Directed by Maria de Medeiros (actress that brought to this film her experience in Hollywood), this film is based on the Carnation Revolution, which depicts, and has a script by Maria de Medeiros and Ève DeBoise. The cast is headed by Maria de Medeiros, Joaquim de Almeida and Stefano Accorsi.
The facts of this film succeed in April 1974: Portugal lives over a dictatorial conservative government for over forty years. Four years earlier, its main leader, António Salazar, died, but the country has not changed much: the political rights of citizens were few and the country was living focused on the war effort that held in its African colonies. Tired of that war and inspired by soviet propaganda, the Portuguese military decides to revolt, to install a military government and head towards Socialism. This is the story of a military coup that overthrew a dictatorship, an Empire and almost led to the establishment of a communist People's Republic in the westernmost corner of Europe.
The Carnation Revolution is one of the major turning points in the history of Portugal but is still subject of debate, controversial and lit opinions in the country. We can also say that the Revolution was more this film's coup: it was a process of almost ten years, in which it won major breakthroughs but also committed huge injustices. It's nice to have a movie portraying this moment of Portuguese history, but would have been better a deeper film, less stilted, sensationalist or militant, because it would have shown better all the social divisions and different opinions and feelings of the people who lived that moment. That emotional and less politically committed side of events didn't appears in this film, which is basically leftist propaganda to the so-called "ideals of April."
The facts of this film succeed in April 1974: Portugal lives over a dictatorial conservative government for over forty years. Four years earlier, its main leader, António Salazar, died, but the country has not changed much: the political rights of citizens were few and the country was living focused on the war effort that held in its African colonies. Tired of that war and inspired by soviet propaganda, the Portuguese military decides to revolt, to install a military government and head towards Socialism. This is the story of a military coup that overthrew a dictatorship, an Empire and almost led to the establishment of a communist People's Republic in the westernmost corner of Europe.
The Carnation Revolution is one of the major turning points in the history of Portugal but is still subject of debate, controversial and lit opinions in the country. We can also say that the Revolution was more this film's coup: it was a process of almost ten years, in which it won major breakthroughs but also committed huge injustices. It's nice to have a movie portraying this moment of Portuguese history, but would have been better a deeper film, less stilted, sensationalist or militant, because it would have shown better all the social divisions and different opinions and feelings of the people who lived that moment. That emotional and less politically committed side of events didn't appears in this film, which is basically leftist propaganda to the so-called "ideals of April."