Abel Agbayani Ubaldo “Spiritist Filipina: Tatlong Maria (1944) and the Discourse on the Portrayal of Women in Philippine Cinema during the Japanese Occupation Period”

The film Tatlong Maria (Three Marias) (1944) was supposed to be the culmination of Japan’s project of de-Americanizing Philippine cinema during World War II. Being about women, Tatlong Maria was advertised in newspapers and magazines as highlighting the role of Filipino women in the liberation of the Philippines from the influence of American colonialism and the rediscovery of the nation’s Asian roots. This essay analyzes the discourses in these marketing materials to illustrate the bargaining and accommodations that emerged from efforts to establish the “spirit” Filipino women had to embrace in constructing an independent Philippine state under Japan’s sphere of influence. The goal is to determine the expected role of women within this nation-state, identify who determined such roles, and point out the inherent contradictions arising from defining the “Oriental” essence of a Filipino woman.

Keywords: national spirit, Tatlong Maria, Filipino woman, Philippine cinema