Capitaines d'avril

Being half-portuguese doesn't render me half-blind (nor half-prejudiced) when discussing portuguese films. Not that I get to do that very often anyway. But this film was such a rush of adrenaline! Yes, that's right - it was mostly accurate as far as history went/goes - but it pulled no punches on venturing beyond usual portuguese-film territory: things like using real locations in the middle of traffic-congested Lisbon and recruiting a real crowd to stand in for the real crowd of almost 30 years ago. And by God did they get it right! OK, to sum it up: very emotional if you've lived through it, but you'll spot minor improvements that could have been made as well as plot necessities that were. If you're just watching it randomly, you're in for a good historical romp, only of the very recent History kind and a bit more thought-proving than usual. Even by European standards, yes.

9/7 8:45 pm APRIL CAPTAINS (**** out of a possible 5)

Excellent, if slightly overlong film about the Portuguese coup d'etat in 1974. Best Line: "Coup d'etat. Can we come in?" The humor was a welcome surprise. Spoke with writer/director Maria de Medeiros afterwards. She was very sweet and lovely and asked me to "salute my mother" for her since they met recently in Avingnon.

I've seen this film a few minutes ago and i'm still carrying that feeling of satisfaction and identification with the characters you usually get with movies that touch you someway. And, if the film wasn't particularly intelligent, one thing touched me the most: its array of technical achievements. I already knew it was the most expensive movie of Portuguese history. I already knew they had cranes, dollys, steadycams and all sorts of sound and image devices. I also knew they payed 5000 escudos (something like 25 dollars) to each extra, for each day of filming, since I was on the set, shouting alongside the others. But my fear was that the director who had a movie debut of 5 million dollars wasn't up to the challenge, spending most of her money learning and using basic shots. But it was surprising to see that Maria de Medeiros used her resources with taste, and professionalism. As for the story, I think it's somewhat simplified, but, given the budget, I think it's still incredible to see what they accomplished. As a future director, I hope and pray that Portuguese cinema continues to evolve this way, inventing, surprising, earning profit, and (most importantly) audience. Two thumbs up, I loved it. Bravo!

"Capitães de Abril" is a very good. The story isn't a documentary about the 1974 revolution in Portugal. But it gives us an idea of how it was like. The fiction of the story isn't of great interest, but it doesn't spoil the movie. The heroic actions of Captain Salgueiro Maia aren't exaggerations and the film is also a tribute for his deeds. Captain Salgueiro Maia remains one of the greatest heroes of the 25th of April Revolution.

All the actors are very good and even the smallest roles are played wonderfully. Lisbon looks beautiful as ever. Don't miss it! I liked this film very much.

For her feature directing debut, Maria de Medeiros ("Pulp Fiction", "Henry and June") has certainly taken on a big story: the Portuguese Revolution of the 25th of April 1974. However, the film isn't a history lesson; rather a fictional story that introduces fictional characters and situations into the actual historical facts and places of the day, alongside some of its real protagonists. It's basically a schoolboy comic-book adventure, full of naive heroics and larger-than-life moments, quite well played and adroitly directed; the script is the weakest link, fanning out into a number of parallel stories some of which are rather pointless. The film exudes the contagious energy and juvenile joy of actually living out an adventure (although one might point out that no, the actual Revolution was not an adventure!), and it's precisely that schoolboy-adventure side that, along with its no-nonsense storytelling which adheres relatively faithfully to the actual run of events, is enough to recommend it. .