Maria do Mar
Maria do Mar is a 1930 Portuguese silent drama directed by Leitão de Barros. The film blends documentary realism with fiction to show fishermen in Nazaré, a coastal town in Portugal. A deadly sea accident sparks a feud between two families, led by Falacha, whose actions cause the death of a fellow fisherman. Maria do Mar, daughter of the dead man, falls in love with Manuel, Falacha’s son. Their romance faces strong opposition from their families, echoing a Romeo and Juliet story set in the harsh life of a fishing village. The movie is known for its early ethnofiction approach, mixing real cultural life with a crafted story, and for using techniques influenced by German expressionism, Soviet montage, and American cinema. It is a silent film with Portuguese intertitles and originally premiered on May 20, 1930, in Lisbon. A restored version was released in March 2000 in Lisbon and Porto, with a new musical score by Bernardo Sassetti.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:37 (CET).