TRIP TO PHILIPPINES & WAR TORN MANILA 16mm HOME MOVIE (1945)

Synopsis

Made in 1945 or 46, this extraordinary 16mm silent home movie shows a visit to the war-torn Philippines by a U.S. military officer. The film begins with a flight aboard a propeller driven aircraft from an unknown base to Manila. At 1:35 the aircraft lands at an unknown airport before the journey continues by plane and then by boat. By 2:51 the flag of the Philippines is seen, and it appears this part of the film was shot from a boat. This building appears to be the Supreme Court of the Philippines. At 3:20 another ruined building is shown, possibly the Manila Main Post Office which was built in 1926.More ruined structures are shown nearby, evidence of the fierce fighting that occurred during the liberation of Manila. At 3:52 the University of Santo Tomás Main Building is seen. This was the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines, constructed in 1925. At 4:00 the San Agustin Church in Intramuros is shown, its facade pockmarked with bullet holes. At 4;21 are some shots that appear to possibly show walls of Fort Santiago. Wide swaths of empty land are shown, possibly cleared debris zones. At 4:30 some U.S. personnel are seen followed by shots of children, possibly orphans under care of authorities. At 5:15 the film moves to a more rural area, and local inhabitants are shown posing with U.S. soldiers at 6:43, and dancing at 9:00. At 10:23 a visit to a village is shown with locals posing for the camera. At 11:37, a "bird dog" type liaison airplane is shown, tail…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

15 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage