O caráter multifuncional do Fado no filme chinês Isabella (2006) de Pang Ho- Cheung

Abstract

The new Chinese film industry, and in particular its sound component, shows a very important diversity and quality in its work. In this sense, and focusing our attention on the film Isabella of Pang Ho-Cheung with music by Peter Kam, we intend to demonstrate how the influence of Portuguese music arises in this film. The diversity of styles, techniques and musical forms, all contribute to creating a soundtrack different from the traditional. In 2006, the film Isabella won the Silver Bear for best music in the Berlin International Film Festival. Its soundtrack, inspired by Fado, offers a unique audiovisual feel, interacting with the colonial architecture and with the nostalgic story occurring on the eve of Macau’s reintegration in China. The spirit of Fado arises as a common thread. The longing, nostalgic emotion, known as “saudade” fuelled by Fado is in tune with the nostalgic feeling of the narrative. Simultaneously, the transparent and vibrant timbre of the Portuguese guitar contrasts with other sounds and musical forms, including tango, pop and traditional melody, producing resonances with the images. In addition, the advance and retreat of the presence of Fado, interacts with the alternation between past and present, functioning, in our opinion, as an invocation of a specific time and place and as the musical rhetorical expression of history and the narrative. Our work also intends to expose the multifunctional aspects of Portuguese music in determining the discursive structures of Isabella.