Torre Bela

Name: Torre Bela
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2007-08-07
Duration: 1 h 45 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Thomas Harlan, Maria Vitória, José Neves Paiva

1975
1h 45m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

130

YOUR RATING

Documentary

The rise and fall of a revolutionary cooperative movement established in a large private farm in Ribatejo, Portugal, from March to December 1975 (most part of the land occupations occurred i... Read allThe rise and fall of a revolutionary cooperative movement established in a large private farm in Ribatejo, Portugal, from March to December 1975 (most part of the land occupations occurred in Alentejo, promoted by the communist party). In direct speech, sometimes to the camera, s... Read allThe rise and fall of a revolutionary cooperative movement established in a large private farm in Ribatejo, Portugal, from March to December 1975 (most part of the land occupations occurred in Alentejo, promoted by the communist party). In direct speech, sometimes to the camera, sometimes among themselves, the uneducated rural workers expose their misery, their sufferi... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

130

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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User reviews2

7.5130

Featured reviews

jimkav-1

Great political documentary.

One of the best political documentaries ever made. The process by which a revolutionary movement develops on a local scale, its relation to a radicalizing military, and its difficulties and peculiar development in specific cultural conditions have never been more honestly portrayed. Wathcing the soldiers tell the local peasants to do something force the soldiers to act on their behalf -- "Act now. The law will come later." --is astounding. I saw the movie when it originally came out, in a showing in Berkeley, CA with the director. I showed in once in a political film festival I organized. It is very hard to find. See it if at all possible. I've never seen a better account of a revolution in process.

10MMSequeira

An unintentional indictment of expropriation

This precious documentary gives its viewers a rare insight into the communist/socialist mindset and what it really means in practice. The documentary was filmed with the clear intention of praising the Portuguese revolutionary process that took place from the April 25, 1974, revolution, which overturned the old, authoritarian Estado Novo regime installed in 1926, until the democratic coup of November 25, 1975. The directors' intentions totally backfire, however, since what the documentary makes really clear is how a small bunch of revolutionaries can manipulate a mob of peasants into performing acts it formerly considered unthinkable: namely, robbing and invading the property of others. Hence, this attempt at a pamphlet is actually a superb indictment of the communist/socialist opposition to private property. A must.

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Alternate versions
The original version prepared for the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and eventually not shown was 240 minutes. After extensive editing by Roberto Perpignani it was reduced to 139 minutes and shown out of competition at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The director further edited the film to the 117 minutes that had limited distribution at trade union and political meetings in Portugal, Montréal (Canada), Pesaro (Italy) and NYC (USA). The so called Portuguese version for theatrical distribution was re-cut to 105 minutes. As of 2012, there are two DVD versions, the 2004 print under 82 minutes, and the 2007 print at 105 minutes.

Connections
Referenced in Linha Vermelha (2012)

Soundtracks
Grandola Vila Morena
(uncredited)
Written by José Afonso
Performed live by José Afonso, Francisco Fanhais and Vitorino Salomé
Played with the people of Torre Bela during a people's meeting.