A Canção de Lisboa

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A Canção de Lisboa
Directed by José Cottinelli Telmo
Produced by João Ortigão Ramos
Written by José Cottinelli Telmo
Starring Vasco Santana
Beatriz Costa
António Silva
Release date(s) 7 November 1933
Running time 85 mins / 91 mins (DVD Edition)
Country Flag of Portugal Portugal
Language Portuguese
IMDb profile

A Canção de Lisboa (lit. Lisbon Song) is a Portuguese film comedy from 1933, directed by José Cottinelli Telmo, and starring Vasco Santana, Beatriz Costa, António Silva, Alfredo Silva, Ana Maria, Artur Rodrigues, Coralia Escobar, Eduardo Fernandes, Elvira Coutinho, Fernanda Campos, Francisco Costa, Henrique Alves, Ivone Fernandes, José Victor, Júlia da Assunção, Manoel de Oliveira, Manuel Santos Carvalho, Maria Albertina, Maria da Luz, Silvestre Alegrim, Sofia Santos, Teresa Gomes and Zizi Cosme.

Director Manoel de Oliveira, still active in 2005, had a minor role.

It was the second Portuguese sound feature film (the first was A Severa; a 1931 documentary by Manoel de Oliveira, Douro, Faina Fluvial was originally filmed without soundtrack, which was added afterwards). In fact, A Canção de Lisboa was the first sound feature fully produced in Portugal, in the labs of Lisboa Filme and with Tobis equipment.

Among the team were some of the greatest names of Portuguese culture of the day, such as painter Carlos Botelho (credited as assistant director) and the poet José Gomes Ferreira (editor assistant). Painter Almada Negreiros was the author of both promotional posters.

A Canção de Lisboa is still one of the best loved films in Portugal, with several of its lines and songs still quoted.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Vasco (Vasco Santana) is a medical student in Lisbon, supported by his rich aunts from Trás-os-Montes, whom he had falsely told he had already graduated. In fact, he devotes himself to a bohemian life, preferring the popular fairs and pretty women, especially Alice (Beatriz Costa), a seamstress from the Castelinhos quarter, which rather upsets her ambitious father, tailor Caetano (António Silva), who is familiar with Vasco's debts.

After failing yet another final exam, he is surprised by his aunts' announcement that they will visit him in Lisbon to see his practice.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Popular culture

An expression that found its way into everyday life in Portugal was Vasco's "There's lot of hats, you fool!" (Chapéus há muitos, seu palerma!).

The song "A Agulha e o Dedal", sung by Beatriz Costa, became a household reference.

[edit] DVD version

The DVD version was heavily restored, with an additional 3 minutes in length, and a sound and image recovery to match the initial quality.

[edit] References


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