gradual decay and loss of luster of the stand-alone cinemas. Despite the exodus of opportunity seekers, Manila remained the capital of the country and a mecca for just about anything: religious figures in Quiapo and Santa Cruz, printing shops in Recto, textiles in Juan Luna street, Chinese products in Binondo, flowers in Dangwa, medical instruments in Bambang, Indian and Middle Eastern food in Ermita and Malate, and many more.
In the sense of audiovisual identity, Manila continues to serve as a primary backdrop for films shot and set in the Philippines. One of the well-known cinematic masterpieces that took place in Manila is Lino Brocka’s Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag, which was filmed in Misericordia (now Tomás Mapúa) St. and Avenida (now Rizal) Ave. in Santa Cruz near Binondo, the oldest Chinatown. Given its reflection of the society and shifting cultural values in the 1960s, Manila is often depicted as a crime-ridden city, and became the location of Eddie Romero’s exploitation and pito-pito films, a colloquial term for B-movies that are shot and produced in seven days.
Nilad Community members from left to right: Diego Torres of Renacimento Manila, Anne Uy-Julian of Don't Skip Manila, Benjamin "B" Canapi of WanderManila, Andrei Julian of Don't Skip Manila, Kenny Tai of AKIM/Manila Girls and Stephen Pamorada of The Heritage Collective | Photo by Jan Sy
In recent years, there haven been efforts to revitalize Manila’s image by reintroducing the city’s cultural heritage to today’s audience, with the late Carlos Celdran planting the seeds. Celdran’s legacy is seen through the efforts of The Heritage Collective, headed by heritage consultant and guide Stephen Pamorada and the Nilad Community, a collective of guides and heritage advocates aiming for the cultural revival of Manila and its neighbouring cities of Malabon and Makati.
Today, one of the most popular ways for people to get into Manila’s history is to attend walks organized by Renacimento Manila. Headed by its president, Diego Gabriel Torres, Renacimento Manila was founded on January 16, 2020 to foster a cultural revival of the city first through the Digital Manila Project, featuring 3D renders of now-bygone Manila structures. It then evolved into a more on-the-ground approach by introducing walking tours to engage with the general public along with other initiatives such as exhibitions like the sartorial-focused Kabihisnan (in collaboration with Historia Vivente Manila) and public talks.
Participants attending the Lakad Pamana: Mundo nina Ibarra at Maria Clara walk, taking the participants to the world of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo | Photo by Charles Torres
One of the most popular walks organized by Renacimento Manila is the Maria Clara at Ibarra-themed tour called Lakad Pamana that brings its participants to the world of Klay and the books of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It’s heartwarming that audiences can immerse themselves in Klay's world while learning one’s identity as a Filipino. These walking tours provide an opportunity for Filipinos and foreign tourists alike to immerse in the city’s rich history.
With the ongoing efforts of heritage conservation in the capital, there is an increasing awareness of improving Manila’s image into something more hopeful and optimistic.
For this feature, the staffers of SINEGANG.ph and members of Renacimento Manila have curated feature films, shorts, and other audiovisual forms in the first of a two-part series.
Let’s dive into this film list of what makes Manila a chaotic yet colorful, and slowly reviving city.
Some spoilers ahead.
