Representations of Dictatorship in Portuguese Cinema

Abstract

We are experiencing a time characterized by the unprecedented presence of history and memory in the cultural sphere. In this context, visual artifacts, such as films, play a key role in transfonning the way historical events can be assessed; giving them renewed visibility by raising public awareness. The presence of these visual products -their various genres, styles and interpretations of the past- can contribute to a richer understanding of history and collective mem01y and to the development of more reflective and self-aware historical individuals. Cultural memory comprises a body of images and texts, specific to each society and each age, that serves to stabilize and convey its self-image. 1 By means of cultural heritage, each society becomes visible to itself and others. Cultural memory is based on communication through media.2 Media technologies, such as film, broaden the temporal and spatial range ofremembrance. Film has its specific way of remembering, generating and molding images that have the power to shape the collective imagination of the past.