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A Portuguese master at Cannes
At 101, Portuguese auteur Manoel de Oliveira debuted his latest effort Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival: “The Strange Case of Angelica.”
The idea for the screenplay was hatched in 1952, Oliveira says. But when you live to 101, what’s the hurry?
The story deals with a Jewish photographer, played by Ricardo Trepa, who gets an odd assignment to photograph a young woman from a wealthy family who has just died, only days after her wedding. The family wants a few final photos, especially since she seems to have a smile on her face.
When the photographer focuses on the corpse, however, he sees her come to life in his lens — although no one else in the room does. And he becomes obsessed, thinking that he has been chosen to see her spirit, when no one else can.
Oliveira is a subtle filmmaker, capturing the daily routines of a Portuguese village with wit and irony. He never looks down at his characters, even though he manages to capture their provincialism.
A recurring theme relates to the cultivation of olive trees. And it’s not a minor point, since Oliveira’s name means olive trees.
But it’s clear that Oliveira is musing about death, and possible life afterward. Such thoughtfulness won’t be a big box office draw in America. But it will resonate with the arthouse crowd.
Associated Press photo: Director Manoel de Oliveira poses for photographers during a photo call for “The Strange Case of Angelica”, at the 63rd international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 13, 2010.
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