Black Cloaks
Overview
The great fadista, Amelia Rodrigues, made her screen debut in Capas Negras, which took its name from the black capes worn by the students in the university city of Coimbra, where the film is set. The action begins in a tavern where a group of former students are reminiscing about their time at the university. One of the students, Jose Duarte then breaks into song, performing an impromptu fado in the local Coimbra style. The tavern owner's niece, the aptly named Maria Lisboa promptly retaliates with a fado of the Lisbon variety. The melodramatic plot then centers on the frustrated romance between these two characters, and the soundtrack is essentially a musical duel between these two different styles of Portugal's national song.
Cast
Amália Rodrigues
Maria de Lisboa
Alberto Ribeiro
José Duarte
Artur Agostinho
Manecas
Vasco Morgado
Jorge
Barroso Lopes
Coca-Bichinhos
Humberto Madeira
Já-Cá-Canta
António Sacramento
Magistrate
Graziela Mendes
Rosa Tricana
Joaquim Miranda
Judge
Fernando Silva
Cunha, the pawnbroker
Génia Silva
Leonor
António Gonçalves
Dancer
