#479 Visita o memorias y confesiones (1982) y Porto da minha infancia (2001), de Manoel de Oliveira

·1 hr 26 min·5 clips

Manoel de Oliveira's final film was kept secret for 35 years, only released after his death at age 106.

The episode begins with hosts Juan Pablo Vilches and Christian Ramírez introducing their first discussion of Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, focusing on two autobiographical works. They explain Oliveira's unusual career trajectory: born in 1908, he didn't become a serious filmmaker until his 40s and continued working until age 105. 'Visita o Memorias y Confesiones' (1982) was created when Oliveira was 72 and facing the forced sale of his family home after financial ruin following Portugal's Carnation Revolution. The hosts describe the film's structure: it opens with ghostly voices wandering through the empty house, then shifts to Oliveira himself reflecting on his life while displaying family photographs. They reveal Oliveira kept this film private for 35 years, with explicit instructions that it only be shown after his death. The discussion then moves to 'Porto da Minha Infancia' (2001), made when Oliveira was 92, which recreates his childhood memories of Porto through theatrical recreations featuring his grandson Ricardo Trepa as his younger self. The hosts analyze Oliveira's conservative philosophical views, particularly his ideas about purity, love, and metaphysical salvation expressed in 'Visita.' They compare Oliveira's artificial, studio-based approach to filmmaking with the street-focused styles of other directors, noting his preference for constructed reality over documentary realism. The conversation explores how both films connect personal loss with broader European history, including references to a 1955 poem about Europe's future. The hosts also discuss Oliveira's connections to other filmmakers like Raúl Ruiz and his status as a French-influenced Portuguese intellectual. They examine specific scenes, including Oliveira's recreation of a childhood theater memory where he appears as a thief, and the films' musical motifs ranging from classical symphonies to Portuguese guitar. The episode concludes with suggestions for future Oliveira films to cover, including 'Viaje al Principio del Mundo' starring Marcello Mastroianni.

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