I don't know if you like, or know for that sake, Portuguese cinema, but you certainly like Portugal and probably fado. There's a lot to like in this country with a latin-rooted language that sounds decidedly weird, a country that bred explorers and adventurers like Cristopher Colombus and Vasco da Gama, and is also renowned for a few good authors and cinematographers.
Due to a newly established interest of mine in the country and its culture, I watched the great film Tabu of Berlinale fame and on an older one by Manoel de Oliveira -who is well past his peak; Now Portuguese Cinema is passing by Luxembourg -where the biggest maybe Portuguese community lives- with a five-film treat. Showcasing mainly recent, popular films, the Quinzaine du Cinéma Portugais is organised by the Embassy of Portugal and holds its screenings in the local multiplex, Utopolis.
The film that catches my attention is the biopic Amalia (2008) on the famous fado singer and national treasure Amalia Rodriguez. The "Queen of Fado" that didn't live to see the 21st century, had a tumultuous life, as many would expect from an artistic soul, which is depicted in the film that was produced as an echo, they told me, of the success of another famous singer biopic -maybe the most famous of them all- the Oscar-winning La Môme - La Vie en Rose (2007) which recites the life of Edith Piaf.
I would be interested to do a comparative viewing, as usual.You can find the full program and screening details here.
No comments:
Post a Comment