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Rite of Spring by Manoel de Oliveira
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Rite of Spring
by Manoel de Oliveira
4K Restoration

 

Popular recording of a representation of the Passion of Christ by the local people in a village near Chaves, based on a sixteenth-century text by Francisco Vaz de Guimarães. Manoel de Oliveira wanted to show that they were recreating an event that took place two thousand years ago, written in the sixteenth century and represented in the twentieth century.

Original Title: Acto da Primavera
Countries: Portugal
Year: 1963
Ratio: 1:1.37
Length: 90 min
Language: Portuguese
Festivals & Awards
2010
  • BFI London Film Festival
1964
  • Siena Film Festival – Grand Prix
  • Locarno Film Festival
About Director
Manoel de Oliveira

Manoel de Oliveira (1908–2015) was a legendary Portuguese filmmaker whose career spanned over 80 years—from silent cinema to the 21st century. Known for his poetic, philosophical, and highly original style, Oliveira directed acclaimed works such as "Aniki-Bobó", "The Rite of Spring", and "Abraham’s Valley", often blending literature, theatre, and history. Celebrated at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, he received numerous international awards, including the Honorary Palme d’Or. Oliveira remained creatively active well past 100, leaving behind a singular legacy in world cinema.

FILMOGRAPHY
  • O conquistador conquistado – 2012 – Short film
  • Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl – 2009
  • Belle Toujours – 2006
  • Magic Mirror – 2005
  • Blind Man’s Bluff – 1994
  • Abraham’s Valley – 1993
  • Day of Despair – 1992
  • The Divine Comedy – 1991
  • No, or the Vain Glory of Command – 1990
  • The Cannibals – 1988
  • My Case – 1986
  • The Satin Slipper – 1985
  • Lisboa Cultural – 1983 – Short film
  • Visit or Memories and Confessions – 1982
  • Doomed Love – 1978
  • Benilde or the Virgin Mother – 1975
  • Past and Present – 1972
  • Romance de Vila do Conde – 1968 – Short film
  • Rite of Spring – 1963
  • A Caça – 1963 – Short film
  • O Pão – 1959 – Short film
  • As pinturas do meu irmão Júlio – 1959 – Short film
  • O Pintor e a Cidade – 1956 – Short film
  • Aniki-Bóbó – 1942
  • Famalicão – 1941 – Short film
  • Portugal já faz automóveis – 1938 – Short film
  • Hulha Branca – 1932 – Short film
  • Douro Faina Fluvial – 1931 – Short film
Cast & Crew
Cast

Nicolau Nunes da Silva
Ermelinda Pires
Maria Madalena
Amélia Chaves

Crew

Screenwriter: Manoel de Oliveira
DOP: Manoel de Oliveira
Editor: Manoel de Oliveira
Costume Design: Jayme Valverde
Sound: Manoel de Oliveira, Fernando Jorge, Arthur M. Smith
Production: Manoel de Oliveira
World Sales: Luxbox

“I wanted to show that the representation was of an event taking place two thousand years earlier, one rewritten in the 16th century and reworked in the 20th century with cameras and microphones.”