Fados
Encyclopedia
Fados is a 2007 Spanish
film directed by Carlos Saura
. The film, a fusion of cinema, song, dance and instrumental numbers, explores Portugal
's most emblematic musical genre, fado
, and its spirit of saudade
(melancholy).
Using Lisbon as its iconic backdrop, the film explores the intricate relationship between the music and the city, and Fado's evolution over the years from its African and Brazilian origins up to the new wave of modern Fadistas.
Under the musical supervision of Carlos do Carmo
, Fados completed Saura's musical trilogy form with Flamenco
(1995) and Tango
(1998). Saura deploys mirrors, back projections, lighting effects, and lush colors to frame each song.
Fados contains homages to Maria Severa, Alfredo Marceneiro
, and Amália Rodrigues
, as well as turns by modern stars like Mariza
and Camané
. Saura expands the songs (which traditionally involve just a singer and a guitarist) with dance and encompasses other nationalities of Portugal’s former colonies and idioms (such as hip hop
, flamenco
and reggae
).
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
film directed by Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura Atarés is a Spanish film director and photographer.-Early life:Born into a family of artists , he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies...
. The film, a fusion of cinema, song, dance and instrumental numbers, explores Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's most emblematic musical genre, fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
, and its spirit of saudade
Saudade
Saudade ) is a unique Galician-Portuguese word that has no immediate translation in English. Saudade describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return...
(melancholy).
Using Lisbon as its iconic backdrop, the film explores the intricate relationship between the music and the city, and Fado's evolution over the years from its African and Brazilian origins up to the new wave of modern Fadistas.
Under the musical supervision of Carlos do Carmo
Carlos do Carmo
Carlos do Carmo, ComIH is a Portuguese fado singer, one of the finest in the "Lisbon Song"...
, Fados completed Saura's musical trilogy form with Flamenco
Flamenco (1995 film)
Flamenco is a 1995 Spanish documentary film directed by Carlos Saura with camerawork by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is entirely musical and dancing vignettes, composed and photographed on a sound stage.-Synopsis:...
(1995) and Tango
Tango (1998 film)
Tango is a 1998 Argentine tango film written and directed by Carlos Saura and photographed by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is an Argentine and Spanish production.-Plot:...
(1998). Saura deploys mirrors, back projections, lighting effects, and lush colors to frame each song.
Fados contains homages to Maria Severa, Alfredo Marceneiro
Alfredo Marceneiro
Alfredo Rodrigues Duarte ComIH better known as Alfredo Marceneiro because of his original profession as a woodworker, , was a Portuguese Fado singer, with a singular voice...
, and Amália Rodrigues
Amália Rodrigues
Amália da Piedade Rodrigues, GCSE, GCIH, , also known as Amália Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress.She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. She was one of the most important figures in the genre's development, and enjoyed a...
, as well as turns by modern stars like Mariza
Mariza
Mariza is the stage name of a popular fado singer. She was born Marisa dos Reis Nunes on 16 December 1973 in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique. At the time, Mozambique was known as the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique....
and Camané
Camané
Camané is a male vocalist, and a forerunner of the new generation of fado male singers. "The greatest fadista since Amalia Rodrigues and Maria da Fe," is how British biographer David Bret, describes him....
. Saura expands the songs (which traditionally involve just a singer and a guitarist) with dance and encompasses other nationalities of Portugal’s former colonies and idioms (such as hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
).