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Perfect cast and a good story

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This film tells the relationships and stories between the residents of a courtyard in downtown Lisbon, where their lives intersect each other in a web of joys and sorrows. Directed by Francisco Ribeiro (known as Ribeirinho, which also enters the film as an actor in the role of Rufino), the film has the participation of Maria das Neves (as Rosa), Vasco Santana (as Narciso), Antonio Silva (as Evaristo), Laura Alves (as Celeste) and António Vilar (as Carlos).Lisbon is a city known for having a spirit and mentality very similar to a small village: the inhabitants of each neighborhood and courtyard are known to each other and usually help each other in difficult situations. This creates a strong sense of community, which they call "bairrismo". This film is a comedy in the best Portuguese style, where comic situations alternate with word games and even romantic scenes. Francisco Ribeiro, known as an excellent comedian, has one of most humorous roles and co-stars with another great humorist, Vasco Santana. The film is full of moments that entered in the history of Portuguese cinema and even justified a more recent film, with the same name, that revisits the story in our time.This film is for the entire family and appeals to everyone, whether you have 9 or 99 years. It has absolutely delightful scenes and jokes. Its timeless, its a masterpiece.

An honest and furious salesman, a funny drunk and his obsessive young son, an un-practical inventor, a Russian immigrant (for political jokes), a Brazilian singer (for amusement) and her hard-working Portuguese mother... the most irregular group to liven up things in a typical Portuguese patio (the backyard of buildings)! There is no way you can stop laughing!(spoilers) The three most famous scenes: - when the drunk's son uses a fake streetlight that his father's mistakes for a person ("Can you give me a light?" - hilarious!), to call him home; - when the inventor listens to music on his home-made radio (when he is, in fact, listening his Russian's neighbor's graphonola), and ends up smashing it with hammers when he discovers he cannot switch it off! - when the singer arrives from Brasil, and everybody on the patio wants to be the first to give the good news to her mother using his own different method (a pigeon, a boy, a home-made radio,...), all arriving at the same time!A true portrait of a certain way of life in Portugal during the times of fascism. Second only to Italian comedies!

This is one of the most hilarious films ever made in Portugal. It's full of those little jokes everybody remembers, even today! The actors transformed this, rather simple story, into a masterpiece! This movie is a definite "must see".

The best portuguese comedy ever.With lovely performances by António Silva e Vasco Santana this film is a decomentary of portuguese neighborhoods in the past.Must see,