As Armas e o Povo

Synopsis

As Armas e o Povo is the most famous film of the Portuguese revolution. Shot during the week between April 25th and May 1st 1974, it brings together the great mass movements to the speeches of Mário Soares and Álvaro Cunhal, the release of political prisoners and the street interviews conducted by Brazilian filmmaker Glauber Rocha. Signed by the Colectivo de Trabalhadores da Actividade Cinematográfica, it is an invaluable historical document, made on the spot by various Portuguese technicians and directors. An essential work of European militant cinema, As Armas e o Povo is also a manifesto on the relationship between cinema and politics, not just as a mere disseminator of events, but above all as an active participant in the revolutionary act.