The Archive, Gender Roles and the Deconstruction of Salazarism in Alberto Seixas Santos' Brandos Costumes (original) (raw)

Among the films that appeared in the aftermath of the April 1974 Revolution, Alberto Seixas Santos’s Brandos Costumes is a singular case. By assuming an essayistic character through which the daily life of Portuguese people is analyzed from a domestic perspective, Brandos Costumes is one of the first films to openly discuss gender and social roles during Salazarism. This essay examines how the use of archival footage contributes, on the one hand, to the discussion of gender roles, and, on the other, to the experimental essayistic nature of Brandos Costumes. I base my argument on the premise that archival images are used to defy the authority of the truth conveyed by Salazar’s regime. KEYWORDS: Brandos Costumes, Portuguese Film, archive, gender roles, April 1974 Revolution, non-inscription