6 September 2007 (2007-09-06) (Toronto International Film Festival)
4 October 2007 (2007-10-04) (Portugal)
Running time
88 minutes
Country
Portugal
Language
Portuguese
Fados is a 2007 Portuguese film directed by Carlos Saura. The film, a fusion of cinema, song, dance and instrumental numbers, explores Portugal's most emblematic musical genre, fado, and its spirit of saudade (melancholy).
Under the musical supervision of Carlos do Carmo, Fados completed Saura's musical trilogy form with Flamenco (1995) and Tango (1998). Saura deploys mirrors, back projections, lighting effects, and lush colors to frame each song.
Fados contains homages to Maria Severa, Alfredo Marceneiro, and Amália Rodrigues, as well as turns by modern stars like Mariza and Camané. Saura expands the songs (which traditionally involve just a singer and a guitarist) with dance and encompasses other nationalities of Portugal's former colonies and idioms (such as hip hop, flamenco and reggae).[1]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the film includes several songs that were included in the film: