Reel Images of War: Reading Pathé Newsreels on the Liberation of Manila During Wartime Philippines

Abstract

This study focuses on the articulation of war-related newsreels captured in the Philippines that are found in the newsreel archival collection of the British Pathé. It argues that these Pathé war newsreels, particularly those about the liberation of Manila, integrated propaganda techniques and were crucial to the formation of the United States’ imagery as "benevolent liberator." This study is guided by the following objectives: 1) to give a brief historical account of the newsreel, 2) to examine the Pathé newsreel's relevance to the United States’ image of cultural superiority and its image as liberator, and 3) to present how the newsreels contributed to the United States’ formation of global supremacy. This study wishes to contribute to the local literature of visual media and media history, fields that seem to ignore the study of newsreels.