tavm
As an American of Philippine descent, I was very interested in watching this documentary of the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. I watched in bemusement as she kept claiming how her people loved her while there were many of the country's citizens holding signs protesting her and her husband, then-president Ferdinand Marcos, for abuses they committed like declaring Martial Law so the Marcos could stay in power indefinitely. It took the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino and the eventual election of his widow, Corazon, as president to force the Marcos into exile to Hawaii where Ferdinand died in 1989. Besides vintage footage of them and of many other protests, you see Mrs. Marcos swaying her charm with Muammar Gadaffi, Henry Kissinger, and, no, I couldn't believe it either, George Hamilton who sings "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" substituting "Imelda" in place of "Baby"! She also recounted her encounter with songwriter Irving Berlin who, after hearing her sing "God Bless the Philippines" (to the tune of "God Bless America"), gave her her own song called "Heaven Help the Philippines". The fact that many Filipino residents still revere Imelda is the result of her charm and always dressing up for the occasion. And her legacy, besides many of her criminal charges, is two of her children, Ferdinand, Jr. and Imee, getting elected in their chosen office. All in all, Imelda was quite a fascinating documentary directed by Ramona S. Diaz.
rotildao
Saw back in 2003 at the Landmark Theater in Chicago. I thought this documentary was banned from USA. Well, I know they took out of theaters after a couple of weeks by an intervention from Imelda's lawyers, that's all I can remember about that episode.A very focused documentary where fantasy, mysticism and folklore become the foundation for mockery of a whole nation when the reality of an iconic figure is revealed. The worst thing is to remember that me and a girl I was with at the time look at each other thinking: Michael Jackson! Sad but true! I laughed with a heavy conscience afterward. Even though it seems you wish to respect their suffering or their autistic (kinda of) delusions, and I mean Imelda and Michael Jackson's, you simply can't go against the facts presented by her lunacy, and the similarities with Jackson's.Unpleasant for some, I know because I saw Filipinos leaving the theater back then. Despite all the "cruelty" against Imelda's image, a masterpiece of documentary!
hoffm3
Why Imelda Marcos would allow filmmaker Ramona Diaz to get as close to her for as long as she does is anyone's guess, but this is documentary film at its best. At 70, Imelda is every bit the royal: charming, poised, beautiful, grand. "Imelda" is an excellent character study in power, greed and delusion.Some of my favorite moments in the film: * Anytime Imelda opens her mouth, especially when she espouses her views on beauty, truth and love: give people enough rope and they hang themselves.* George Hamilton serenading Imelda aboard her yacht: "I can't give you anything but love, Imelda." * Female security guard at the Imelda Marcos Shoe Museum who whispers to the camera that she sometimes sneaks in and tries some of them on.* Imelda dancing with Henry Kissinger * Imelda's description of the assassination attempt against her, "And he used such an ugly instrument. At least he could have tied a little bow on it or something." * Comments from opposition are sometimes deadly accurate: "She built so many public works, she had an edifice complex." This movie is available on DVD. Hard to find, but more people should see it. What it provides that I have never seen before is a closeup of one of the world's most notorious she-villains and the global power circles where she once strode.... in fabulous pumps.
lornadoom78
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.
AD
