Benilde or the Virgin Mother | Cinema Cycle Portas Abertas
11 JUL 2019
‘Benilde’s unusual case revolves around a family, which is an institution in its own right. I recall a teacher from the provinces, who told me, in a very realistic interpretation, restricted to concrete aspects, that everything in the play resulted from an old-fashioned, austere and rigorous education’. Manoel de Oliveira
Set in 1930s in a secluded manor house in Alentejo: the owner’s young daughter is pregnant, but swears she has had no contact with any man, and attributes her state to supernatural intervention. Benilde’s mysterious pregnancy inspires a mixture of wonder and suspicion amongst the guests. The second film in the so-called ‘tetralogy of frustrated love’, Benilde or the Virgin Mother is a faithful adaptation of the play by José Régio and marked Oliveira’s international consecration as a film director.
Set in 1930s in a secluded manor house in Alentejo: the owner’s young daughter is pregnant, but swears she has had no contact with any man, and attributes her state to supernatural intervention. Benilde’s mysterious pregnancy inspires a mixture of wonder and suspicion amongst the guests. The second film in the so-called ‘tetralogy of frustrated love’, Benilde or the Virgin Mother is a faithful adaptation of the play by José Régio and marked Oliveira’s international consecration as a film director.
