''Ala-Arriba!'' is a
1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
romantic docufiction
Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film. It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) a ...
set in
Póvoa de Varzim
Póvoa de Varzim (, ) is a Portugal, Portuguese city in Norte Region, Portugal, Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho River, Minho ...
, a traditional
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
fishing town.
Dealing with
ethnographic
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...
matters, it may be considered as an
ethnofiction
Ethnofiction refers to a subfield of ethnography which produces works that introduces art, in the form of storytelling, "thick descriptions and conversational narratives", and even first-person autobiographical accounts, into peer-reviewed academi ...
. The film was directed by
Leitão de Barros, and stars real fishermen as themselves in order to give a realistic view over traditions and social behaviours of the community. Focusing the cultural context, it continuously shifts from
documentary to
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
, by means of a fictional narrative. Contemporary to
Robert Flaherty, Barros is with him one of the first filmmakers to explore
docufiction
Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film. It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) a ...
and
ethnofiction
Ethnofiction refers to a subfield of ethnography which produces works that introduces art, in the form of storytelling, "thick descriptions and conversational narratives", and even first-person autobiographical accounts, into peer-reviewed academi ...
as forms of dramatic narrative.
It
premiered
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
at São Luis Theatre in
Lisbon.
Synopsis
It focuses on maritime tragedy of the town and a forbidden love between Julha (Elsa Bela-Flor) and João Moço (Domingos Gonçalves), from different
fisher castes, in a community where mixed-caste marriages were not allowed and dating without parent's assent was seen as a disgrace to the family, not only in respect to women, but also men.
Historical background
The script of Ala-Arriba! was written by the prestigious
Alfredo Cortez, based on the book ''O Poveiro'' by
António dos Santos Graça, focusing the cultural aspects of the town.
The film was financed by SPN (''Secretariado da Propaganda Nacional'' – National Propaganda Bureau) of the ''Ministério das Obras Públicas'' (Ministry of Public Works) during the ''
Estado Novo'' period. The town was seen, by the regime, as an example of Portuguese culture.
Festivals
*
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
- Award ''The Biennale Cup'' (1942)
NOTE: ''Ala-Arriba!'' was the first Portuguese film to win at this festival an international award
Leitão de Barros
- Instituto Camões, Hamburg University
See also
* Docufiction
Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film. It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) a ...
* List of docufiction films {{Short description, none
This is a list of docufiction feature-length films ordered chronologically.
Please search for references inside each article:
*1926: '' Moana'' by Robert Flaherty, USA
*1930: '' Maria do Mar'' by Leitão de Barros, Portu ...
* Ethnofiction
Ethnofiction refers to a subfield of ethnography which produces works that introduces art, in the form of storytelling, "thick descriptions and conversational narratives", and even first-person autobiographical accounts, into peer-reviewed academi ...
References
External links
*
{{José Leitão de Barros
1942 films
1940s Portuguese-language films
Portuguese documentary films
Films directed by José Leitão de Barros
Ethnofiction films
1940s romance films
Culture in Póvoa de Varzim
1942 documentary films
Portuguese black-and-white films