Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril
The popularity of Maria de Medeiros’s Capitães de Abril [April Captains] (2000) has made it a significant reference point in perceptions and post-memory of the Portuguese revolution. This essay argues that the film presents the 25 April 1974 coup as a restitution of social justice predicated on the...
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| Format: | Article |
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Liverpool University Press
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39673/ |
| _version_ | 1848795889477353472 |
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| author | Sabine, Mark |
| author_facet | Sabine, Mark |
| author_sort | Sabine, Mark |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The popularity of Maria de Medeiros’s Capitães de Abril [April Captains] (2000) has made it a significant reference point in perceptions and post-memory of the Portuguese revolution. This essay argues that the film presents the 25 April 1974 coup as a restitution of social justice predicated on the long-established notion of Portuguese brandos costumes [gentle customs]. By foregrounding both the April captains’ commitment to non-violent regime change, and their attitudes of humility, empathy and good humour, the film opposes them to an authoritarian regime whose arrogant, stubborn and brutal defenders repeatedly traduce ‘traditional’ national values. The endemic nature of brandos costumes is meanwhile implied by representing army conscripts and the common people as ill-suited to military engagement, but strongly disposed to ‘feminine’ values of love, solidarity, and compassion. Ultimately, Capitães’ appropriation of this national myth revises the gender politics of commemorations of the April Revolution, but reinforces paternalistic conceptions of Portuguese social organisation. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:39:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-39673 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:39:16Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Liverpool University Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-396732020-05-04T18:45:19Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39673/ Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril Sabine, Mark The popularity of Maria de Medeiros’s Capitães de Abril [April Captains] (2000) has made it a significant reference point in perceptions and post-memory of the Portuguese revolution. This essay argues that the film presents the 25 April 1974 coup as a restitution of social justice predicated on the long-established notion of Portuguese brandos costumes [gentle customs]. By foregrounding both the April captains’ commitment to non-violent regime change, and their attitudes of humility, empathy and good humour, the film opposes them to an authoritarian regime whose arrogant, stubborn and brutal defenders repeatedly traduce ‘traditional’ national values. The endemic nature of brandos costumes is meanwhile implied by representing army conscripts and the common people as ill-suited to military engagement, but strongly disposed to ‘feminine’ values of love, solidarity, and compassion. Ultimately, Capitães’ appropriation of this national myth revises the gender politics of commemorations of the April Revolution, but reinforces paternalistic conceptions of Portuguese social organisation. Liverpool University Press 2017-05-09 Article PeerReviewed Sabine, Mark (2017) Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril. Journal of Romance Studies, 16 (2). ISSN 1752-2331 Portuguese 25th April Revolution Portuguese cinema post-conflict memory national identity http://online.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/abs/10.3828/jrs.2016.160202 doi:10.3828/jrs.2016.160202 doi:10.3828/jrs.2016.160202 |
| spellingShingle | Portuguese 25th April Revolution Portuguese cinema post-conflict memory national identity Sabine, Mark Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril |
| title | Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril |
| title_full | Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril |
| title_fullStr | Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril |
| title_short | Lovers, not fighters: Left politics and brandos costumes in Capitães de Abril |
| title_sort | lovers, not fighters: left politics and brandos costumes in capitães de abril |
| topic | Portuguese 25th April Revolution Portuguese cinema post-conflict memory national identity |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39673/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39673/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39673/ |