It's show time for Imelda
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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| Imelda Romualdez Marcos, a 20th-century icon whether you love or loathe her, is the subject of a new documentary, titled "Imelda," a combination of interviews and historical footage.
Advertiser library photo • 1997 "Imelda" Unrated 103 minutes |
Whatever your beliefs about Imelda, the film will startle, amuse, annoy and even entertain you. She comes off as a smooth, meticulous personality. Yep, the shoes are there; so's the hair.
Filmmaker Ramona S. Dias presents a no-holds-barred portrait of the former first lady, getting under her skin at times. Historical footage is fused with more recent images; and the documentary brings the loose pieces of her lingering puzzle well into focus.
Her controversial rise to fame, wealth and glory — and eventual downfall — is matched by her unmitigated devotion to her husband, her country, and yes, herself.
"When you're committed to God, beauty and love, you can be mistaken as energetic," she says at one point in a series of straight-to-the-camera interviews. "You cannot quantify beauty; you cannot quantify love."
And you cannot quantify her absolute belief in her innocence, in her role in the political spectrum of the Philippines, in her quest for constant self promotion.
She had missions and she sought to achieve.
"My mother could always find a connection — she's instinctive," says her son, Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr.
Indeed, she connected with a remarkable roster of global leaders, often doing PR stints her husband could never imagine.
She questions her role as the first lady; together, their legacy is one of personal gain, building extravagant edifices the common folk could never see, perceiving their accomplishments as "monuments of the Filipino spirit."
"They need a role model," says Imelda. "They need a star." She believed she was both.
"She said he represented the people, but it is convoluted," says Jo-Ann Maglipan, a Philippines journalist. "She had invisible reality."
She also has a sense of humor; when officials raided her home and cleaned out her closets, she says, with tongue in cheek, that they "found shoes, not skeletons."
Hawai'i viewers will be familiar with the Marcos' 1986 visit, carrying diaper boxes and diamonds, being probed by U.S. Customs officials. She maintains the diapers were for grandkids, not shields for her gems.
The film tracks the political ramifications of U.S. bases in the Philippines, shows footage of the Benigno Aquino assassination, includes a segment on the rise of Cory Aquino, revisits Imelda's campaign to become Philippines president, and yes, repeatedly shows her singing and entertaining.
In the end, Imelda says, she has no fears of going to jail. "We have never committed a crime," she says. "I am at peace with my conscience and creator; I'm sure the Lord will embrace and bring me to heaven. I am sure of that."
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
