A Canção de Lisboa (1933)

After flunking in medical school, the young and bohemian Vasco need to trick his aunts, the main financers of his studies, preventing them to know that he is not a doctor.

Director:

José Cottinelli Telmo (as Cottinelli Telmo)

Writer:

José Cottinelli Telmo

Stars:

Vasco Santana, Beatriz Costa, António Silva

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vasco Santana	...	Vasco Leitão
Beatriz Costa	...	Alice
António Silva	...	Alfaiate Caetano
Teresa Gomes	...	Tia do Vasco (as Tereza Gomes)
Sofía Santos	...	Tia do Vasco
Alfredo Silva	...	Sapateiro
Ana María	...	Ana da Garcia - Namorada do Carlos (as Ana Maria)
Manoel de Oliveira	...	Carlos
Eduardo Fernandes	...	Quicas
Silvestre Alegrim	...	Criado do retiro
Manuel Santos Carvalho	...	Dono do retiro (as Santos Carvalho)
Henrique Alves
Artur Rodrigues
Júlia da Assunção	...	(as Julia Assunção)
Maria Albertina

Storyline

How happy and proud they are those two ladies back in their Tras-os-Montes region! Thanks to them, their bright nephew can study medicine in Lisbon and may already have become a physician. Little do they know. Not only has Vasco wasted his time drinking, dancing and picking up girls but he has just failed his examination. To crown it all, his two aunts announce their visit. Totally distraught, Vasco tries to make them believe he is already a doctor, but they are not taken in and decide to cut off their support from him...

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Plot Keywords:

singer | deception | aunt nephew relationship | medical student | city name in title | 

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Taglines:

O primeiro filme portugues feito por portugueses.

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Details

Country:

Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

7 November 1933 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

A Song of Lisbon

Filming Locations:

Praça do Comércio, Lisbon, Portugal

Box Office

Budget:

PTE 870,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tobis Portuguesa

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 91 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Portuguese censorship visa: visado pela inspecção geral dos espectaculos Ap.2.

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Connections

Referenced in Backlight (2010)

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Soundtracks

A agulha e o dedal
(one-step)
Written by Raúl Portela and Raul Ferrão
Lyrics by José Galhardo

User Reviews

"There are many hats, you fool!"

This film tells the story of Vasco Leitão, a young student probably born in Northern Portugal, which goes to Lisbon in order to study in Medical School. But the big city, even in the early thirties, was full of temptations for countryside students and Vasco, ultimately, fail his exams, having spent most of his time and money with wine, girlfriends and amusements. It turns out he kept secret of all this for his family in the country, which thinks he's successfully graduated. In this context, Vasco receives the unexpected visit of two aunts who sent him a lot of money to pay for his studies and the doctor's office...

This film is one of the most important classics of Portuguese cinema. Not by chance, but by merit. Directed by Cottinelli Telmo, has as its protagonist the renowned humorist Vasco Santana, but also with the participation of Beatriz Costa (in the role of Vasco's girlfriend, Alice) and Antonio Silva (in the role of Caetano, the harsh and selfish father of Alice). Being an old-fashioned comedy, we can expect several situation and context jokes, as well as comical word games. This film never lose their funny. It's a film always fresh and pleasant to see, which also has an interesting defense of fado, the most popular musical genre among the Portuguese of that time, and still an important part of the collective identity of the country in our days.

A film recommended for the whole family, it has scenes that have become famous and jokes that all Portuguese known well. It is a beloved film, loved all over the country and by all the lovers of Portuguese cinema.