''Ala-Arriba!'' is a

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

Portuguese romantic

docufiction Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary film, 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 ciné ...

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 fishing town. Dealing with

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

matters, it may be considered as an

ethnofiction Ethnofiction is a subfield of ethnography which produces works that introduce art, in the form of storytelling, "thick descriptions and conversational narratives", and even first-person autobiographical accounts, into academic works. In addition ...

. The film was directed by

Leitão de Barros A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk (i.e., a piglet which is still a "suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in ...

, 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 A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

, by means of a fictional narrative. Contemporary to

Robert Flaherty Robert Joseph Flaherty, (; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, '' Nanook of the North'' (1922). The film made his reputati ...

, Barros is with him one of the first filmmakers to explore

and

as forms of dramatic narrative. It premiered at São Luis Theatre in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

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 Alfredo "Freddy" Cortez (born September 12, 1998) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Filipino side Kaya F.C.–Iloilo. College career Cal State Fuller ...

, based on the book ''O Poveiro'' by

António dos Santos Graça António dos Santos Graça (1882—1956) was a Portuguese ethnologist, journalist and politician notable for the study and preservation of Poveiro culture, history, and folklore. He was born and also died at Póvoa de Varzim. António dos Santos ...

, 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 (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

- Award ''The Biennale Cup'' (1942) NOTE: ''Ala-Arriba!'' was the first Portuguese film to win at this festival an international awardLeitão de Barros
- Instituto Camões, Hamburg University

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

Synopsis

Historical background

Festivals

See also

References

External links