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Article | João de Deus’s musical perversions: a case study on the music and sexuality in two films by João César Monteiro
José Nicolau Pinto, PhD Student at INET-md, is co-author of the article "João de Deus’s musical perversions: a case study on the music and sexuality in two films by João César Monteiro", recently published by the journal Studies in European Cinema.
The article addresses the music and its interactions in two films directed by João César Monteiro – Recollections of the Yellow House and God's Comedy. By analysing the music that accompanies the voyeuristic behaviour of the character João de Deus towards Julieta, his sexual overvaluation of Rosarinho, and the fetishism evidenced in his relationship with Joaninha’s underwear, we can both better define the main character’s personality and understand the role music plays in developing the plots of Monteiro’s cinema.
The research behind this article was conducted alongside Margarida Medeiros, and it is also in her memory that this work is now published, representing a collaborative effort that integrates multiple frameworks, from conema studies to musicology. This interdisciplinary approach allows for a comprehensive exploration of the films' music and underscores the connections between all filme components.
Margarida Medeiros was an esteemd researcher in the field of photography, with invaluable contributions to science. Her passion and expertise will always inspire us.
Abstract of the article:
This article addresses the music and its interactions in two films directed by João César Monteiro – Recordações da Casa Amarela [Recollections of the Yellow House] and A Comédia de Deus [God’s Comedy]. These are the first two films in God’s Trilogy, a trilogy released between 1989 and 1999. Together, they tell the story of a character called João de Deus, who lives and behaves in ways that deviate from social and moral norms, establishing obsessive and perverse relationships with several women. In this article, we approach the music and sounds we hear in certain scenes and the way these work in representing the character’s ‘self’. Thus, by analysing the music that accompanies the voyeuristic behaviour of the character João de Deus towards Julieta, his sexual overvaluation of Rosarinho, and the fetishism evidenced in his relationship with Joaninha’s underwear, we can both better define the main character’s personality and understand the role music plays in developing the plots of Monteiro’s cinema.
