“Brothers in Arms”: the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in World War I propaganda films

Abstract

We address the shipment of Portuguese troops, undertaking of military exercises, and the visits of Bernardino Machado to the Western Front (Verdun) and to the United Kingdom during the World War One. The cinematic portrait of the “brave Portuguese soldiers” is examined. An alternative view is that of the German amateur film, Afundamento do Augusto Castilho (The Sinking of the Augusto Castilho), which documents how the brutality of the First World War coexisted with a code of military honor and the bravery required from Portuguese fighting men to make up for their lack of modern weaponry.