O Pai Tirano

Following the example of Leonel Vieira, who in 2015 started this craze of remaking classic Portuguese films from the 1930s and 1940s, João Gomes decided to contribute with the modern remake of "O Pai Tirano", a 1941 comedy starring Vasco Santana and Ribeirinho, and also written and directed by this latter actor who, as we know, became one of the most notable figures in 20th century dramatic art in Portugal.

Comparing these two films is almost humiliating for the 2022 production: despite the filming in color, the banal modern cinematography and the almost faithful reproduction of the period in which the story is set, it pales in comparison to the creativity, humor and originality of the older work, which continues to deserve a prominent place on television when they show cycles of Portuguese cinema. João Gomes offers us nothing more than a cheap copy, without a hint of originality or inventiveness. However, it also seems to me that it would be difficult to surpass the original. After all, it is an unlikely love story between extremely different people: he loves theater, she loves cinema; he is conservative and old-fashioned, she is modern and progressive; He is shy and clumsy, she is lively and resourceful. Would it be possible to make an updated version where theater and cinema also have a place in the plot? Perhaps, but the director didn't want to work on that, or perhaps he was afraid of the criticism made of Leonel Vieira's works for similar reasons.

The cast ends up being the strongest and most interesting point of the film: José and Miguel Raposo, father and son, give life to the main characters, who are father and son in the play that is desperately being staged in Os Grandelinhas. Both do a very decent job and give themselves deeply to their respective roles. Diogo Amaral is as scoundrel and detestable as necessary; Rita Blanco is an excellent comedic addition and shines as she almost always does when given good material and good direction; Jéssica Athayde is good in the character she was given, and is reasonably believable, except when the police officers appear: in the time of "Estado Novo" no one dared to confront authority like that because it was known that there would be consequences. Carolina Loureiro, Diogo Valsassina and Mafalda Vilhena do what they need to do; The one I liked the least was Jorge Mourato, but it wasn't his fault, it was the material and direction... the character is too forced with so many 21st century glimpses coming out of his mouth.

In fact, the biggest problem with this film is the script. The script and dialogue are carbon copies of the 1941 film, with the same lines and words, the same situations and jokes. It's all the same, so much the same that it doesn't bring anything new to those who, like me, already know the original film so well that they memorized the characters' lines from beginning to the end. I know that I criticized "O Pátio das Cantigas", by Leonel Vieira, for having made excessive changes to the script and having given us a film so different from the original, and that now I am criticizing this film for being a copy of the original, but think with me: making a remake is, in my opinion, the subtle art of doing something different from what already exists without insulting what already exists, that is, it cannot be the same, nor can it be different to the point of being unacceptable. If you are not capable of this equilibrium, it is better not to touch what has already been done, especially when we are talking about classic with legions of enthusiasts, as is the case of the 1941's "Pai Tirano".