Rosa Rosal and Tony Santos, Sr. in Anak Dalita | Still courtesy of ABS-CBN Film Restoration
Anak Dalita (1956)
Dir. Lamberto V. Avellana
Also known by its English title Child of Sorrow, although referred to in the subtitled credits as The Ruins. In the devastated Intramuros years after World War II, Tita (Rosa Rosal), a kind-hearted prostitute, forms a relationship with a Korean War veteran named Vic (Tony Santos). Unlike most of LVN’s films with its formula of joy and happy endings, Anak Dalita is a somber film riddled with poverty and despair. However, it had its own touch as a purely authentic film where emotions are portrayed realistically. — Diego Torres
Yuddy (played by Leslie Cheung) seeks retribution inside the Old Tutuban Railway Station in Days Of Being Wild | Still courtesy of Jet Tone Productions
Days of Being Wild (1990)
Dir. Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai’s first part of his informal trilogy, later followed by In The Mood For Love and 2046. Straddling through his unclear identity, Yuddy (Leslie Cheung) seeks to find his tense relationship with his mother (Tita Muñoz). A key scene in this film is shot inside the old Tutuban Railway Station in Tondo where Yuddy seeks settlement with the local triad on his American passport. Other locations that were shot in the Philippines include the interiors of the former PNR Train, San Pablo in Laguna, and Villa Escudero in Quezon Province. — Arri Salvador and Joe Balinbin
Dolphy (as Walterina Markova) wearing his make-up in Markova, Comfort Gay | Still courtesy of RVQ Productions and ABS-CBN Film Restoration
Markova: Comfort Gay (2000)
Dir. Gil Portes
A biography of the last surviving comfort gay named, Walter Dempster Jr., also known as “Walterina Markova” in Dolphy’s most defining role of the 2000s. A love letter and a voice for the unheard male sex victims of the Imperial Japanese Army, Markova: Comfort Gay straddles through the time periods where Manila was then called the “Paris of Asia” during the American period where cultural imports such as the vaudeville were brought into the Philippine Islands. The Manila Hotel served as the stage for Walterina and her friends Anita, Carmen, Minerva and Sophie as entertainers. A window to the American-era queer lifestyles in the Philippines. — Kyle Livelo
Gina Pareño and Eddie Garcia at the arcaded columns of the Manila Post Office at night in Hintayan ng Langit | Still courtesy of ANIMA Studios
Hintayan ng Langit (2018)
Dir. Dan Villegas
Translated into English as Heaven’s Waiting, Lisang (Gina Pareño) died from diabetes complications in the 1960s and had been in the purgatory for so long that she overstayed—until her time was up and she had to cross-over from the mortal world into heaven. The film is best known for its scenes shot inside the Manila Post Office in its full glory before the fire ravaged all of the building’s interiors and the façade in 2023. — Bea Dolores
Two Filipino soldiers in Manila, Open City | Still courtesy of Nepomuceno Productions
Manila, Open City (1968)
Dir. Eddie Romero
Presented as a documentary drama and a break from exploitation movie, Eddie Romero’s Manila, Open City is a reminder of a city being raped throughout. Set in Intramuros during the Battle of Manila in 1945, Allied Forces set to liberate Manila by all means even if it will cost many lives. One of the notable cast members of the film alongside Charito Solis and Mario Montenegro is James Shigeta, who will later star in Die Hard and voice General Li in Mulan. — Kyle Livelo
Watch Manila, Open City here.
Devotees in Quiapo, Manila celebrate the Traslacion in Bona | Still courtesy of N.V. Productions, Carlotta Films and Kani Releasing
Bona (1980)
Dir. Lino Brocka
Set against the backdrop of Quiapo, Bona (Nora Aunor), a fangirl of a B-movie star named Gardo (Philip Salvador), joins her idol in his household, oblivious to the creeping consequences of obsession and cult-like fanaticism. Just like Quiapo and the traslacion, devotion and fanaticsm are major plot points in Bona where characters play along with the belief that there is absolute salvation. — Joshua Jude Ubalde
Read our review: ‘Bona’ REVIEW: Greater than a Catharsis, More than a Woman
A glimpse of the 1980s lifestyle in Manila By Night | Still courtesy of Far East Film Festival and Regal Films
Manila By Night (1980)
Dir. Ishmael Bernal
City After Dark, also its namesake alternative title. After the hustle and struggle of working individuals and vagrants comes the fun and the raunch. Despite a looming authoritarian regime and the foresight of a struggling national economy, Manila By Night is a respite (or a foresight) of what may come in the later years with Malate and Ermita districts being given the spotlight. Led by the sought-after actresses of its time, Cherie Gil, Alma Moreno, Lorna Tolentino, Amy Austria, and Gina Alajar, each of these women share their stories of prostitution, drug addiction, homelessness and unemployment. — Kieff Iporac
Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga in separate balconies at their rooms in Luneta Hotel in Last Night | Still courtesy of Spring Films
Last Night (2017)
Dir. Joyce Bernal
Two strangers on the verge of their own demise, Mark (Piolo Pascual) and Carmina (Toni Gonzaga) embark on an unexpected journey night together finding each other’s solace at the quiet lonely nights alongside Jones Bridge and Luneta Hotel. Some of the scenes were also shot in the former mansion of Judge Antonio Villa-Real (converted into the Orchid Garden Suites Hotel in 1995) and at Barbara’s at Casa Manila in Intramuros. — Daniela Kuizon
Eugene Domingo and Ai-Ai Delas Alas in Ang Tanging Ina | Still courtesy of Star Cinema
Ang Tanging Ina (2003)
Dir. Wenn Deramas
While it was considered baduy or jologs at the time of its release, Ang Tanging Ina later received newfound critical appreciation due to its socioeconomic relevance and of course, early 2000s nostalgia. Ina (Ai-Ai delas Alas) faces unfortunate circumstances like her husbands getting killed creatively, raises twelve children as a solo parent, and works in odd jobs like selling pirated DVDs, doing construction work, and even moonlighting as a club performer. With shallow wit comes deeper wisdom, Ang Tanging Ina symbolizes what living in Manila really is; a struggling yet resilient city. — Yasuda Rain
Cedrick Juan and Anna Luna in their reflective moments facing the El Hogar building and Intramuros in Viva, Viva Escolta!, directed by Janus Victoria | Still courtesy of Rappler
Viva Viva Escolta (2016)
Dir. Janus Victoria
Two ghosts, Joey (Cedrick Juan) and Consuelo (Anna Luna), find their solace in the streets of Escolta before heading to their destination in their afterlife. Loneliness is best represented through the exploration of places that built memories and legacies such as the First United Building, Regina Building, and El Hogar Building. Viva Viva Escolta represents the passage of time through built architecture, waiting for them to be replaced by another edifice. — KL
Watch Viva Viva Escolta here.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, also known as the Santa Ana Church in Regie Mae Adelantar’s Santa Ana - The Womb Of Manila
Santa Ana: The Womb of Manila (2023)
Dir. Regie Mae Adelantar
A documentary about the movement of #SaveStaAna and the Santa Ana Heritage Zone. Individuals from diverse backgrounds tell their stories in the district of Santa Ana growing up both in peace and in turbulent times, may it be war or misguided development. Despite its relative safety from the horrors of war during the Battle of Manila in 1945, Santa Ana wasn’t spared from the dangers of redevelopment: one of which, the camarin of the Santa Ana Cathedral is under threat of collateral damage. Through this documentary, stories are preserved and kept for the future generations to take note of, especially in the ongoing battle of heritage conservation in Manila. — KL
Watch Santa Ana: The Womb Of Manila here.
A young man looking at the Hong Bon bridge in Binondo in Ryan Capili’s i was walking in the streets of chinatown
i was walking on the streets of chinatown (2024)
Dir. Ryan Capili
An unnamed film director who returns home to Binondo tries to reminisce his memories by walking through the ever-changing streets at the danger of re-development. In this short, the connection of the present day threads memories of past edifices such as the Crystal Arcade, the Uy Su Bin Building, Hotel Oriente and the La Insular Cigar Factory to the present-day at the perspective of a young man. — KL
Chelsea Manalo in La Bulaqueña | Still courtesy of Orange and Lemons
La Bulaqueña
Orange and Lemons
Shot in the National Museum of Fine Arts, Orange and Lemon’s 2024 music video La Bulaqueña is taken from Juan Luna’s painting of the same title. Miss Universe Philippines 2024 Chelsea Manalo stars in this namesake title as the model. The bossa nova and kundiman inspired tones fit well for the embodiment of the Filipina. — KL
Watch the music video here.
Escolta in McCafe Commercial: brews unmatched fr | Still courtesy of McDonalds Philippines
McCafe Commercial: brews unmatched fr
Heritage buildings are getting more traction in the realm of product advertising. This commercial was shot in Escolta against the backdrop of First United Building (formerly Perez-Samanillo Building) and Regina Building. — BD
Watch the commercial here.
To close, Manila is not just a transit city where people come and go, but there are many stories waiting to be told—and there are many more to come.
Mabuhay ang Maynila!
Follow Renacimento Manila on their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on their walks, events and Manila-related facts and trivias.
