José do Telhado

Zé do Telhado: from bandit and murderer to romantic and chivalrous hero worthy of a movie.

Portugal has some romantic heroes, but few are as outstanding as Zé do Telhado, a bandit from the first half of the 19th century who, after being in the army and having fought in the Patuleia Revolt (where he saved the life of General Sá da Bandeira, who gave him the medal of the Tower-and-Sword, for bravery), returns home and puts himself at the head of a band of robbers, recruited for each job according to what was needed, while conserving his original profession, castrator.

Despite the mental laziness that prevails in our society, a careful reading of the criminal process and the judgment of his bandit is enough to verify his harshness and brutality. He was a violent man, the product of a violent age full of conflict and ill-disguised hatred. Between 1843 and 1859, he committed several armed robberies and at least two murders. His best-known criminal act was the robbery at Carrapatelo Manor, home of Ana Vitória de Vasconcelos da Fonseca Lemos, a recent widow from whom the bandit decided to withdraw her inheritance, in silver, jewels and gold coins. His audacity led the authorities to take serious measures against him, but they would only catch him some years later. In prison, he becomes a friend and bodyguard of the writer Camilo Castelo Branco, who fears that someone will try to kill him in prison at the behest of his enemy, Pinheiro Alves. We can almost say that, in return, the writer not only lent him a good lawyer but also dedicated a lot of pages of his book “Prison Memoirs” to him. The bandit's life, in addition to being immortalized, ended up glorified as a defender of the poor and oppressed, a fighter against the rich and powerful, which is perhaps one of the biggest lies in the history of Portugal.

The film, which warns right at the beginning that it is not a faithful biographical account, honestly follows Camilo's passionate and grateful account, giving us the vision of a romantic hero, a man doomed to fate, but brave, pious and loyal. Directed by Armando de Miranda, it is one of those Portuguese films in the oblivion, that few people remember because it doesn't make anyone laugh and that could be the target of a good remake, by Leonel Vieira or any other director who wanted to make a film about this figure of literature and history. Virgílio Teixeira brought the protagonist to life in a chivalrous way, like a tale hero, and Adelina Campos is not far behind him. They are good actors, but this is not one of their best works.