Deus, Pátria, Autoridade (God, Homeland, Authority) is a 1975 Portuguese film by the filmmaker Rui Simões. It is a feature-length documentary film made up of historic newsreels made by the Estado Novo dictatorship, especially under António de Oliveira Salazar.Deus, Pátria, Autoridade – article in Revelações"Deus, Pátria e Autoridade" de Rui Simões, exibido de novo no antigo Cinema Roma ("Deus, Pátria e Autoridade by Rui Simões, shown again in the old Cinema Roma") – 18 May 2014Deus, Pátria, Autoridade – article by Pedro Serra in Desumidificador
Summary
Script: Rui Simões Director: Rui Simões Producers: Instituto Português de Cinema and RTP Format: 35 mm black and white Genre: Documentary (historical) Duration: 103 min Distribution: Instituto Português de Cinema Premiere: Lisbon, at the Universal Cinema, 21 February 1976
Synopsis
The film's title quotes from well-known lines from a 1936 speech by Salazar in which he described three cornerstone dogmas of his government with the words: "We do not discuss God and Virtue. We do not discuss the Homeland and its history. We do not discuss Authority and its prestige." ("Não discutimos Deus e a virtude. Não discutimos a Pátria e a sua história. Não discutimos a Autoridade e o seu prestígio.") The film is made principally out of archival material and footage from newsreels. The narrative is voiced over the montage, deconstructing the fascist ideology illuminated in Salazar's speech and guiding the viewer through the film.
The film explains the development and ideology of the regime, from a social perspective of class struggle. Major themes are the history and functional principles of Portuguese society from the end of the Monarchy in 1910, the ideology of the Salazar dictatorship, the support of the Roman Catholic Church, the mechanisms of oppression, and the Portuguese Colonial War, up to the Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974.
Production and reception
The Portuguese filmmaker Rui Simões directed, wrote the screenplay, and produced the film for the film collective Cooperativa Virver. The work was financed mainly by the Portuguese state Instituto Português de Cinema (today the Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, ICA), with the participation of the public television broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP).
The film premiered at the Universal Cinema in Lisbon, on 21 February 1976, and enjoyed a successful run with 22,188 tickets sold. However, the film was frequently shown outside of regular cinemas, on a wide variety of occasions, probably reaching several hundred thousand people.Jorge Leitão Ramos: Dicionário do cinema portugués 1962–1988., 1st ed., Editorial Caminho, Lisbon 1989, p. 368Entry for Deus, Pátria, Autoridade in CinemaPortuguês-Memoriale, retrieved 23 June 2022.
Costa do Castelo Filmes released the film on VHS videocassette and on DVD in 2006; later, Real Ficção re-released the film on DVD.Deus, Pátria, Autoridade, DVD case, Costa do Castelo Filmes, Lisbon 2006.Film website for Deus, Pátria, Autoridade from Real Ficção (ungesichert), retrieved 23 June 2022.
Credits
Script: Rui Simões Director: Rui Simões Director's Assistants: Manuela Serra and Francisco Henriques Producers: Instituto Português de Cinema and RTP Collaborators: Artur da Costa, Alice Pinto, Noémia Delgado, José Pedro Andrade dos Santos, J.M. Diogo, Raymond Fromont, Matilde Ferreira Animation: Geneviève Antoine and Mário Jorge Photography: Acácio de Almeida, Gérard Collet, José Reynès, Francisco Henriques Sound directors: Luís Martins e Rui Simões Music: Carmina Burana de Carl Orff Sound effects and mixing: Rui Simões Montage: Dominique Rolin Assistant on the Montage: Manuela Serra Recording: 1975 Film studio: Ulyssea Filme Sound studio: Nacional Filmes Archival materials: Ulyssea Filme, RTP, Emissora Nacional Format: 35 mm black and white Genre: Documentary (historical) Duration: 103 min Distribution: Instituto Português de Cinema Premiere: Lisbon, at the Universal Cinema, 21 February 1976
Festivals and exhibitions
28ª Mostra Brasileira de Cinema (2004) 31ª Mostra Internacional de Cinema in São Paulo VI Jornadas Independentistas Galegas (2007)
See also Novo Cinema Political cinema Cinema of Portugal
References
External links
Film website from Real Ficção Entry for Deus, Pátria, Autoridade in CinePT, the film database of the University of Beira Interior Entry for Deus, Pátria, Autoridade in CinemaPortuguês-Memoriale Official trailer for Deus, Pátria, Autoridade on YouTube O 25 de Abril – Filmes da Revolução ("The 25th of April – Films of the Revolution") in Uzimagazine Deus, Pátria, Autoridade in Time Out