Profile of Manoel de Oliveira
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Manoel de Oliveira

Born
1908-12-11
Birthplace
Porto,
Portugal
Born
1908-12-11
Died
2015-04-02
(106 years old)
Birthplace
Porto
Portugal
Biography

Manoel de Oliveira was born in Porto, Portugal on December 11, 1908, to Francisco José de Oliveira and Cândida Ferreira Pinto. His family were wealthy industrialists. Oliveira attended school in Galic......

Profile of Manoel de Oliveira

Manoel de Oliveira

Born
1908-12-11
Died
2015-04-02
(106 years old)
Birthplace
Porto
Portugal
Born
1908-12-11
Died
2015-04-02
(106 years old)
Birthplace
Porto
Portugal
Biography

Manoel de Oliveira was born in Porto, Portugal on December 11, 1908, to Francisco José de Oliveira and Cândida Ferreira Pinto. His family were wealthy industrialists. Oliveira attended school in Galicia, Spain and his goal as a teenager was to become an actor. He enrolled in Italian film-maker Rino Lupo's acting school at age 20, but later changed his mind when he saw Walther Ruttmann's documentary Berlin: Symphony of a City. This prompted him to direct his first film, also a documentary, titledDouro, Faina Fluvial (1931). He also acted in the second Portuguese sound film, A Canção de Lisboa (1933). His first feature film came much later, in 1942. Aniki-Bóbó, a portrait of Oporto's street children, was a commercial failure when it opened, and its merit only came to be recognised over time. This drawback forced Oliveira to abandon other film projects he was involved in, and to dedicate himself to running his family vineyard. He re-emerged onto the film scene in 1956 with The Artist and the City, a work that marked a turning point in Oliveira's conception of the cinema. In 1963, O Acto de Primavera (The Rite of Spring), a documentary depicting an annual passion play, marked a turning point for his career. This was shortly followed by A caça (The Hunt), a grim feature film that contrasted with the happy tones of his previous documentary. Despite the widespread acclaim garnered by both films, he would not return to the director's seat until the 1970s. Since 1990 (when he turned 82), he has made at least one film each year.  Oliveira has said that he direct movies for the sheer pleasure of doing it, regardless of critical reaction. He maintains a quiet life away from the spotlights, despite multiple honours such as those of the Cannes, Venice and Montreal film festivals. He has been awarded two Career Golden Lions in 1985 and 2004 and a golden palm for his lifetime achievements in 2008.

93 titles with 220 credits

Showing all roles in all media, sorted by popularity (descending)
To Each His Own Cinema poster

2007

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Lisbon Story poster

1994

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The Strange Case of Angelica poster

2010

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Aniki-Bóbó poster

1942

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A Talking Picture poster

2003

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Abraham's Valley poster

1993

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I’m Going Home poster

2001

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Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl poster

2009

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A Song of Lisbon poster

1933

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Working on the Douro River poster

1931

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Francisca poster

1981

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The Green Years poster

1963

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The Convent poster

1995

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No, or the Vain Glory of Command poster

1990

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Belle Toujours poster

2006

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The Cannibals poster

1988

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The Divine Comedy poster

1991

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Voyage to the Beginning of the World poster

1997

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Doomed Love poster

1979

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Porto of My Childhood poster

2001

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Gebo and the Shadow poster

2012

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The Artist and the City poster

1956

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Visit, or Memories and Confessions poster

2015

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The Hunt poster

1964

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The Letter poster

1999

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Historic Centre poster

2012

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Hitler in Hollywood poster

2011

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Party poster

1996

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Benilde or the Virgin Mother poster

1975

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Blind Man's Bluff poster

1994

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Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember poster

1997

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Magic Mirror poster

2006

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Christopher Columbus, The Enigma poster

2007

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Invisible World poster

2013

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Day of Despair poster

1992

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Word and Utopia poster

2000

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The Conversation Is Over poster

1982

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Inquietude poster

1998

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The Uncertainty Principle poster

2002

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Acto da Primavera poster

1963

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A Century of Energy poster

2015

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The Satin Slipper poster

1986

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Past and Present poster

1972

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Guest poster

2011

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Famalicão poster

1941

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The Fifth Empire poster

2004

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Cinématon poster

1978

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My Case poster

1986

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Agnès Varda: From Here to There poster

2011

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Agnès Varda: From Here to There poster

2011

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The Glory of Filmmaking in Portugal poster

2015

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As Pinturas do Meu Irmão Júlio poster

1965

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The Panels of São Vicente de Fora: A Poetic Vision poster

2010

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Doomed Love poster

1978

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The Old Man of Belem poster

2014

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The 15th Stone poster

2007

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Bread poster

1959

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101 poster

2012

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Zona+ poster

1994

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Nice - À propos de Jean Vigo poster

1983

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Portugal Já Faz Automóveis poster

1938

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Henri Langlois vu par... poster

2014

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Lisboa Cultural poster

1984

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Oliveira, l'architecte poster

1993

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White Coal poster

1932

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Fátima Milagrosa poster

1928

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Lisbon statues poster

1932

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O Improvável Não é Impossível poster

2006

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Já Está poster

1987

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The Life of Mirrors poster

2025

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Jornal Português (1938-1951) poster

2015

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História do Cinema Português poster

2001

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Cinématon XI poster

1981

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Biette poster

2013

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O Poeta Doido, o Vitral e a Santa Morta poster

2008

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Romance de Vila do Conde poster

2008

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Miramar, Praia das Rosas poster

1938

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A Propósito da Bandeira Nacional poster

1988

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Simpósio Internacional de Escultura em Pedra poster

1986

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Cinéma Portugais – Un Mode d'Emploi poster

1990

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Do Visível ao Invísivel poster

2005

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The Conquered Conqueror poster

2012

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Os Últimos Temporais - Cheias do Tejo poster

1937

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Sem Cura - à saúde de Manoel de Oliveira poster

2011

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No Tempo do Cinema poster

2006

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Villa Verdinho - Uma Aldeia Transmontana poster

1964

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Manoel de Oliveira, O Caso Dele poster

2007

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Chafariz das Virtudes poster

2014

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Moment poster

2002

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Agostinho da Silva - A Living Thought poster

2003

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Conversazione a Porto poster

2006

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Cinématon n°102 : Manoel de Oliveira poster

1981

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A Friendly Handshake poster

1997

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