VIDEO 48 IN "SENSE & STYLE" MAGAZINE, SEPT. 2009 ISSUE

Sense & Style/ September 2009
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TIME CAPSULE
by Ieth Inolino
Somewhere along West Avenue, Time stood still. ‘Rosebud’ echoes incessantly. Darna soars high. Paraluman lives forever.

Everyone who enters Video 48 is welcomed to a celebrity corner, where the icons of Philippine cinema have etched their musings. Celso Ad Castillo, for instance, declares: “To whom I pin my aesthetic hopes.” Luciano “Chaning” Carlos ushers in the visitor with the statement: “Enter the dazzling world of the past through Video 48. Truly entertaining coupled with warm reception and friendly persuasions.” For his part, Maryo J. de los Reyes pays tribute to the man behind Video 48: “A great disciple of the cinema! See you always at the movies!”

Conceived during the betamax craze in 1988, Video 48 sprang from the collection of owner Simon Santos. “Watching movies is my favorite pastime,” he says. “My inventory grew gradually and friends started to rent from me.” Starting with two favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock and Akira Kurosawa, Simon’s compilation has reached to thousands of movie titles--- from classics to new releases, from common to rare ones, from art to foreign language films, from documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters, from Tagalog films to several other genres. Available in VCD and DVD formats, and yes even in VHS, these titles are either for rent or for sale. Among its cult followers are film students, collectors and enthusiasts, including the late National Artists Lino Brocka and Nick Joaquin.

Simon believes that today’s crop of movie enthusiasts and film lovers are more interested and engrossed with local titles, scouting and looking for works by Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon, Celso Ad Castillo and Kidlat Tahimik, and movies of the late Fernando Poe, Jr., Vilma Santos, and even Tito, Vic and Joey. Indie films by Lav Diaz, Briliante Mendoza and Raya Martin are also in demand. Video 48 aims to spread awareness on the value of Filipino culture and heritage through films and to impart the significance of preserving them for the younger generations. “The shop makes these titles easily available. It has become a virtual archive and source of reference for school or personal collections,” explains Simon.

To complement the nostalgia of real enthrallment, Video 48 also offers magazines, movie posters and memorabilia, and movie-related toys and action figures such as vintage Star Wars, ThunderCats, Master of the Universe, Ghostbusters and Transformers. “[These things] bring back wonderful memories of good, old happy days. It’s fun to relive and reminisce by looking at these old movie posters or reading old magazines and seeing your favorite characters,” quips Simon.

Thanks to Ieth and to the staff of Sense & Style Magazine for the article.