Censorship sets the tone for a film cycle that celebrates April

The Pombal Cineclube begins, this Wednesday, a new cinema cycle. As part of the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the 25th of April in Pombal, this cycle will show four films that were banned from being seen at the time of their premiere or were cut so that their screening could be approved. All films will be commented by special guests.

Tonight, the Cineclube shows “Rome, Open City”, by Roberto Rossellini. A World War II drama, shot at the end of the conflict and using real prisoners of war, is considered the masterpiece of Italian neorealism. It was banned in Portugal for almost three decades and viewers now have the possibility, perhaps for the first time, of seeing it on a screen larger than their television. The special guest of the session is the Retired Full Professor at the University of Coimbra, Abílio Hernandez Cardoso.

On the 10th, the proposal is “The Last Tango in Paris”, by Bernardo Bertolucci. Controversy has accompanied this film, from its debut to the present day. The unconventional romance between a middle-aged American widower and a young French woman caused a lot of ink, particularly due to the sex scenes. But the film is much more than that… The well-known RTP presenter and journalist dedicated to cinema, Mário Augusto, will be the guest tonight. The screening of “Nazaré”, by Manuel Guimarães, is scheduled for the 17th, which the Estado Novo “mutilated”, trying to hide, above all, the life of poverty in the Nazarene fishing community. It will be commented by Paulo Cunha, professor at the University of Beira Interior, and by Cristina Lopes Batista, Researcher at the CEIS 20 Artistic Practices Group at the University of Coimbra. Finally, the 24th will, in a way, be a tribute to António-Pedro Vasconcelos. The first feature film by the late director was shown at the beginning of last March, “Perdido por Cem”. The session will have as guest Manuel S. Fonseca, founder of Editora Guerra & Paz and former film programmer at Cinemateca Portuguesa and RTP2.

All sessions take place in the Mini-Auditorium of Teatro-Cine de Pombal, starting at 9:30 pm and free entry.