''Black Capes'' (Portuguese:''Capas Negras'') is a 1947 Portuguese

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

directed by

Armando de Miranda Armando de Miranda (1904–1975) was a Portuguese film director, screenwriter, film editor, editor and film producer, producer.Vieira p.12 He directed twenty six films, including a number of documentaries. He directed the 1945 historical adventure ...

and starring Amália Rodrigues,

Alberto Ribeiro Alberto Ribeiro (1920–2000) was a Portuguese singer and film actor. He starred alongside Amália Rodrigues in the 1947 musical film ''Black Capes''.Creekmur p.62-63 Selected filmography * ''Gentleman Thief'' (1944) * ''Black Capes ''Black ...

and

Artur Agostinho Artur Fernandes Agostinho (25 December 1920 – 22 March 2011) was a Portuguese journalist, recipient of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword ( pt, Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada) ...

. The film takes its name from the black capes worn by the students at the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coi ...

. The film was an enormous success at the box office in both Portugal and Brazil, despite criticism in

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...

that depictions of the city and its musical tradition were not accurately represented. The film marked the debut of Amália Rodrigues, previously known as a radio star. The film's popularity led producers to rush out another film '' Fado: The Story of a Singer'', which was loosely based on her own life story.Creekmur p.63

Cast

* Amália Rodrigues as Maria de Lisboa *

as José Duarte *

as Manecas * Vasco Morgado as Jorge * Barroso Lopes as Coca-Bichinhos * Humberto Madeira as Já-Cá-Canta * António Sacramento as Judge * Graziela Mendes *

Joaquim Miranda Joaquim Miranda (7 September 1950 – 17 June 2006) was a Portuguese economist and politician, a former member of the Portuguese Parliament and of the European Parliament. He was born in Portalegre, in the southern region of Alentejo. Joaquim Mi ...

* Fernando Silva as Cunha, the pawnbroker * Manuela Bonito * Alfonso Branco * João Calazans * Cremilda de Sousa as Dancer * Maria Emília Vilas * Antonio Gonçalves as Dancer * Adozinda Mariano * Domingo Marques * Regina Montenegro * Passos Pereira * Génia Silva * Tomás de Macedo

References

Bibliography

* Creekmur, Corey K. ''The International Film Musical''. Oxford University Press, 2012.

External links

* 1947 films 1940s romantic musical films Portuguese romantic musical films 1940s Portuguese-language films Films directed by Armando de Miranda Films set in Portugal Films set in London Films set in Madrid Portuguese black-and-white films {{romantic-musical-film-stub