The negative of The Legend of Miragaia, found at the Feira da Ladra, has been lost until now.
“Treasure” by Raúl Faria da Fonseca and António Cunhal (Álvaro Cunhal’s brother) is from 1931. “It is still in good physical condition and appears to be complete,” said Cinemateca Portuguesa, which plans to exhibit it.
A film buff, and regular at the Cinemateca Portuguesa, came across a negative for sale at the Feira da Ladra, in Lisbon, and handed it in for deposit at the institution, which later revealed to be the film “The Legend of Miragaia”until then considered lost.
In , the Cinemateca Portuguesa said that the film, from 1931, is by Raúl Faria da Fonseca and António Cunhal (brother of Álvaro Cunhal) and considered “one of the first animated films in Portugal”, which used the same silhouette animation techniques used in the first European animated feature film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, from 1926.
“The whereabouts of this film were unknown until mid-May, when a visit to antiques sellers at the Feira da Ladra location in Lisbon resulted in the discovery of this little treasure. Duarte Velosoa cinephile and regular at Cinemateca Portuguesa, saw the negative for sale, in cellulose nitrate film format. Suspecting, at least, that it was of Portuguese origin, Duarte Veloso (and his father) acquired it and later realized, upon investigating further, that he had in his hands something of which no film material was known,” can be read in the Cinemateca statement.
According to the institution run by Rui Machado, the negative, which was deposited in the National Archive of Moving Images, “It is still in good physical condition and appears to be complete”.
Therefore, the Cinemateca intends to make a copy for exhibition in 35 millimeters and digitize it, hoping to be able to schedule its exhibition soon.
The entry about the film in the Portuguese cinema database at the University of Beira Interior includes a quote from the critic and essayist Manuel Félix Ribeiro (1906-1982), the first director of the Cinemateca, who refers to A Lenda de Miragaia as a “true and daring experience” that he “sought to transpose onto the screen and through a process never attempted before.” [em Portugal]” silhouette animation.
Quoted on the same page, which stressed that the whereabouts of the film were not known, Faria da Fonseca explained the method: “Everything is done in the darkroom, photo by photo, interrupted with each turn of the crank. Considering the 4,000 meters, we will have 28,400 isolated photos.”
Cinemateca concludes the statement with an appeal:
“This precious discovery is proof that there is still a lot to recover and show in the History of cinema. If you have any film material at home whose origins you do not know, or know someone who does, know that you can donate or deposit any film for free at the Cinemateca Portuguesa, ensuring its long-term survival. Help us find the missing links in the history of Portuguese cinema, just as Duarte Veloso, to whom the Cinemateca, and all cinephiles did Portuguese, will forever be infinitely grateful.”
