SIGH. SIGH. SIGH.
Found this clip on YouTube. It was sent to me by my friend Maricel from Museo Pambata. It's a short travelogue done in 1938 called "Manila. Queen City of the Pacific". It shows footage of an intact Intramuros, a pre-bombed out Rizal Avenue with it's tram system, a pre-bombed out Jones Bridge, a tree lined Taft Avenue, and the majestic former San Francisco Church. Sigh. I know. Looking at footage like this makes me feel a tinge of sadness about the glory we lost thanks to war and neglect. But on the other hand, it also makes me hopeful simply because it shows the standard that which we all should aspire - a civilized, multifaceted, multicultural Manila for all. Learn more about the filmmaker, Andre de la Varre here.
This one is by William M. Pizor as part of the "Port O' Call" series. It's called"Castillian Memories". It's a bit condescending but nevertheless, it's still fantastic rare footage of Old Manila.
Labels: sigh sigh sigh
posted by carlosceldran @ 4:45 PM
16 Comments:
Carlos, that video is captivating! Thank you for posting it! "Sigh" is right, though. We've lost so, so much. :-( One hopes that we can rebuild, but it's been 70 years since that video, and over 60 years since the war, yet the deterioration continues. Sigh, again.
Oh, and I laughed when the VO said "a climate that is friendly to all!" True enough, check out everyone comfortably strolling, even doing their marketing, in suits and baro't saya. What better evidence of global warming?! ;-)
I feel sad that we lost so many of those nice sculptures.
On the lighter side, we still haven't lost our love of haphazard driving and jaywalking.
Salamat Carlos,
Always giving us a new point of view...
(I just put a link again in our blog to your page)
I love it! What's so beautiful is that everyone was so well dressed then. Even the vendors at the church! They all dressed up neatly. What has happened? So sad!
I cannot help but remember today's Singapore - the old buildings along the river and other preserved architecture. It's sad to be always on the reminiscing side, whereas we can always have the same thing until this day if weren't for neglect (and numerous other reasons as we all know). War has torn so many cities but have managed to rebuild (Europe being a good example). However, the sad thing is how Manila looks like today apparently reflects only the Pinoy's jaded-ness and later on, indifference and neglect. If a city reflects a nation's heart and soul, what does Manila say to the world now?
"Sigh" indeed. Sad as I am that we may never be able to recapture how Manila looked like then, I'm thankful that these videos that you kindly shared with us give us a clearer portrait of a more genteel, comparatively classier Manila.
I love that the women were still wearing baro't saya, they looked so stylish. And then the sight of nuns all draped and covered up wandering around the markets.
I smiled at the remark about Tondo, a mix of skyscrapers and crumbling structures. Hmmm, that's not too far off what we still have today.
Wow. Manila was really a corinthian city! Carlos, can I have this forwarded to other blogger friends?
El Cineasta
Just viewed the film clip of Old Manila ....Two thoughts came to mind...oh the folly of man , and , war! whats it good for? absolutely nothing !!!
So much has been lost , and yet been replaced with nothing to even compare to the old . To see people strolling the markets in white suits , the ladies dressed in barot saya was fantastic .
The climate was much the same then as now , but because of design and less vehicles etc we hadnt created the heat island affect that we suffer from now ...there was more shade , trees and bare natural ground , not cement , glass and tarmac to reflect back the heat .
But I still love the Manila of today , lol .
Of course Cineaste.
The video is not mines to keep. It was on Youtube.
Go right ahead I guess.
Very cool.
Here's a link to the director of the first one
http://www.burtonholmes.org/associates/andredelavarre.html
Andre de la Varre had a very interesting life as a pioneering travel film maker.
mmmmmm teka muna. I have the same video from you tube
It's fascinating how Manila was so modern during the early 1930's and before WW2.
In Fact the Philippines was almost industrialist with a twist of native culture.
1938 was probably the time wer the Philippines is the second richest country in Asia after Japan.
Looking at the video I was hoping to see familiar faces or relatives. The people moved so fast on this old video.
The people of the past has more art, romance and glamour. Those old cars are so fine with me. Those Filipiniana clothes people wear are so elegant! I almost cried about the carabaos and the horses but still I prefer to see them or ride them on the rode than modern jeepneys or even ferraris.
just like what you said in your tour Carlos, Manila then looked so much like Europe.
im nursing a broken heart. manila looked more prosperous during the pre-war than 2008 Manila. but i will always be proud of the fact that I am from this city.
Carlos
Thanks for the back-in-time footage, great to see the old scenes.
My mother, who was in Manila as a little girl in the early 20th Century, would always talk about the 'beautiful water ice cream'there.
David
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