Fados

Reviewer: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Rating (out of 5): ****½

Fados shouldn't have worked; veteran Spanish director Carlos Saura (Cría cuervos, Tango) assembles a collection of fado singers and films them singing in front of colored backdrops. Sometimes the backdrops become more elaborate (such as a nightclub) and sometimes dancers accompany the music. These famous Portuguese ballads (currently undergoing a revival) have a long history, and are specifically related to poor and urban artists who expressed their yearnings in the most bittersweet ways. There is a certain structure to the songs and certain rules that must, more or less, be followed. Any lesser filmmaker would have traced the history of the music, dissecting it and trying to burrow inside all the songs.

Saura briefly explains the history of fado in the opening credits, but from there, he shuts up and lets the music speak for itself. Like some of the greatest concert movies, he films it as cinema, rather than as a mere record of a concert. Likewise, these are no mere music videos, fast-cut and full of enigmatic messages; Saura is far too interested in the beauty and resonance of the instruments, in the feelings in the performers' faces and sometimes in the physical results of the music (dancing, smiles, anguish, etc.). He somehow taps into the emotional power of the music and splashes it across the screen. It's hard not to be moved by the various earnest, earthy performances. Saura occasionally gets tricky, as when a hip-hop performer puts a new spin on one song, but even that sounds great.

Among the most notable singers present, there is veteran Carlos do Carmo, the heartbreaking Lila Downs and sexy newcomer Mariza. There are also homages to fado legends Alfredo Marceneiro and Amália Rodrigues. The performers' ages and styles range drastically, but Saura ties it all together and captures a coherent mood.

Newcomers to fado may be put off by such a daunting primer, but the opportunity to get to the heart of the genre, rather than inside the head, is too gorgeous to pass up.

Zeitgeist released the new DVD, after a brief 2009 theatrical release. It comes with a 25-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery and trailers. Saura provides some personal liner notes as well. Best of all, it comes with a more comprehensive performer and song title guide; it's still possible to get lost in the music, but now viewers can reference the names of their favorite performers. One quibble: the DVD might have included some more factual and historical information for more literal-minded viewers.