Cinema
Os Verdes Anos
Paulo Rocha · 1963
Synopsis
Júlio is nineteen and arrives in Lisbon from his province to learn the shoemaker's trade with an uncle. On the day of his arrival, an accident brings him into contact with Ilda, a maid of his own age who works in a neighbouring building. Their friendship becomes love, stronger in him than in her. The new city remains foreign and hostile to him, and he begins to suspect her constantly.
Context
The director wrote the film with Nuno Bragança, who signed its dialogue; it was the first that António da Cunha Telles produced. It was shot in April and May 1963 in the new districts of Lisbon, around the Café Vá-Vá, at the foot of the building where the filmmaker lived, with two newcomers in the leading roles. The director said he was less interested in the story than in the relationship between the characters and the setting, and one critic read in its construction a homage to Fritz Lang. The theme by Carlos Paredes, with lyrics by Pedro Tamen, has remained famous. The film was released in Lisbon on 29 November 1963.
Who it is for
A black and white feature film, in Portuguese, of about an hour and a half; Carlos Paredes's guitar sets its tone.
Prizes and reception
Silver Sail for a first film at Locarno in 1964, and one of the founding films of the New Portuguese Cinema.
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