Manoel de Oliveira turns 100

December 12, 2008 4:28 AM

Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira turned 100 yesterday. Oliveira was born 13 years after the Lumiére brothers shot the first movie ever, and he is still going strong, currently directing "Singularidades de uma Rapariga Loira" ("Idiosyncrasies of a Blonde Girl") and making plans for a project after that. Even if this is the first time you've heard of Manoel de Oliveira, or indeed if you are not a fan of his long, slow style, you have to be amazed at the remarkable condition in which he hits the 3 figures (scroll to 3:23 to see him).
posted by neblina_matinal (9 comments total)

Yeah he's a great guy. I saw not so many of his works. 'Avraam's Valley' I like very much.
posted by Leo Golan at 4:42 AM on December 12, 2008

my god, is he drinking the blood of innocents or what? He looks 70, tops.
posted by notsnot at 4:46 AM on December 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Actually, I'm thinking 3:23 might be a few years old - it gets a little confusing with a man who doesn't seem to age. But here, look towards the end, around 7:00. That's definitely recent.
posted by neblina_matinal at 4:56 AM on December 12, 2008

I just saw him in the 1933(!) movie A Canção de Lisboa which is a great and funny movie. Incredible not only that he's still alive but that no way does he look or behave like a 100-year old.
posted by vacapinta at 4:57 AM on December 12, 2008

You may link directly to the time you want in a Youtube video.
posted by zouhair at 4:58 AM on December 12, 2008

He should get together with Elliot Carter, after all they were born on the same day and are both still working...
posted by ob at 10:12 AM on December 12, 2008

zouhair: perhaps I might, but I can't. Care to explain?

ob: Indeed. Only Carter's story sounds even more amazing. First opera at 90? Wow. As a there-is-time pick-me-up I have always thought of Saramago, who started writing fiction in his 50's, but that tops it.
posted by neblina_matinal at 10:29 AM on December 12, 2008

Oh sorry, just check your link and my link :

Yours : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5eMoZfAjpw

Mine : http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=t5eMoZfAjpw#t=3m23s

I added #t=*m**s
posted by zouhair at 11:25 AM on December 12, 2008

By the way, Manoel de Oliveira's directorial debut in 1931, Douro, Faina Fluval, was a silent documentary short, because sound films didn't exist yet in Portugal at the time. De Oliveira is the last man alive to have directed a silent film when they were still contemporary. When he's gone, it will truly be the end of an era.
posted by jonp72 at 8:10 PM on December 12, 2008