Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel de Oliveira (11 December 1908 - 2 April 2015) was born in Porto, Portugal 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.
Photos
Movies (89)
The Life of Mirrors
2025
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
2015 · Self (archive footage)
The Glory of Filmmaking in Portugal
2015 · Himself
A Century of Energy
2015 · Director of Photography, Director
Visit, or Memories and Confessions
2015 · Self, Director, Editor, Screenplay
The Old Man of Belem
2014 · Screenplay, Director
Chafariz das Virtudes
2014 · Director
Henri Langlois vu par...
2014 · Self
Biette
2013 · Self
Invisible World
2013 · Director, Writer
Historic Centre
2012 · Director, Screenplay
The Conquered Conqueror
2012 · Director, Screenplay
Gebo and the Shadow
2012 · Screenplay, Director
101
2012
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
2011 · Self
Hitler in Hollywood
2011
Guest
2011 · Self
Sem Cura - à saúde de Manoel de Oliveira
2011
The Strange Case of Angelica
2010 · Writer, Director
The Panels of São Vicente de Fora: A Poetic Vision
2010 · Director, Screenplay
Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl
2009 · Screenplay, Director, Editor
O Poeta Doido, o Vitral e a Santa Morta
2008 · Director of Photography, Producer, Writer, Director
Romance de Vila do Conde
2008 · Director, Director of Photography, Screenplay, Producer
Manoel de Oliveira, O Caso Dele
2007 · Himself
To Each His Own Cinema
2007 · Director, Writer
The 15th Stone
2007 · Himself
Christopher Columbus, The Enigma
2007 · Manuel Luciano (2007), Director, Screenplay
Rencontre Unique
2007 · Director, Screenplay
Belle Toujours
2006 · Director, Writer
O Improvável Não é Impossível
2006 · (voice), Writer, Director
No Tempo do Cinema
2006 · Himself
Magic Mirror
2006 · Director, Writer
Conversazione a Porto
2006
Do Visível ao Invísivel
2005 · Screenplay, Editor, Art Direction, Director
The Fifth Empire
2004 · Director, Screenplay
A Talking Picture
2003 · Director, Writer
Agostinho da Silva - A Living Thought
2003 · Self
The Uncertainty Principle
2002 · Director, Editor, Screenplay
Moment
2002 · Director
Porto of My Childhood
2001 · Himself / Narrator / The Thief, Director, Writer
I’m Going Home
2001 · Director, Screenplay
Word and Utopia
2000 · Director, Writer
The Letter
1999 · Director, Screenplay
Inquietude
1998 · Tango Dancer, Director, Screenplay
Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember
1997 · Self
Voyage to the Beginning of the World
1997 · Driver, Director, Writer
A Friendly Handshake
1997 · Director, Screenplay
Party
1996 · Director, Screenplay
The Convent
1995 · Director, Writer, Editor
Historias de Lisboa
1994 · Himself
Blind Man's Bluff
1994 · Adaptation, Director, Editor, Writer
Oliveira, l'architecte
1993
Abraham's Valley
1993 · Director, Editor, Screenplay
Day of Despair
1992 · Director, Editor, Screenplay
The Divine Comedy
1991 · Writer, Editor, Screenplay, Director
No, or the Vain Glory of Command
1990 · Narrator, Director, Screenplay, Editor
Cinéma Portugais – Un Mode d'Emploi
1990
A Propósito da Bandeira Nacional
1988 · Producer, Director
The Cannibals
1988 · Director, Editor, Screenplay
My Case
1986 · Director, Screenplay
Simpósio Internacional de Escultura em Pedra
1986 · Director
The Satin Slipper
1986 · Gentleman bowing with hat, Director, Screenplay
Lisboa Cultural
1984 · Editor, Director
Nice - À propos de Jean Vigo
1983 · Director
The Conversation Is Over
1982 · Padre
Francisca
1981 · Director, Screenplay
Cinématon XI
1981 · N°102
Cinématon n°102 : Manoel de Oliveira
1981
Doomed Love
1979 · Narrator (voice), Screenplay, Director
Cinématon
1978 · N°102
Benilde or the Virgin Mother
1975 · Screaming Madman (voice), Screenplay, Editor, Director
Past and Present
1972 · Director, Producer, Editor, Screenplay
As Pinturas do Meu Irmão Júlio
1965 · Director, Screenplay, Producer, Editor, Director of Photography, Sound Designer
Villa Verdinho - Uma Aldeia Transmontana
1964 · Director
The Hunt
1964 · Director, Director of Photography, Writer, Editor, Producer, Sound Designer
The Green Years
1963
Acto da Primavera
1963 · Director, Sound, Screenplay, Editor, Producer, Director of Photography
Bread
1959 · Director, Producer, Sound Designer, Director of Photography, Screenplay, Editor
The Artist and the City
1956 · Director, Screenplay, Editor, Producer, Director of Photography
Aniki-Bóbó
1942 · Director, Screenplay, Co-Producer, Editor
Famalicão
1941 · Writer, Director, Producer, Sound
Miramar, Praia das Rosas
1938 · Executive Producer, Screenplay, Editor, Director
Portugal Já Faz Automóveis
1938 · Editor, Executive Producer, Director, Writer
Os Últimos Temporais - Cheias do Tejo
1937 · Director of Photography, Director
A Song of Lisbon
1933 · Carlos
Lisbon statues
1932 · Director of Photography, Screenplay, Director
White Coal
1932 · Editor, Executive Producer, Director, Writer
Working on the Douro River
1931 · Director, Writer, Editor
Fátima Milagrosa
1928
