Search - Fados on DVD

Living Fado

Paul J. Vieira | Providence, RI USA | 10/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I preordered this dvd in August and it has been well worth waiting for. I have been listening to fado since my grandmother sang it to me in my craddle 61 years ago. I have been lucky enough to have known personally some of the great names of fado, like Amalia, Lucilia do Carmo, her son Carlos and Argentina Santos. Camane I heard for the first time some fifteen years ago when he walked in and did an imprompto set at Sr. Vinho at 2 o'clock on a Saturday morning. A year ago I spent my 60th birthday singing "fado vadio"(amatuer fado)with old friends in a small club in Bairro Alto in Lisbon. So when I speak of Fado, I know whereof I speak, even if I happen to be speaking English and not Portugues at the moment.

I can already hear the "purists" who will watch this film. "This is not fado because it is not traditional". I am old enough to remember when they said the same things about Amalia, Lucilia and Carlos because each brought their own interpretation to the fado they sang. Fado is a living art form. Not a relick to be preserved untouched in a museum. Carlos Saura has brought us "living Fado" with new and creative variations of music and dance. I hope those who already know fado and those who have yet to experience its magic will experience this film.
Paul Vieira of Greenville, RI and Lisbon, Portugal.
"

Too little fado

Antonio Goncalves | 02/25/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The movie spends too much time on music from the former Portuguese colonies (which may have the same ancestry as fado but is no closer to it than the bossa nova is). The movie also includes music that has absolutely nothing in common with fado except that it is Portuguese. An example of the latter is 'Grandola Vila Morena,' the outstanding Jose Afonso song, literally the trigger for the 1974 revolution. This lack of focus leaves out too many giants of the past (e.g., Maria Teresa de Noronha) as well as newcomers (e.g., Aldina Duarte). However, the director has room for Lila Downs (Mexican) and Caetano Veloso (Brazilian). Absurd! I found it disconcerting to hear fado, that expression of the Portuguese soul, interpreted with a thick Brazilian accent. To make things worse, the choreography is pretentious and distracting. Fado is only marginally visual, so I'd advise sticking to one of several excellent CD compilations obtainable through Amazon: "Fado the Exquisite Passion," "The Rough Guide to Fado," "Great Voices of Fado," or "Queens of Fado.""

Good production of great music

Mary M | 10/23/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful introduction to Portugese Fado. It has its serious and light sides, the old and the new, by famous and lesser known performers...all of it nicely presented. I've had the pleasure of seeing Maritza in person twice...she has unique star quality along with a passionate voice.
Settle back with some wine, your dreams and memories, and enjoy!"