Chaimite
(Chaimite, the fall of the Vatua Empire)

1894-1895: The Portuguese army quells a Vátua revolt headed towards Chaimite, with Gungunhana at the head of several Zulu tribes. Young Daniel (Artur Semedo) and João Macario (Carlos Teixeira), who will soon compete for the favors of Maria (Lourdes Norberto), lend strong hands to experienced officers in this unequal battle. Taking the epic and tragic form of a western, Chaimite is, among the few colonial fictions shot under the Estado Novo, one of the most exemplary and unique. It is, thus, a founding film. Exaltation of courage and patriotism take precedence over any personal commitment. The effectiveness of the filmmaker in the action scenes is cleverly offset by a detailed analysis of the dominant and contradictory characteristics of the small colonial society. JB