A Mulher que Acreditava Ser Presidente dos Estados Unidos......João Botelho

A beautifully dressed woman, Alexandra Lencastre, sweeps the steps of a long winding staircase, collects paper and some other garbage neatly in piles ready to be disposed off, just then a gust of wind scatters the papers all around, so tired, so very tired is she of this monotonous work…. But she is a Woman of Substance, not to be outdone, she realises that the only way out of this drudgery and misery is to dream, to dream big and where do all big dreams lead?
America of course, America the proverbial land of milk and honey…
And what can be the biggest dream you can dream of in the United States of America?
To be the Woman President of course, slowly her dream takes shape, her tiny house when seen from outside, assumes enormous proportions when viewed on the inside, surely it is a mirror image of White house? Yes, it is; there is of course the Oval Office where she as the President takes all her important decisions. You do not expect the Woman President to operate on her own do you? She has her inner core of advisers as well as other women who help her run this Office of prestige, there is even the President of the Society of Dead Languages, who only speaks in Latin.
The Woman President can never, ever be shabbily dressed. No chance, she and her coterie of dear friends, who obey her implicitly, have lovely sessions getting their hair done, manicures and pedicures, facials thrown in regularly.
As the Woman President, she has to give interviews to magazines, not to Time or Newsweek, that’s passé my dears, it is Vogue that’s de rigueur. Of course, there are plans and political discussions, where every problem is solved by the annihilation or bombardment of the enemy or foe.
Any resemblance to American foreign policy is to be taken dismissively.
As expected all good things have something not quite so right, in this case the Woman President in addition to juggling problems requiring utmost strategy, (pssst the Woman President has serious money problems)planning meetings, giving interviews to magazines or other organizations, appearing at functions or social events, has a thorn constantly piercing her side, her Bizarre Mother. The Bizarre Mother ensconced comfortably in one of the huge rooms in the White House, grumbles continuously, runs huge bills buying the most expensive hot house flowers, has a stash of cannabis that she smokes gleefully when the Woman President is busy with her myriad duties, teaches the First Daughters or the First Twins all manner of insalubrious stuff. If the First Mother was not bad enough, the Woman President’s Husband, the First Gentleman, spends his time sleeping in another part of White House, snoring, drooling all over the pristine bed sheets, getting very drunk, truly acting like a swine, for want of a better word. When the Woman President is busy, as she is most of the time, he is up and prowling searching for women and sex. No they do not share a room, much less a bed, would you fancy such a lout in your bed? No, never.
So now you can understand with great insight what problems beset People in High Places?
As in a flash, the Woman President, decides to honour the women of the world by celebrating her 37th Birthday on a colossal scale. Why her Birthday you ask? Oh, come now, who better to represent the entire Womanhood, than the Woman President of America? Preparations are in full swing, crates of Coca-Cola, huge quantities of hamburgers, pizzas arrive in truckloads, which the loyal platoon of servants accommodate in huge warehouses.
Any resemblance to American food habits is to be taken frivolously.
Meanwhile, her most loyal inner core of friends works tirelessly arranging the gigantic party, the strident band rehearses continuously, dressed in the colours of the American flag. Masses and masses of flowers are arranged everywhere. Whenever the Woman President, feels a panic attack coming on, she has her Secretary of State a very patient woman, ready to help shoulder the onerous burden resting on the Woman President’s shoulders.
Later we see a great multitude of women enjoying the enormous party in the company of the Woman President and her core group, the First Mother and the First Daughters. No the husband has not been invited. It is Women’s Power.
Is this the story of a Woman, who has dreams like women all over the world?
Is it a spoof on the American way of life?
I think it is a mélange of dreams, life, aspirations, joys and sorrows, with a soupcon of the American way of life.
But do not take my word for it, see the movie and do write and tell us what you think of this exceedingly humorous film.

