This is a classic of Portuguese cinema which still wins audiences thanks to a kind of light comedy that pleases the whole family. It was shot in 1943, at a time when most of the world was immersed in World War II, where Portugal was a little corner of peace, where bombs and shots were not heard. The film addresses the old theme of impossible love between different social classes through the romance between Luisinha, an honest but humble girl, and André, a very rich aristocrat who, in order to court her, decides to hide his true origin and present himself as Daniel, a simple private driver. The couple's touching story unfolds in a traditional way, but full of feelings. There are no great kisses or passionate scenes. Everything is said and done formally, as education in the 1940s dictated. Even so, it's nice to see, and it's even pitiful that certain dating habits have been lost over these seventy years. But the main attraction of the film is the comedy, served to the public in the usual doses of situational comedy and jokes, much to the liking of the Portuguese. António Silva, perhaps the most notable Portuguese comic actor to date, plays Simplício Costa, also called "Costa do Castelo", a modest lyrics writer who lives life one day at a time and playing with all, including his own debts. Maria Matos, one of the best drama actresses of that time, gives life to Mafalda, the arrogant matriarch of the noble family, and André's aunt. The rigid and demanding way she treats everyone around her, especially the servants, gives the film some of her funniest and most memorable moments.
Much has changed since this movie was released. Times have changed and Portuguese cinema has also changed, losing a lot of quality over the years. Today, Portuguese cinema is limited to short films, boring and theatrical authored films made for major European festivals, and a few commercial films, where comedy is entrenched in low slang and drama seeks the support of sex and spicy scenes to get bigger box office. This film remains one of my favorites and, as far as Portuguese cinema is concerned, as a sign that the Portuguese, if they wish, can make better cinema than they have been doing.
