1960 Porto, Portugal
Lucilia Araujo
Born 1933
First Movie Memory in Porto, Portugal
Interviewed on January 23, 2019
By Claudia Torres
I had just started dating your grandfather and he loved the movies. He went every Saturday because the good films were late at night and he didn’t have to work on Sundays. Even though I had moved to the city a couple of years ago, I’d never really thought about going to the movies because I didn’t have anyone to go with.
A Canção de Lisboa (trans. Lisbon Song) was his favorite. He would say that Vasco Santana and Antonio Silva were the greatest Portuguese actors. Every one of their words, their expressions was funny. He would watch any movie they were in.
The movie had premiered years ago, but the São João Theater downtown still screened the film every weekend because everyone loved it. We went on a Saturday night. The theater had been renovated a week before. Everything smelled new. They had installed these new red seats that reclined back like a bed. They were so comfy and soft that the minute I sat in them, I was afraid I was going to sleep through the whole movie.
I remember one man sold sweet rice cakes in the back of the theater. Their delicious smell filled the whole theater. I was tempted to buy one, but I had just had dinner. Your grandfather promised me we would get ice cream at a little shop next to the theater after the movie.
I remember the theater being absolutely packed. I saw two children try and sneak into the theater, but one of the managers kicked them out because they weren’t old enough for the film. We ran into two of your grandfather’s brothers and sat next to them in the comfy chairs.
I wasn’t expecting the movie to be as loud as it was. I nearly jumped out of my seat the minute the fanfare of the opening credits started. There was no way I was going to fall asleep with all that booming! Even though the rest of the movie wasn’t nearly as loud, the theater still felt like it shook from all the laughter. I always preferred stories that made me laugh than cry. But with this movie, I remember laughing so hard that tears rolled down my face.
Vasco Santana’s character was my favorite. He was a medical student, but nothing like your cousin! He preferred singing to studying, and he lied to his rich aunts about how his studies were going so that they would continue to send money to support him. But then they decided to visit him in Lisbon and that really made the movie interesting.
The aunts were so oblivious, they believed everything Vasco said. At one point, they went to the zoo and Vasco tried to convince them that the giraffes were sick because their skin was covered in dark spots. They were so impressed that he could even diagnosis animals. How ridiculous!
I think Antonio Costa played a carpenter or a tailor. I can’t remember. But he definitely didn’t like Vasco. He thought Vasco was an idiot. I agreed with him. I was very surprised when Vasco passed his medical exam at the end of the movie. It was a miracle!
The songs in the movie were also catchy. A week after I watched it, I still caught myself humming along to “A Agulha e o Dedal” (trans. The Needle and the Thimble) while I worked.
I really liked Beatriz Costa’s bangs. I had seen her picture in magazines, but in the film she looked even prettier. During the intermission, before your grandfather went to get a espresso with his brothers, I asked him if I should cut my hair like that. He just smiled at me and said I was already beautiful.
