Silent film: A new and old cinematic experience

Last Friday and Saturday, I devoted to a new and old--right at the same time--cinematic experience! How's that possible? Silent films.

Together with my bestest gal friends, I watched three silent films (of the total six films from six different nations) part of the 6th International Silent Film Festival held annually at the Shangri-La Plaza Cineplex. 

(For deeper understanding of the film fest, read my published story for The Manila Times here: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/life-and-times/29430-silent-film-fest-creates-buzz-over-old-cinema)

A new experience because it was my first time to watch silents films screened with live musical accompaniment, and an old experience in a literal sense that those films were really old, circa 1920s-1930s. Could you imagine that? Only three decades after the cinematographe was invented by the French Lumiere brothers. 

The three films were Germany's Metropolis (1927), Spain's La Casa De La Troya (1925) and Japan's I Was Born, But... (1932). BTW, the silent film fest was dubbed by the organizers as the only one of its kind in Asia.

Kim and I watched Metropolis on Friday night, the opening of the four-day festival. At the brochure, Metropolis was summarized thus: 

It was techno-based Rubber Inc. group that played the live musical  scoring. 

I thought the film was, of course, great. It had all the reasons to be recognized as one of Germany's most epic film. Director Fritz Lang did a good recreating a visual grandeur of the novel written by no less than his wife Thea Von Harbou (though the couple broke up afterwards because of certain political issues). 

The futuristic science-fiction posed question on politics and power, social classes, faith, war and peace, and love! That the mediator between the head and the hands should be the heart. It was really a wow! 

And, thankfully, the film was preserved so well that most of it was in HD! It also had lots of effects and it made one wonder how the heck did they do that before! Pretty awesome indeed!

The only not-so-nice comment I could give was that it became kind of hard for me to mix a very old film with a very modern music. I don't say that techno music can't score silent films though, maybe the real problem was that the scoring overpowered the film at times.

And then, the following day, it was Julie and mine's time to watch the two silent films showing for the day. 

The first one was La Casa De La Troya. Here's the gist of the movie: 

The live musical accompaniment came from artist Ignacio Plaza and Filipino jazz band Sinosikat?. 

This film was really long. Close to 3 hours, only because the subtitles were showed in full screen shots. Also, proof that director Lugin enjoyed putting his words on the film (he was the author of the novel it was based) was that trivial matters like "taking out letter from the box" was also explained. I could already clearly see that, OK?

Well, that he made the film a novel, or that was really the style for Spanish films those times? Either way, the result today was that the film was kind of dragging. 

And oh! It was a love story. And love story, is either fairy tale or tragedy. Thankfully, it was a happy ending! You waited that long and then a tragic ending? No way!

As for the musical scoring, I didn't know if we were just too close to the musicians and therefore I was so aware of them, or if the scoring was also a bit overpowering...

Last and definitely not the least was I Was Born, But... directed by late, great Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu. The film was described:

Of the three films, this was the one I truly enjoyed. Mostly because of Filipino seasoned reggae band Tropical Depression that scored it. They did such a commendable job proving how musically adept they are. From the first three notes they hit, I totally forgot that the music was live. 

It was so natural, and it blended well to the naturalness of the film itself. Both film and music spoke of Japanese life portrayed by a family with a middle-class working father, an ordinary housewife, and two boys who dreams of becoming someone.

As Julie pointed it out, it was the "children's candidness" that made her smile through the 93-minute duration of the film. 

It was very simple and yet so full of lessons. Dream. Be yourself. And accept and embrace life.

In conclusion, it was definitely good to stay away from the mainstream cinema, but in a way still appreciate it because you retrace its roots in silent films. 

I condemn plagiarists

I am FULLY aware that there are no laws covering plagiarism in blogs, BUT please, if you are going to copy words from this post and paste it somewhere else, it would be very SIMPLE to add "taken from passionsavessoul.blogspot.com." 

Because to us writers, copy-pasting verbatim without citing the source is a sinful act equivalent to plagiarism! And I don't f*cking care if this is JUST a blog and there are no law that copyrights my blog, BUT these are my words and I shed thinking and effort formulating these. 

So please. Cite me. Because there is a thing we call ethics. It exists with or without the law because it's a moral thing. If that is too much for you to handle, then at least show a little courtesy, or wait! Better yet, RESPECT to the writer, or even the blogger. 

So that's my message to you Atty. Hector A. Villacorta, the chief of Sen. Tito Sotto's staff, partly responsible for copy-pasting Sarah Pope's blog. You are too full of yourself. You make it appear as if it's very much OK to copy and paste someone else's words without giving him/her credit. 

You know law and whatever, but you do not know your morals and values.

***

The topic is very sensitive to me, of course, being a writer (blogger and a full-time journalist). 

But, I just can't take it how Sen. Sotto and his staff had acted upon the revelation of the copy-pasting they did. OK, for the benefit of the law, I will not call it plagiarism. They're only lucky the thing they copy-pasted was not printed or copyrighted. 

When I was just in college (I finished Journalism from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines), it was already made clear to me NEVER to plagiarize. We were thought to paraphrase. If we'll directly quote, then cite the source. 

Now, writing for a newspaper, I practice what I learned from college, not just because my editors will kill me. But also because, I know, it is the right thing to do. 

Citing sources is an old practice in writing for print. And plagiarism is a taboo. 

What, because the world is advancing, the technology quickly changing, and the Internet making everything available to everyone, we are allowed to skip this na? 

Well. That. Is. Not. An. Excuse.

P.S. I do know that there are plenty of bloggers, who ONLY copy-paste press releases, and don't actually write. Yon, pwede mo ikalat and i-share all you want. 

But this matter is a completely different story. It's always different when it's something you personally wrote. Always. It's like a child. You treasure it.  

I can't hate rain

It had been raining continuously for the past nine days already. And it had successfully taken its toll on me. As I made my way to office earlier, I frowned at the wet, darkened concrete; I relented at the cold and moist wind that stuck my skin; and I was miserable than ever looking at the empty faces of people.

There was too much gloom! And too much gloom, always, brought too much retrospection.

I did realize something useful though. And perhaps, I got a little thankful for the rain. 

I was not the writer I used to be before.

It was the truth and it did hurt me. But, let's just say that missing my old reliable writer self was even worse than the hurt itself!

Haaaay....

I missed the time when I would write for my blog regularly. Before, I was always brimming with ideas, opinions and beliefs. But more than the ideas, opinions and beliefs, I always found the right words to express myself.

Now, I still think about important matters... Sometimes I would formulate a good topic. But in the end, the lack of time, the lack of supporting thoughts, the laziness, and every other excuses I could conjure, hindered me.

And the story passes away. It got buried in the membranes of my brain, together with other forsaken stories. I bet I already had a cemetery of dead tales by now.

Haaaayayay....

But, I did found a solution! Thank heavens! And, it was simple!

That I'd keep things personal.

Yes, that was how everything started right? I opened myself for the world to see, rather to read. And I guess it's about time that I return to my comfort zone.

Which is "I". :D

So therefore, I never really hated the rains.

I would start again. I would commune with myself again. I would open up myself again. All through writing.

Welcome me back. I would write again!

Though, I must admit this blog entry itself was already a struggle! Visiting some of my favorite blogs that I used to frequent before did help though! I was spared a little inspiration!

But I would write again. And you--yes you!--would be reading about me again, whether you like it or not.