Black Cloaks

Overview

The great fadista, Amelia Rodrigues, made her screen debut in Capas Negras, which took its name from the black capes worn by the students in the university city of Coimbra, where the film is set. The action begins in a tavern where a group of former students are reminiscing about their time at the university. One of the students, Jose Duarte then breaks into song, performing an impromptu fado in the local Coimbra style. The tavern owner's niece, the aptly named Maria Lisboa promptly retaliates with a fado of the Lisbon variety. The melodramatic plot then centers on the frustrated romance between these two characters, and the soundtrack is essentially a musical duel between these two different styles of Portugal's national song.

Details

Cast

Amália Rodrigues

Maria de Lisboa

Alberto Ribeiro

José Duarte

Artur Agostinho

Manecas

Vasco Morgado

Jorge

Barroso Lopes

Coca-Bichinhos

Humberto Madeira

Já-Cá-Canta

António Sacramento

Magistrate

Graziela Mendes

Rosa Tricana

Joaquim Miranda

Judge

Fernando Silva

Cunha, the pawnbroker

Génia Silva

Leonor

António Gonçalves

Dancer

Cremilda de Sousa

Dancer

Manuela Bonito

Afonso Branco

João Calazans

Maria Emília Vilas

Adozinda Mariano

Domingos Marques

Regina Montenegro