During those grueling days of University life undergone by most of us in Manila, only one day seemed to be our favorite: Saturday ( when there is NO class, or Sunday if there is no ROTC.) And whatever holiday falls into the school calendar.
When that blessed day comes, I usually spent it visiting the theatre strip along Rizal Avenue, from the corner of Azcarraga up to Carriedo. SM then was just a small 6 storey building at the corner of Carriedo and Avenida.
Movies are the only escapism I had from homesickness, rigors of taking a ride to and from school and the boring regime of academic work. College life in Manila for me was very stressful...
For example, if you lived in San Juan, Rizal ( as I did ) then one would know how hard it was to be waiting for a bus which was packed to the roof with a few city denizens: blue collar stiffs, white collar workers, and also the jobless ones out to find some money usually illegally. And the students who would be reading their books and notebooks pretending not to see the elderly who needed to be seated. A pretty lady then had more chances of getting a seat than anyone else.
But all of these daily hardships would evaporate come Saturday morning. There was already a particlar movie I had in mind: a "first run" show in one of the classy movie houses along Avenida. The movie page of any newspaper was my favorite section then.
I can remember all movies that I saw in Manila, and the theatre where I saw it. I opted for the action ones, especially war movies.
I remember passing by EVER when they were showing LONGEST DAY. The line of ticket buyers was so long you could not see the end of it. Some would stay in line for hours, waiting for the next screening. And this epic war movie is about 3 hours long.
Now-a-days, each time one of these movies which I saw in Manila comes out on DVD, chances are I would buy the title. I saw BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI at the State, BATTLE HYMN at the Universal, OPERATION AMSTERDAM at the State Theatre, etc..Yep, I prefer to skip my snacks at school just to be able to save a few pesos to buy a ticket for a new war movie..
Last week, CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE came out on DVD.It was one of the movies I missed ( maybe I did not have enough money at that time ) and so I bought a copy of this movie which attracted another long line up after its opening day at the State Theatre...
CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE is a British movie and some movie goers know how different British films are from Hollywood products. Their sense of humour is wry but it would tickle your funny bone, that is if you could go beyond the actors' accent. ( Thanks God now- a-days for subtitles in the DVD versions! )
The movie started with one funny episode in the bus which introduced the main character Viollete Szabo as she was trying to catch a ride into one of the buses. It kinda reminds me of my College days. This funny opening anecdote will hook you into wanting to know what will happen to the heroine ( This is a woman's movie, by the way. ). She met a French soldier ( his French accent is now easier in my ears because French is a seond language in Canada ). By the way, the Director ( which makes or unmakes any movie ) was Lewis Gilbert and he did an astounding job with the film based on a novel by RJ Minney. Parts of the story moved smoothly with just the dialogue. Without revealing much of the story ( in case you might want to check it yourself ) , Vie ( her nickname ) fell in love with the French Officer and without much ado, they got married even if Vie's father was mildly against it. They had only a few days engagement. And war is on full swing and pretty soon, he will be shipped to wherever his orders would bring him. "What if.." the father insinuated, but inspite of the possibility Vie married him and in a few days, he was gone..
The next scene showed Vie's daughter celebrating her 2nd birthday. Her dad has not seen her yet. The party was a happy lot; friends, kids singing "happy birthday..". Vie's friend asked her when her dad is coming for a visit.."Soon, " was her answer, "he is just waiting for a long furlough.." Then the camera panned to the window showing a military personnel in a bike and he was about to deliver a fateful telegram to the family..
Well, British films usually do not show much sentimentality. The mother cringed when she saw the contents of the telegram. Then she called her daughter and handed it to her. Slowly the door just closed to the audience, and there came an image fade out.
What came next was an interview of the widow inside a government office. She was asked to join England's Secret Service because she was an enduring athlete and she was superb in marksmanship. The aim of the secret group was to harass the Germans as much possible inside occupied France. It took her two weeks to give her consent. She can not leave her daughter but then she has her two parents to take care of her.
The lighthearted atmosphere of the movie continued through the training period showing how chauvanist the trainers were to the female recruits. But she passed all tests including a parachute jump that sprained her ankle. Then at the second half of the movie, she went into two very risky missions..
Without using much pyrotechnics and explosives, the director was able to convey enough suspense and dramatic impact up to the climax of the second mission. Nail biter is not an ample adjective for the movie, especially if it is your first time to see it. You won't know what would happen next. Which is the best criteria for a really good movie.
It is a story of feminine heroism and courage under fire. It is one movie you won't tire watching for a second or third time.
And yes, it is based on a true story.---#
CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE is released by Rank Organisation..Stars Virginia McKenna ( Born Free ) and Paul Scofield ( Man for all Seasons, The Train ) Released in 1958/B&W/119 minutes..
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