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.

Cast

Amália Rodrigues

Maria de Lisboa

Alberto Ribeiro

José Duarte

Artur Agostinho

Manecas

N/A

Vasco Morgado

Jorge

Barroso Lopes

Coca-Bichinhos

Humberto Madeira

Já-Cá-Canta

N/A

António Sacramento

Magistrate

N/A

Graziela Mendes

Rosa Tricana

N/A

Joaquim Miranda

Judge

N/A

Fernando Silva

Cunha, the pawnbroker

N/A

Génia Silva

Leonor

N/A

António Gonçalves

Dancer