Last night I attended the opening of the European Union Film Showcase at
the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, MD, which featured an in-
person screening by the legendary, nearly 99 year old Portuguese director,
Manoel de Oliveira, of his recently completed "Cristovao Colon - O
Enigma". Fernando Pessoa and Emma Lazarus are referenced, but more
surprising (de Oliveira's other films are often rather literary) were the
significant acting roles which the director and his wife take on in the
film, as the 2007 embodiments of Manuel Luciano da Silva and Sílvia Jorge
de Silva, authors of the book "Christopher Columbus Was Portuguese". Even
more startling than that: the audience learned that Manoel de Oliveira is
in the process of directing two more films. I witnessed Carl Rakosi and
Stanley Kunitz give rather strong readings when they were each 100 (or
almost there), but to have the energy & imagination to direct as many films
as de Oliveira has done during his nineties is unprecedented within that
more variously demanding media. I did manage to quarry a snapshot out of
the occasion, but I'll hold it back till I've reconsidered a few touches.
However, I will share with you the inscription (Manoel de Oliveira's most
moving line in English [which he claims he doesn't understand] during his
time at the podium):
"It's very worth getting to this age"
http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/2007/v4i6/columbus.aspx
For contrast, I can't resist attending tonight an Italian cinematic
invocation of Christopher Columbus (nice programming):
http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/2007/v4i6/caiman.aspx
Finally, here's the URL for my earlier text via Manoel de Oliveira as well
as access to a one-minute sample of his acting skills, which are
considerable. In fact, his early goal was to be an actor, & he did appear
in the second Portuguese sound film (1933):
http://www.fieralingue.it/corner.php?pa=printpage&pid=2032
Barry Alpert
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