Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Saudade in Film
Portugal's oldest and most prolific film-maker, Manoel de Oliveira, is known for his care-
fully crafted, if slow-moving, films that delve deep into the world of
saudade
- of growing
old, unrequited loves and longing for things that no longer exist. In
Voyage to the Begin-
ning of the World
(1997), several companions make a nostalgic tour through the rugged
landscapes and traditional villages of the north - one in search of a past that he knows only
in his dreams (having heard only of his ancestral land from his Portuguese-born father),
and another haunted by a world that no longer exists (the places of his childhood uprooted).
Past and present, nostalgia and reality collide in this quiet, meditative film. It stars a frail,
72-year-old Marcello Mastroianni as Oliveira's alter ego, in the actor's final film before he
died.
One of the finest love letters to the capital is the sweet, meandering
Lisbon Story
(1994)
directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. The story follows a sound engineer who
goes in search of a missing director, discovering the city through the footage his friend left
behind. Carefully crafted scenes conjure up the mystery and forlorn beauty of Lisbon (and
other parts of Portugal, including a wistful sequence on the dramatic cliffs of Cabo
Espichel).
Saudade
here explores many different realms, inspired in large part by the ether-
eal soundtrack by Madredeus - band members also play supporting roles in the film.
The national music of Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, is
morna,
a distant cousin of fado, with
plaintive songs revolving around lost loves and homesickness. Renowned 'barefoot diva' Cesária Évora
(1941-2011) produced many hits including 'Sodade' (Creole for 'saudade').
