The Golden Age Of Philippine Cinema (1950s and beyond)

It is no secret that America, both politically and culturally, has immense influence on the Philippines. But after World War II, during a time when the Philippines was establishing its identity as an independent nation (with the help of the US of course), there emerged a great sense of nationalism and patriotism that manifested itself in movies.

The Filipino War movie genre, for example, worked to glorify their own soldiers and guerillas for their courage and bravery in war – 1946, for example, bred powerful war films that presented unmoving heroism (Garrison 13, Dugo ng Bayan, to name a couple) . The name of the film, “Dugo ng Bayan”, or “The Country’s Blood”, in itself captures the tragic impact the war had had on its people, and further evidences the need for patriotism in the war-tarnished country.

A handful of film companies, referred to by some as the big four, would thus exploit and use the country’s interest in film to fuel a golden age of art and innovation in Filipino film. Backed by monetary abundance (from where they got the money in the impoverished Philippines, I haven’t a clue), LVN Pictures, Sampaguita Pictures, Premiere Productions, and Lebran Pictures were able to put out 350 movies a year! Yes, a year. As a result, the Philippines would be second only to Japan in film production per year. And they were not horrible films at that. The 1956 film, “Anak Dalita” was awarded the Golden Harvest Award, or Best Picture, during the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. The fact that this success transcends Philippine borders suggests the country’s progression towards successful integration and interaction with countries on a global scale, at least in terms of popular culture.



On the note of international success, perhaps the most important achievement in Filipino cinema during this time (and maybe ever) was the production of the movie, “Genghis Khan”. This 1952 film received acclaim in the Western World and became the FIRST Asian film to be shown not only at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, but also at Cannes (those familiar with Entourage have to know this is pretty big deal). Furthermore and ironically enough, Hollywood became inspired by the film and made its own version, starring none other than our great American hero, John Wayne. This Philippine influence on Western media can be seen as a step towards establishing the country’s own distinct identity, through the medium of film. It allowed again for a Filipino voice to be heard on a global scale.

The only downside to such success…how many people actually knew Genghis Khan was originally a Filipino film? I did not. The 60s would see a decline in quality films, as the Philippine people yearned for more Western inspired movies, with film companies spitting out “westerns” and “bomba” (“Dogeaters” anyone?) pictures. And as we all know, “bomba” means naked, so I’ll just go ahead and stop here..


-Robert Noble