Video 48: MORE ON PRE-WAR TAGALOG MOVIES: CONSUELO SALAZAR, FERNANDO POE, WITH JOSE LUKBAN, FELIX MARKASIAR IN "ANG MAYA" (1938)

"Great in songs and dances... acting of a higher order... spectacular in settings... truly an epochal Tagalog picture!," says the ad in this 1938 musical fantasy, "Ang Maya." The movie, directed by Jose Nepomuceno, starred Consuelo Salazar and Fernando Poe.

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"Ang Maya," a musical hit of Excelsior Pictures, Inc. strikes a new note in entertainment and may be said to mark a turning point in the history of Philippine films. The picture has been showing before capacity crowds at the Grand Theatre.

For its music alone, music composed by Professor Jose Estella whose compositions have received recognition, the film, the first produced by Excelsior, is outstanding. Miss Consuelo Salazar, a coloratura soprano of unusual abilities, who is the star, rises to unheard of heights interpreting this music written for her... she is a new find in musical cinema. For its pageantry of native scenes and native dances, so beloved by the people, in which picturization Jose Nepomuceno, director of long experience, excels. "Ang Maya" is an achievement which will stand for some time.

A tender romance, between a poor girl and a rich boy, weaves together all the pieces that make up this entertainment vehicle. A jealous girl and relatives who are not so understanding nearly break this romance but at the end love rings in triumphant note only the mayas can sing. Above all, "Ang Maya" can make a claim to distinction for its high level of acting. All the leading players have interesting background and sufficient experience— all of them have university degrees, the first time such university graduates have been lured to the screen.

Miss Salazar is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music of the University of the Philippines. By her own right, she has given many concerts throughout the Philippines and has sung before the unseen radio audiences. Fernando Poe, the leading man, is another university graduate. He entered films via "Zamboanga" where be appeared with Rosa del Rosario. Jose Lukban, the boy in love, and Felix Markasiar are products of the U. P. Dramatic club which reached unprecedented heights during their time. To top it all, Alberto Cacnio, assistant director, besides being possessed of a degree, was once the president of the UP Dramatic club. He is well-grounded in dramatics. Mrs. Francisca Reyes Tolentino, who appears in the film, is the physical director of the University of the Philippines, while Mrs. Emilia Recio-Cruz is a professor of voice in the Conservatory of Music of the same university.

(The Tribune, March 19, 1938)