Filipino movies as the Country's Premier Source of Entertainment

The Filipino movies and the industry have more than a hundred years of history and the history of the industry can be linked to the early years of the filmmaking.

To be exact, the industry of movie-making was jumpstarted in 1897. The movies of old in the country are based on the everyday lives of the common folk and one of the first movies that were released in the country is based on Philippine folklore. This is in contrast to the kind of movies that are released right now in theaters as these movies are extremely formulaic.

The evolution of the Philippine movies can be categorized into six stages; all six stages of development:

. Pre-War

. The Second World War

. The 1950s

. The 1960s

. The 1970s

. The 1980s and 1990s

. The current times

The pre-war movies were first offered in 1919. This was the year when the first Philippine movie was released- Jose Nepomoceno's 'Dalagang Bukid'. And by 1930, the first sound film was introduced in the country and this was in Tagalog. The movie is 'Ang Aswang', which was based on a Philippine folklore. This was the time too when the first Filipina director was known. She was Carmen Concha.

By the Second World War, the movie industry in the country was used by the Japanese forces for their propaganda measures. Movies are produced to advance the interests of the occupying forces. The decade after the war, the 1950s was considered by all as the first golden age of Philippine Cinema. This was the time when great movies were produced by the four leading studios in the country. These studios include LVN Pictures, Sampaguita Pictures, Premiere Productions and the Lebran International. This was the decade too when movie production was at its peak- around 350 movies are produced every year. This was the decade when the movies of master directors like Gerardo de Leon, Eddie Romero and Cesar Gallardo was seen by the movie-going public. The number of movies produced by the country during this decade ranks second to the production made by Japan. Most of these Filipino movies are only shown in two cinemas, in Dalisay and Life Theaters in Manila.

The 1960s is the time when the so-called 'bomba films' dominated the silver screens of Manila. This was also the time when Western spin-offs were made popular and this was the time when a James Bond spin-off was made. And more importantly, this was the decade when musical films by Sampaguita Pictures were no longer popular. The 1970s and the early 1980s were considered by many as the second golden age of the Philippine cinema, and this was the time too of the avant garde movement in the industry.

Some popular movies of these two decades are listed as follows:

. Oro Plata Mata

. Stardoom

. Tinimbang ka Ngunit Kulang

. Insiang

. Himala

. Maynila: Sa Kuko ng ng Liwanag

. Banaue

. Pagdating sa Dulo

. Itim

. Batch 81

The late 1980s and the 1990s was the time when Viva Films started producing their movies, and this was the time too when action films were the favorite of the movie-going public. GMA films also entered the industry and the studio was known for producing critically-acclaimed movies like 'Jose Rizal' and 'Muro Ami'. The year 2000 and up to the present was the time when the formulaic romantic movies form part of the majority of the movies that are released. This was also the time when the independent filmmakers entered the market and they offered the industry with mostly digital films.

Some of their famous and critically-acclaimed digital movies include:

. Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

. Kubrador

. Endo

. Tribu and a few more

This is the time too when Star Cinema releases raked in money at the box office. Their movies are considered as some of the top-grossing films for the industry, at least from the start the industry started taking notes of the gross income of the movies. In one article, the best-grossing Filipino movies were listed and the list includes:

. Sukob of Star Cinema

. Ang Tanging Ina

. Kasal Kasali Kasalo

. One More Chance and

. A Love Story