Mariana Villar

The shady side of an Italian textile trade in northern Germany is the subject of this slow-paced but atmospheric drama featuring Alberto Sordi as Totonno, a low-level, petty criminal anxious to move up a somewhat crooked ladder. Rising to the rank of the "dons" -- Don Raffaele (Carmine Ippolito) or Don Gennaro (Pasquale Cenammo) -- is not an easy task, as Totonno is about to find out. In the meantime, Paula (Belinda Lee) provides a romantic distraction, and another would-be entrepreneur opts for the straight and narrow. This uneven feature offers some colorful performances but the sum is less convincing than its parts.

Set in the early 1970s, Pôr do Sol no Areeiro has an excellent storyline, perfectly capturing the mindset of the bourgeoisie of the Avenidas who trade cars, feelings, and people with the ease of an amorality that was typical of Lisbon society at that time.

The Fidalgos da Casa Mourisca are ruined. Poor management and the pride of D. Luís have led the estate to this situation. However, Jorge, the eldest son, is not happy with this and decides to ask for help from a farmer who has prospered: Tomé da Póvoa. Tomé da Póvoa has a daughter who was educated outside the village and is now returning home. Jorge falls in love with her. But the proud and inflexible D. Luís, Jorge's father, does not agree with either Jorge's proposed economic recovery plan or his passion for a commoner.

Passion and ambition interplay to bring dissention and tragedy into the home of an old fisherman married to a much younger woman.

Adriana, an orphan who has been raised in a well off family, becomes pregnant after being seduced by a man. Outraged, Mr. Bento kicks her our of home. What he doesn't realize is that her seducer is his own son, Raul, a brilliant law student.

Rosa Maria, whose father is a sailor, was picked up by Tomé, having a child of her son Renato, who is expelled from home.