Movies to See Before You Go to Portugal

05/27/2014

See, learn, go! Films to see before your trip to Portugal

Every country has movies which reflect its own story. These stories can inspire us to travel. Thanks to amazing direction, fabulous stories and bewitching photography, these movies will awaken your desire to buy your ticket, book a hostel and discover Portugal for yourself. Here are our top 5 movies about Portugal:


Lisbon Story, 1994 (Viagem a Lisboa, Wim Wenders)

Lisbon Story (1994) (big)

This is a beautiful tragic comedy about discovering Lisbon with its music, soul and underground culture. The story is simple: film director Friedrich Monroe is in Lisbon shooting a movie about the city and having problems with sound, he calls his friend, sound engineer Phillip Winter, to help him. But after arriving in Lisbon, Winter can't find Monroe, since he disappeared without finishing the film. He decides to stay in Lisbon to look for his friend and starts to record the sound of the film. The movie follows the protagonists and shows the unseen pictures of Lisbon and the “sound” of this city, “Fado music”, played by Portugese band Madreeus. The film captures the charm of the narrow streets in the old quarters of Lisbon, and avoids clichés.

Voyage to the Beginning of the World, 1997 (Viagem ao Princípio do Mundo, Manoel de Oliveira)

Voyage to the End of the World (big)

Photo Credit - IMDB

This brilliant movie take us on a road trip through rural Portugal. Directed by Manoel de Oliveira it was also the last film of famous actor Marcello Mastroianni. The story is about an old movie director who returns to the North of the country, where he spent his childhood. It is a poetic story that impresses with its harmonious photography, amazing nature in the background and formidable performances by the actors. Also worth mentioning, the film won several awards, including the Globo de Ouro and the Cannes Film Festival.


Night Train To Lisbon, 2013 (Bille August)

Night Train To Lisbon, 2013 (big)

This amazing movie based on the novel by the same title by Pascal Mercier. At the beginning of the story, a Swiss professor saves the life of a young woman trying to commit suicide. He finds a book and a train ticket to Lisbon in her red coat, which she left behind. He tries to find the women at the train station, with no results. Seeing as he already finished his teaching career and he has nothing to do but read and play chess, he takes the train and starts his adventure in Lisbon. The journey is interesting and has a lot of meetings, discoveries and stories about Salazar's epoch in Portugal. The story is sometimes dramatic, sometimes nostalgic and is often accompanied by piano and violin music.

Christopher Columbus – The Enigma, 2007 (Cristóvão Colombo - O Enigma, Manoel de Oliveira).

Christopher Columbus – The Enigma, 2007 (big)

This movie was shot in Portugal and the United States and claimed that Christopher Columbus was originally not Italian but Portuguese. His name was Colon and he was called Columbus only by a falsification of history. Born in the small town of Cuba, Alentejo, he was an illegitimate son of the royal family. The film is a declaration of love for the history and culture of Portugal. Even if the film is neither scientific nor historical, it represents a kind of romanticized fiction. According to the story, Colombus was originally from Cuba in Alentejo, and named the largest island of the Antilles after his birthplace.

Sostiene Pereira, 1996 (Pereira Declares, Roberto Faenza)

Sostiene Pereira, 1996 (big)

That is an Italian drama film based on Antonio Tabucchi's novel of the same title with Marcello Mastroianni as journalist Pereira. The story takes place in Salazar's Epoch in Portugal and shows the real dark side of the regime. When Pereira meets and helps an anti-fascist young man Monteiro Rossi, he starts to understand the real drama and an injustice in the country. It is an admirable film thanks also to the splendid acting of Mastroianni and impressive cinematography of Lisbon.

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