Cinema
The Tyrant Father
O Pai Tirano
António Lopes Ribeiro · 1941
Synopsis
Chico Mega is a salesman in the shoe department of the Grandella department store in Lisbon, and in the evening he acts in an amateur troupe. He loves Tatão, who works at the perfume counter across from him and loves only the cinema, so he hides from her that he does theatre. Artur Castro, a seducer, also courts her, and Gracinha, from the troupe, loves Chico without return. The troupe is rehearsing a melodrama that bears the title of the film.
Context
The whole film sets theatre against cinema, a very lively debate at the time, and does so from the inside: the shop's amateur troupe rehearses O Pai Tirano ou o Último dos Almeidas, and the rehearsals serve to court a young woman who prefers the screen. The director was aiming at the Lisbon petty bourgeoisie and a style of acting already anachronistic, too solemn and melodramatic. The dialogue is by him, his brother Ribeirinho and Vasco Santana, and the cast brings together stars of revue theatre. Released at the Éden cinema on 19 September 1941, the film was a success in Portugal as in Brazil; a new version was shot in 2022.
Who it is for
A comedy in Portuguese, in black and white, of nearly two hours; the humour rests on the actors' performances and the lines.
Prizes and reception
One of the best-known comedies of the golden age of Portuguese cinema, which many regard as the best film in the country.
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