Trailers de Oliveira. Selections from the "Talking Pictures" series.

by Ryland Walker Knight

Organized by BAMcinématek last spring (read Dennis Lim), Pacific Film Archive began its hosting of Manoel de Oliveira: Talking Pictures last Saturday with Voyage to the Beginning of the World, which I was unable to attend because two of my dear friends will be leaving America for an extended period at the end of this week and we had a send off pool party in Sonoma County. It's next in my Netflix queue so I hope to catch up with it this week, maybe offering a few more words and accompanying pictures. I did get to see Aniki Bobo on Sunday, and found it delightful, but I don't know what else to say for it now; I was much more impressed, or taken with, the accompanying short, Hunting, a black comedy allegory full of equal parts fun and terror. But that's all I got right now. For now, in lieu of more words, here's some assorted trailers and clips I found on youtube. I can't understand the Portuguese, but I can tell these are striking images.

Doomed Love, August 24th.


Francisca, which I will miss on August 31, as I will be in Colorado.


Non, or the Vain Glory of Command will be introduced by Randal Johnson, who has written the first English-language book about Oliveira, on September 10th.




Clips from The Divine Comedy, September 17th.



Christopher Columbus: The Enigma, September 21.


Belle Toujours, September 24th. (Yes, I understood this one.)


Abraham's Valley, the closing film on September 28th.