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| cinematography =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| editing =
| studio = ''CineDiaz''
| studio = CineDiaz
| distributor =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2003|11|23|[[International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam|Amsterdam]]}}
| released = {{Film date|2003|11|23|[[International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam|Amsterdam]]}}
| runtime =
| runtime = 103 minutes
| country = Philippines
| country = Philippines
| language = [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], Filipino, English
| language = [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], Filipino, English

Revision as of 23:18, 13 March 2014

Imelda
Directed byRamona S. Diaz
Starring
Production
company
CineDiaz
Release date
  • November 23, 2003 (2003-11-23) (Amsterdam)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguagesTagalog, Filipino, English
Box officeUS$500,992 (Worldwide)

Imelda is a 2003 documentary film about Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines, directed by Ramona S. Diaz. The film is about the life of the former First Lady; beginning with her childhood in Tacloban and her youth in Manila, her marriage to future President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, her rule under the dictatorship, her exile in Hawaii as a result of the People Power Revolution, and her eventual return to the Philippines. Reviews were largely favourable and it won the Excellence in Cinematography Award Documentary award at Sundance in 2004. The film outsold Spider-Man 2 in the Philippines, but only took US$200,992 at the US box office with an additional US$300,000 worldwide. Reviews from critics are favorable with a 94% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a 69% favorable review from Metacritic.

Synopsis

Diaz followed former First Lady Imelda Marcos for a month and also interviewed her daughter Imee and her son Ferdinand, Jr.[1] The film, which incorporates third party interviews and archive material, recounts Imelda's life, including her marriage to her husband, Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos.[2] In discussing the Marcos presidency, Imelda asserts that there were no human rights abuses in her country;[2] she says that the reason her husband abolished Congress and declared martial law in 1972 was to protect democracy.[1] She is frank that 3,000 pairs of shoes went with her into exile, and justifies her extravagant clothing by claiming that it "inspired the poor to dress better".[1] She also says that she had enormous museums and theaters constructed to enrich the lives of Filipinos.[1]

Imelda claims in one vignette that she had met United States Army General Douglas MacArthur during his landing in Tacloban at the end of World War II, and that McArthur insisted that she should perform for the composer Irving Berlin,[3] who had composed the Philippine national anthem not long previously.[4] She sang "God Bless the Philippines"; and when asked by Berlin why she sang the lyrics incorrectly, she said, "what's the difference between America and the Philippines?"[3] The assassination attempt on Imelda and the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. are featured in the film.[5] Footage from parties held by the Marcos couple also appear, including one held in a yacht where actor George Hamilton sang "I can't give you anything but love, Imelda."[3]

Release and reception

Imelda Marcos in 2006

The film's world premiere was at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam while its North American premiere was in the documentary competition of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival,[6] where it won the Excellence in Cinematography Award Documentary.[6] The film was also screened at the Maryland Film Festival in Baltimore, where Diaz resides.[6]

Critical reviews are mostly favorable.[7][8][9][10] The film holds a 94% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a 69% favorable review from Metacritic.[11][12] The website Film Threat commends the film's treatment of the subject's flaws because it "allows her to describe them herself";[1] TV Guide acknowledges Imelda as "an entertaining storyteller".[13] The New York Times describes the film as "a devastating portrait" and equates the theme of Imelda with that of delusion and power.[14] The San Francisco Chronicle said the film was "spellbinding".[3]

Both the Chronicle and Variety consider the film balanced and even-handed.[3][4] Variety suggests that Imelda, someone who has been accustomed to living under the spotlight since her teens, was convinced that her own charm and charisma would create a more favorable impression in the film than might otherwise be expected. It remarks that "her defenses of her husband and his regime are obviously filled with rationalizations and obfuscations".[4] Other reviewers are more scathing,[1] or note with irony her distorted reality and the many contradictions with which she lives.[3][4]

The film took $200,992 at the box office in the United States.[15] In the Philippines, Imelda obtained a temporary injunction that prevented its showing for a brief time. When the film was released after the injunction was canceled, it earned more than Spider-Man 2, and was considered a smash hit.[2] Outside of the US, the film received box office revenue of $300,000.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Imelda. Film Threat. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "A walk in the shoes of Imelda Marcos". The Boston Globe. Published on August 6, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Film clips / Also opening today. San Francisco Chronicle. Published on June 11, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Review: ‘Imelda’. Variety. Published on March 17, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  5. ^ 'Imelda': Don't Cry for Her. The Washington Post. Published on July 16, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Imelda. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Walk in her shoes. Canoe.ca. Published on December 1, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Imelda. Deseret News. Published on December 2, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  9. ^ Short Reviews: Imelda. The Phoenix. Published on August 6–12, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  10. ^ Movie guide. Christian Science Monitor. Published on June 18, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  11. ^ Imelda. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  12. ^ Imelda. Metacritic. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  13. ^ Imelda. TV Guide. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  14. ^ For a Regal Pariah, Despite It All, the Shoe Is Never on the Other Foot. The New York Times. Published on June 9, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  15. ^ Imelda. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.
  16. ^ "Imelda". The Numbers (Nash Information Services). Retrieved February 20, 2014.
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