Cast : Alexandra Lencastre, Rita Blanco, Laura Soveral, Helena Vieira, Suzana Borges, Paula Guedes, São José Correia, Patrícia Guerreiro, Conchita Sacchetti, Io Apolloni, Adelaide João, Mrs. Meng, Lia Gama, Lídia Franco, Márcia Breia

Aniki-Bóbó................Manoel de Oliveira

“Aniki-Bébé, Aniki-Bóbó,
passarinho tótó,
berimbau, cavaquinho,
Salomão, sacristão,
tu és polícia, tu és ladrão”

Everyone knows that ‘Aniki Bobo’ the children’s movie, directed by Manoel de Oliveira, in 1942, is one of his finest movies. However, it never received the recognition it deserved, in fact it was not even sent as an entry for the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, instead ‘Ala Arriba’ was sent. Sadly, ‘Ala Arriba’ did not win any awards. It was only much later that ‘Aniki Bobo’ was accepted and recognised as one of the most important Portuguese films.
Manoel de Oliveira shot the movie with children from his own hometown, Porto. ‘Aniki Bobo’ depicts Porto, as the ‘working capital’, here you see the banks of the rivers Porto and Gaia, with rabelo boats loading port wine from up-river, iron bridges built by Eiffel and his pupils. ‘Aniki Bobo’ as shot by Manoel de Oliveira depicts Porto as a sunny city of honest workers, kids playing happily and carelessly in the streets, old streets of stone and green...
In essence, this is a children’s film, but it is definitely much more than an average children’s film when you look at its depth and intensity. As Fernando Pessoa once said "No children's book should be written for children", you could apply it to films too. What sense is there in making a children's film devoid of any idea?
‘Aniki Bobo’ is a simple but absolutely breathtaking tale for children, but is it just that?
Surely you did not expect a mediocre film, when the director is Manoel de Oliveira…..
There is a dramatic intensity created around a very simple story, but at the same time, there is a deep reflection on the nature of human behaviour. The characters, although children, portray the usual human behaviour, they are innocent, many times vain, show envy, are filled with guilt and desire, are plagued by jealousy and so many times are generous as well.
Any film can be viewed and interpreted in so many ways, there exist so many points of view, however out of all the characters I find the character portrayal of Carlitos and Eduardo most fascinating.
Carlitos is always the ‘outsider’ of the group; he is ostracized at play and in school. Why he cries out in his heart is he never included in anything? He ponders every day, he is just like any of the others, he is just as poor as any of his group; his social status is very similar to that of Eduardo’s. How is it then that Eduardo has such a following, and he…..nobody even knows he exists. Of course Carlitos is terribly sad, human beings need company, its terrible when nobody talks to you, Carlitos is very confused and lonely. He sums up his life with the observation; ‘And they never even told me’. For that is the life of an overlooked person is, nobody tells them anything, nobody shares anything with them. Luckily for Carlitos, Terezinha does like him, a wee bit, but Terezinha likes Eduardo too. Who can resist Eduardo, the full of beans Eduardo, the braggart, the annoyingly funny Eduardo, the Eduardo who bunks school to fly a kite. No, Terezinha just cannot resist this Eduardo. Carlitos cannot afford to lose Terezinha, the only person who has shown any interest in him, of course there is Batatinhas, the very loyal Batatinhas, but come on guys a girl is a girl, no loyal friend can substitute a girl. No way. So he robs the doll for Terezinha. Although Terezinha loves the doll, she cannot resist Eduardo, fickle? Who can understand the vagaries of the human heart, who are we to judge where Terezinha’s loyalties should lie. There are fights all the time for her affection, shoves, pushes, hurtful words to Carlitos and in the midst of it all, Terezinha our young Helen of Troy. Then that fateful day when there is that terrible accident and Eduardo nearly loses his life. Everyone, just about everyone blames Carlitos, life turns hell for Carlitos, and even Batatinhas turns his back on him. Terezinha just flees. Carlitos is accused of revenge, is falsely accused of pushing Eduardo over the edge, blamed for Eduardo’s accident. Luckily for Carlitos the shopkeeper, who had been following the children in search of the thief who had stolen the doll from his shop, sees Eduardo slipping on the scree, losing his balance and falling just by the side of the railway track, when a train was passing by. Talk of luck. Eduardo is saved but is very ill. The shopkeeper saves Carlitos’ very battered reputation. Eduardo vain, cocky, is after all just a young boy who maybe, needs to be street smart, he is everything, that Carlitos is not. When you are poor you learn the ropes or you end up like Carlitos overlooked and ignored.
Strangely, the director Manoel de Oliveira is always referred to, at least these days, in connection with his age, rather than his work, but he should be remembered at least for ‘Aniki Bobo’ and ‘Douro Faina Fluvial’. His films are deceptively simple but show immense charm and depth.
They portray life like it is, shorn of all pretences…………..

Are the heterónimos coming ?

