Brandos Costumes (1975): Oppositional Filmmaking Meets the National Archive in Revolutionary Portugal

Sofia Sampaio published the article “Brandos Costumes (1975): Oppositional Filmmaking Meets the National Archive in Revolutionary Portugal” in the journal Film History: An International Journal.

Abstract

The article analyzes the use of archival footage in the Portuguese film Brandos Costumes (Mild Manners, 1975), directed by Alberto Seixas Santos (1936–2016). The film was shot in 1972–73, in the wake of the political opening that followed António de Oliveira Salazar’s retirement, a period known as Marcelismo (1968–1974); however, it did not premier until September 1975, that is, several months after the military coup that put an end to the regime in April 1974. I identify the archival material and examine how it was incorporated into the film. Drawing on contemporaneous and more recent sources, I then discuss the film’s dissonant reception and political equivocations.

Full citation: Sampaio, Sofia, (2022) “Brandos Costumes (1975): Oppositional Filmmaking Meets the National Archive in Revolutionary Portugal“, Film History: An International Journal, 34(2), pp. 64-91. Indiana University Press. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/868365

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