This film is part of Free
Europe’s Crossroads
This eye-opening report reveals the paradoxes of wartime Portugal: where Nazi black marketeers, refugees and gamblers mingled against a backdrop of fado, salt cod and port.
Overview
Wartime Lisbon was a hub for rumour and gossip, channeling news and propaganda from all over Europe, but rarely, as this film points out, communicating any news about Portugal itself. This March of Time issue lifts the curtain on a conservative, almost feudal society, with a largely illiterate population, which nonetheless, in wartime Lisbon, was the centre of intrigue, hope and excitement, a place where gamblers could spend their money and refugees escape to the New World.
Despite the intense conservatism of Salazar’s government, his steadfast aim to remain strictly neutral meant that paradoxically Portugal - and Lisbon in particular - became a hub of activity for the Allied and Axis powers as propagandists, black market traders, spies, exiled royalty and gamblers all flocked to the city. The footage in this issue evokes something of the febrile atmosphere of the time; from wealthy exiles cavorting in the sea at Estoril and crowded bars filled with the haunting sounds of Fado singers, to peasants panning for tungsten and then trying to sell their finds to Nazi black marketeers, the images of this film convey the strange mixture of conservatism and ‘anything goes’ excitement.
Related
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.