Do we want to lose track of the heterónimos. Are we going to forget all those hours spent grappling with Ricardo Reis, Alvaro Campos, Alberto Caeiro?
Of course not….Never
Then do meet Dr. José Carlos Seabra Pereira from the Centro Interuniversitário de Estudos Camonianos, University of Coimbra, who will give a talk about everything to do with Fernando Pessoa, Sá-Carneiro and the Generation of Orfeu”.
The talk “Amizade e estratégia modernista no campo literário - Fernando Pessoa, Sá-Carneiro e a geração de Orfeu”is to be held on the 29th August 2011, at 6.30 pm, at the premises of the Instituto Camões, Agva House, 9/32 Dr.Dada Vaidya Road, Panaji.
The talk is preceded by a film, ‘Conversa Acabada’ directed by João Botelho (1982), to be screened at 5.00 pm.
What’s this movie all about? Well you have to see it, but a brief introduction to whet your appetite

Complete Cast of ‘Conversa Acabada
Juliet Berto
Isabel Ruth
Manoel de Oliveira
Isabel de Castro

It was meant to be a documentary, but took twists and turns and evolved into a fictional film. The film, deals with the poems and letters exchanged by the two most outstanding names of the Modernist Movement in Portugal, Fernando Pessoa, who lived in Lisbon and Mário de Sá-Carneiro who lived in Paris. And suddenly, their long intercâmbio stopped, we who have spent endless nights studying Pessoa, know why…..

A chance to listen to a talk given by Dr. José Carlos Seabra Pereira from the Centro Interuniversitário de Estudos Camonianos, University of Coimbra, is a once in a lifetime experience. So do not miss it.

Club for Portuguese Films at Chowgule College Margao

The Chowgule College at Margao, in addition to its various activities has a Film Club for Portuguese Films. The coordinator of this Club is Mr. Ashok Dange who organises events with panache.

Films are screened on the last Saturday of every month at around 17.00 hrs (5.00pm)

It is a great way to spend an evening with friends especially on a rainy day. There is always a hot cup of coffee accompanied by a nice snack

“Pai Tirano” (1941) Director: António Lopes Ribeiro.

We did have a pleasant time watching, ‘O Pai Tirano’, a comedy directed by António Lopes Ribeiro. We in the comfort of the Instituto Camões, whilst rain pelted our windows, laughed at the antics of Mega, Vasco Santana and the lovely Tatão.
This film belongs to a series of ‘feel good movies’ which include, ‘A Aldeia da Roupa Branca, by Chianca de Garcia, As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor, A Canção de Lisboa directed by Cottinelli Telmo. The ingredients are all there to make the viewer forget his mundane life, for just a few hours. Shot during the oppressive days of the Salazar Regime, these films have the right mix of romance, tiny intrigues, good music, songs, sometimes the setting of rural Portugal to make you forget just for the moment what awaits you once you leave the theatre. But do these films have only the feel good factor or are there messages strewn all over the film to make you think?
If we look at the film with an analytical and realistic mind, we realise that the film belongs to Tatão from the beginning to the end; it is Tatão who calls the shots. It is Tatão who makes Mega run round in circles. Nowhere in the film do we see any of the female personagens cowering and acting inferior to the men, they are all equal.
In the scene where Tatão meets Mega’s ersatz family, it is she who confronts the Tyrant Father, supporting Mega, the errant son.
Tatão urges Mega to be more courageous, explains how life for women has changed. She stresses on the fact that women no longer stay at home, that most of them have jobs, and yes most of them have a social life too, aren’t some of them a part of Mega’s own theatrical group?
Makes you wonder if this wasn’t a subtle call to women in the repressive regime to wake and change their life, maybe not in huge leaps but in tiny steps.

Festival of Portuguese Film Classics at the Instituto Camões AGVA House, Panaji.

Am back with great plans for writing everything and anything to do with the world of Portuguese Language and Culture.
Before we move on to our stay at the University of Aveiro or better to the adventures of the ‘Intrepid 10’, I would like to inform you about the Festival of Portuguese Film Classics that Instituto Camões will be hosting a at AGVA House, Panaji.
The Programme is as follows:
Saturday, 6th August 2011
Time: 5.00 pm (17.00 hrs)
“Pai Tirano” (1941) Director: António Lopes Ribeiro

Saturday, 20th August 2011
Time: 5.00 pm (17.00 hrs)
“História de uma Cantadeira” Director Perdigão Queiroga

Saturday, 3rd September 2011
Time: 5.00 pm (17.00 hrs)
”Ala Arriba” Director Leitão de Barros.
This will be followed by the documentary “Douro Faina Fluvial” and the film “Aniki Bobo” both directed by Manoel de Oliveira.
All the films screened will be followed by a discussion, and as we all know our discussions are never dull. A small introduction to the films to be screened.

