It's a big shame that in my country's people can't understand that this is the closest thing in Portugal to Ben-Hur (it's a pearl not only of Portuguese cinema but of European historic-epic production): it's just like Willer's version of Wallace's novel, a beautiful story of fall in desgrace, redemption and leving our mark for the future, mainly because of one thing: being highly praised and awarded during the fascist regime some moron left wingers panned it as simple propaganda (and the fact that the author was a participant of the one party manifest and that he always kissed the "great leader"'s ass in the press didn't helped). Yes, there is a propaganda side, but it's also an introduction to this poet's life (and a big movie on it's own). Curiosly no one saw the anti-fascist subtext (Leitão de Barros' real opinion of the fascists?): references to the inquisition as censorship and as something that should be feared (not a protection to good manners as the regime told...), a poet (a alter ego of Barros) that just wanted to create his art, but saw his life cursed by political conspiracies from advisers of a "great leader" that thought him self absolute but was always manipulated (a portrait of Salazar?), and his successor, inspired by Camoens's (Camões in Portuguese) epic poem «The Lusiads» («Os Lusíadas») to involve in a war that destroys the realm (a prediction of what would happen to the generations raised by salazarism and didn't knew the previous freedom, losing them selves in wars for the empire?). But the fascists didn't helped this movie a lot (they preferred propaganda docs to fiction films, so most Portuguese movies were short: most not even covered an hole tape!; and the budget wasn't enough for rendering an epic fitting the life of this epic poet with an epic life, although the biggest till then. Because of the lack of budget they had to leave the epic side for the lyric and dramatic one...it's not the same thing! If this difficulties were overcome it could be as long and as enormous as Willer's Ben-Hur). But just like Ben-Hur isn't just for Christians, Camões isn't just for Portuguese, but unfortunately we (the Portuguese)are still bloody dumb and don't realize how important it would be for our country and culture to make this and other movies internationally famous (for the love of God/good! Red western are more famous than this masterpiece!). Also a great score by Portuguese classic composer Ruy Coelho, our Prokofiev.
