Imelda (2003)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Ramona S. Diaz

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Tagline:

Power, Myth, Illusion

Plot:

A "beyond the shoes" documentary on the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. |

Plot Keywords:

Philippines | Imelda Marcos | First Lady | Shoes | Dancer

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Imelda Marcos	...	Herself
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.	...	Himself
Imee Marcos	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephen Bosworth	...	Himself
Phil Bronstein	...	Himself
Behn Cervantes	...	Himself
Rudolfo Cuenca	...	Himself
Josie Vergel de Dios	...	Herself
Conrado de Quiros	...	Himself
Katherine Ellison	...	Herself
Christian Espiritu	...	Himself
Richard Holbrooke	...	Himself
Eva Estrada Kalaw	...	Herself
Jose F. Lacaba	...	Himself (as Pete Lacaba)
Letty Locsin	...	Herself
Jo-Ann Maglipon	...	Herself
Carmen Guerrero Nakpil	...	Herself
Bernice Romualdez Ocampo	...	Herself
Sergio Osmena III	...	Himself
Vicente Paterno	...	Himself
James Reuter	...	Himself
Llewellyn White	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:103 min

Country:

Philippines

Language:

Filipino | English | Tagalog

Color:

Color

Certification:

Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Company:

CineDiaz

Trivia:

Initially, Imelda Marcos opposed the public showing of this film in the Philippines and even got a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from a local court stopping it's public showing. Eventually she allowed the showing of the film on the condition the director dropped the word "Documentary" from the film.

Delusional...

First, this was an excellent documentary. I knew absolutely nothing about Pilipino history ( yes, ignorant American that I am) and walked away interested in learning more. You are presented with a brief history though, with unanswered questions, which helps you focus more on the subject, Imelda. Second, Imelda Marcos is absolutely nuts. Call it schizophrenia, delusional disorder or narcissistic personality. She embodies all three. Not only did she not apologize for being guilty of excessive greed and sloth, she had no clue why she was being accused of these. The writer did a good job of highlighting the crimes the Marcos family has committed over several decades and showed the current influence Imelda holds over contemporary Philipino culture. For a brief past/present glimpse of the Marcos family and their crimes against humanity and extortion, this documentary shows concrete examples. And you get a glimpse firsthand of just how delusional and completely clueless Imelda Marcos is. While her country starves, she accumulates jewelry. Though she is not different than other leaders of 3rd world countries, it shows the American hand in creating the monster that is her ultimate excessive greed, which she refers to as surrounding herself with "beauty". I laughed throughout the entire film at the endless contradictions. Overall, well done and unbiased.