“Pai Tirano” (1941) Director: António Lopes Ribeiro.
O Pai Tirano, is a comedy and the first film directed by António Lopes Ribeiro. Its cast consists of the very poular Vasco Santana, Ribeirinho (Francisco Ribeiro), Leonor Maia, Teresa Gomes and Laura Alves. It is one the best known comedies of the Golden Age of Portuguese cinema, still popular six decades after its release.
The Plot:
Francisco Mega (Ribeirinho), a clerk at the then leading department store of Lisbon, "Grandes Armazéns do Grandella", is in love with Tatão (Leonor Maia), who works as a salesgirl at "Perfumaria da Moda". Tatão, however, loves movies and ignores Mega. Francisco an amateur theatre player has an amateur theatre company, the Grandellinhas, he uses the rehearsals of the play ‘O Pai Tirano’ ou ‘O Último dos Almeidas’ to present himself as a son who has split from his tyrant father for love, and to woo Tatão.
What happens next? Well you need to see the film! This is a great comedy that will have you laughing throughout.

“História de uma Cantadeira” (1947) Director: Perdigão Queiroga
Follows the life of a poor ‘Fadista’, whose lover a carpenter is also her accompanist. She turns out to be very famous as well as rich. Finding her Bairro too constrained moves out to the capital, but after sometime returns to her Bairro and reconciles with her lover. A sentimental, romantic movie with excellent cinematography and the heart rending fados sung by Amália Rodrigues made this film a huge hit.
Cast: Virgílio Teixeira, Vasco Santana, Erico Braga, Amália Rodrigues, João Nazaret, Henrique Santana, Tony D’Algy, Pestana Amorim, Emilio Correia, Alda de Aguiar, Raul de Carvalho, Reginaldo Duarte, Eugénio Salvador
Do not miss this one, if just to hear the soul searching Fados of Amália Rodrigues.

”Ala Arriba” (1942) Director Leitão de Barros.
Ala-Arriba! a Portuguese romantic docufiction set in Póvoa de Varzim, a traditional Portuguese fishing town. As it deals with ethnographic matters it falls into the genre of ethnofiction. The film was directed by Leitão de Barros, and stars real fishermen as themselves in order to give a realistic view over traditions and social behaviours of the community.
Focusing the cultural context, it continuously shifts from documentary to drama, by means of a fictional narrative. Contemporary to Robert Flaherty, Barros is with him one of the first filmmakers to explore docufiction and ethnofiction as forms of dramatic narrative.
The Plot:
Focuses on a maritime tragedy, and a forbidden love between Julia (Elsa Bela-Flor) and João Moço (Domingos Gonçalves), who come from different ‘castes’, this in a community where mixed-caste marriages were not allowed and dating without parent's assent and approval was seen as a disgrace to the family, not only in respect to women, but also men.
The film may appear a simple love story but the Cinematography is truly amazing, made more spectacular by the harsh reality that can be seen in pure Black and White.
Do not miss this Classical film you will be dazzled by the harsh images, which will leave an imprint on your mind.

The documentary “Douro Faina Fluvial” and the film “Aniki Bobo” both directed by Manoel de Oliveira.
What can be said about Manoel de Oliveira, which has not been said? He is at 100 the oldest director and still directs films. He never followed a particular genre, but as he says - directs movies for the sheer pleasure of it, regardless of critical reaction. He is winner of multiple awards that include a Golden Palm for his lifetime achievements in 2008.

“Aniki Bobo” has children, from Oliveira's hometown, Porto, as its actors. The script was adapted by Manoel de Oliveira from a short story by José Rodrigues de Freitas, ‘Meninos Milionários’. Aniki-Bóbó is a rhyme from a children's game. Initially not very well received, gained recognition with time and was finally accepted as one of the most important Portuguese films. In several respects, this film seems to anticipate Italian neorealism.
“Douro Faina Fluvial”
A documentary that looks at the people working in the river Douro, around the city of Oporto, although a documentary it has interludes which are romantic in nature with some humour thrown in

Take some time off to watch these timeless classics!