A Severa (film) explained

A Severa (lit. 'The stern/grave one') is a 1931 Portuguese film directed by Leitão de Barros. It's famous for being the first Portuguese talking film.^[1] It is a biopic of the fado singer Maria Severa Onofriana,^[2] known as A Severa, based on the play by Júlio Dantas.^[3]

Cast

• Dina Teresa as Maria Severa Onofriana dita A Severa
• António Luis Lopes as Dom João, Count of Marialva
• Antonio Lavradio (D. António de Almeida Portugal, 10th Count of Avintes) as Dom José
• Ribeiro Lopes as Judge
• Silvestre Alegrim as Timpanas, Coach Driver
• Costinha as Marquis of Seide (as Augusto Costa)
• Antonio Fagim as Romão, Landlord
• Patrício Álvares as Diogo
• Eduardo Dores as Gypsy
• Oliveira Martins as The Duke

Production

The film was shot in Paris.^[4]

Legacy

A severa was included in the film series for the New Babilonians. Crossing the Border exhibition, curated by Pedro G. Romero, which took place at the Galeria Municipal do Porto in September-November 2021.^[5] A Severa was part of the 2023 "A Brief History of Portuguese Cinema" screenings in Setúbal.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Book: Creekmur, Corey. International Film Musical. 1 January 2012. Edinburgh University Press. 978-0-7486-3478-1. 59.
2. Web site: FORUM MUNICIPAL LUÍSA TODI – SETÚBAL, SEGUNDA-FEIRA, 2 DE OUTUBRO, DE 2023 - 21H00 . FLT.
3. Book: Cajão, Luís. O salto de cavalo. 1973. Edições Ágora. Portuguese.
4. Book: Aitken, Ian. The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film. 4 January 2013. Routledge. 978-1-136-51206-3. 734.
5. Web site: Pedro G. Romero: Os Novos Babilónios — Atravessar a Fronteira & Filipe Marques: Pandemic — I Don’t Know Karate, but I Know Ka-Razor! . Contemporânea.
6. Web site: A SEVERA .