“Daqui Houve Resistência” series about the anti-fascist struggle in the North of Portugal
“Daqui Houve Resistência“, the TV series produced by Rodrigo Areias and directed by Carlos Amaral and Edgar Pêra, premiered on April 25th on RTP1.
Based on real events and characters, the series explores the anti-fascist resistance in the North of Portugal, reconstructing stories of courage, confrontation and survival during the Estado Novo dictatorship.
Broadcast in full until May 2nd, this work presents itself as a current testimony, at a time when extremist speeches try to rewrite the past and weaken democratic values. Daqui Houve Resistência gives face to a fundamental collective memory, remembering the strength of a people who, even under oppression, never stopped fighting.
Manuel de Oliveira is responsible for the original soundtrack, which features several guests, including his partners from the Entre-Lugar project: Sandra Martins (cello), João Frade (accordion) and Andrés (Pancho) Tarabie, a Uruguayan percussionist who has lived in Portugal for over 30 years and who explores a series of traditional Portuguese musical instruments. The soundtrack also features special appearances by Daniel Pereira Cristo (cavaquinho), João Gigante (concertina) and João Silva (violin). This collective of artists leaves no doubt about the series’ sound identity, responding to the challenge of Rodrigo Areias, who here, too, in an act of resistance, bets on original music by inviting his fellow countryman and long-time friend Manuel de Oliveira to join the band.
“Daqui Houve Resistência” is an invitation to reflection, a tribute to the resisters and a warning against forgetting.
SYNOPSIS:
DAQUI HOUVE RESISTÊNCIA IS A TELEVISION SERIES, BASED ON REAL FACTS AND PERSONALITIES, ABOUT THE RESISTANCE AND ANTI-FASCIST STRUGGLE, FOCUSED ON THE NORTH OF PORTUGAL, DURING THE THIRTEEN YEARS PRECEDING APRIL 25, 1974.
This 5-episode series for RTP 1 covers the last 13 years of the dictatorship, focusing on Guimarães and the surrounding cities. In this region of the country, as in many others besides Lisbon, numerous groups of resistance fighters fought persistently and in an organised manner for Freedom, giving no respite to the forces of the regime, always at high costs.
Guimarães is not the starting point for the action due to symbolic factors linked to the “cradle of nationality”, so used by the Estado Novo as a symbol of a certain national identity — the reason lies in what can be read in the book “25 — Guimarães, Daqui Houve Resistência” by César Machado, which contains 25 real testimonies of resistance fighters who fought in this region or who left from here to fight in Coimbra, Lisbon or Paris, or who came here to fight their fight clandestinely.
The perverse and Machiavellian fear created by Salazar’s dictatorship could have led the entire society to live for 48 years in a collective psychosis of terror. But no. Many lived under this trauma.
The series contains inevitable scenes of physical violence perpetrated by the PIDE against the regime’s opponents: torture did exist!
A series called Bando à Parte, created and produced by Rodrigo Areias, with photography by Paulo Castilho, art direction by Ricardo Preto, wardrobe by Susana Abreu, and makeup by Barbara Brandão. Assistant director was Luís Costa, sound was provided by Pedro Marinho, and the original music was by Manuel de Oliveira. The script was written by Pedro Bastos and César Machado, based on their book of interviews with countless resistance fighters, Guimarães – Daqui Houve Resistência. The cast includes João Pedro Vaz, António Durães, Diana Sá, Miguel Borges, João Nunes Monteiro, Miguel Moreira, Joana Ribeiro, António Capelo, Carolina Amaral, Nuno Preto, Tânia Dinis, Emília Silvestre, Paulo Calatré, and Valdemar Santos. The direction was carried out by Carlos Amaral (episodes Academic Crisis and Armed Resistance) and Edgar Pêra (episodes Fight for Democracy and Workers’ Struggle).
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