The Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
17 th
annual Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival
“Cinematic Cities”
Screening date: Wednesday March 31, 2010 - 7:30 pm
137 Isenberg SOM
Synopsis of Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl:
1. “ Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl .” Cineuropa . 2009.
< http://cineuropa.org/film.aspx?documentID=89808>
A brief synopsis of the film. There is also a listing of basic information on the film such as the runtime, cast, and release date.
Reviews of Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl:
1. Brody, Richard. “ Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl .” New Yorker. September 28, 2009.
< http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/eccentricities_of_a_blond_hair_girl_oliveira>
A brief review that describes the film as a “recession-aged fable, which revolves around love, work, family pressures, and hide bound traditions that is set in contemporary Lisbon but breathes the air of a dreamy, timeless romanticism.”
2. Gonzalez, Ed. “ Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl
.”
Slant . September 22, 2009.
< http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/eccentricities-of-a-blond-hair-girl/4443>
Gonzalez awards two out of four stars to Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl , faulting the film as
“One of the filmmaker’s more banal inquiries into the objectification of women in life and art…surprisingly only for clocking in at a mercifully brief 64 minutes, this anecdote of a film may be found agreeably weird by anyone who thrills at the sight of old people crossing expansive city streets before the traffic light turns green…but by the time Macario finishes his scarcely sorted tale, you realize that De Oliveira’s only flare for the subversive is telling jokes without punchlines.”
3. Kasman, Daniel. “Living In an Old World: Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl
.”
The Auteurs . February 13, 2009.
< http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/539>
The review from Berlin raves about how Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl honors the mystery of love through characters living in an age that has long past. The author labels the 64 minute film as “simple and precise,” and goes into detail about the exquisitely framed shots help capture the richness of such a simple drama. It concludes by saying that the films shows even people from a different era can still shock you.
4. Reichert, Jeff. “ Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl
.”
ReverseShot . 2009.
< http://www.reverseshot.com/article/eccentricities_blondehaired_girl>
Reichert praises the literary influences De Oliveira highlights, “It’s a highly literary strategy, but not uncommon for Oliveira who-along with filmmakers like Rivette and Ruiz-seems intent on reinscribing a classical idea of Western culture through his cinema, in the face of the constant erosion of his ideal object.” Seemingly responding to Ed Gonzalez’s critique, Reichert believes,
“If the tale weren’t so endearing and well told, it’d be more akin to one of those lengthy jokes told by aged uncles lacking in point or punchline.”

5. Weissberg, Jay. “ Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl
.”
Variety . March 4, 2009.
< http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939812.html?categoryid=31&cs=1>
Now in his 100 th
year, Manoel De Oliveira still finds plenty of symbolism to be mined in the 19 th century’s most naturalistic author, Eca de Queiroz, in his film Eccentricities of a Blond Hair
Girl
.” The dreamlike quality of recollection gives Oliveira’s mannered diorama style additional context.
6. Young, Deborah. “Film Review: Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl
.”
Hollywood Reporter .
February 10, 2009.
< http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/film-review-eccentricities-of-a-blonde-hair-
1003940301.story>
A short review of the film by De Oliveira. There is a brief synopsis and a hint that De Oliveira fans will be happy with this film of his. Oliveira’s style is apparent as he combines Portuguese literature and culture in this film as he has in his past films. Young comments that “These cultured interludes are handled so gracefully that they barely interrupt the narrative flow.”
Information on Manoel de Oliveira:
1. Manoel de Oliveira’s Filmography. IMDB.com.
< http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0210701/>
Brief facts about the director and his extensive filmography.
2. “Manoel de Oliveira, or Cinema, the Art of Enigma.” Harvard Film Archive . 2008.
< http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2008marchapril/oliveira.html>
A more in-depth filmography of de Oliveira as part of a two week exhibit of his work done at
Harvard University. It lists the work of Oliveira along with brief descriptions of each film. Also includes an introduction on Oliveira’s filmmaking career. Oliveira has found great success in
Europe but he has not received the same attention in the United States. This is an in-depth look at some of his films to get a sense of his overall work as a director.
3. Bergen, Ronald. “Happy 100 th
Birthday, Manoel de Oliveira.” Guardian . December 11, 2008.
< http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2008/dec/11/manoel-oliveira-100#start-of-comments>
This article celebrates Oliveira’s age and quality of his film work. Bergen implies that Oliveira shares the sentiments of Japanese painter Hokusai, quoting the 19 th century artist on active, meaningful production later in life, “All that I have produced before the age of 70 is not worth taking into account. At 73, I learned a little about the real structure of nature, of animals, plants, tree, birds, fishes and insects. In consequence, when I am 80, I shall have made still more progress. At 90, I shall penetrate the mystery of things; at 100, I shall certainly have reached a marvelous stage; and when I am 110, everything I do, be it a dot or a line, will be alive.”
4. Johnson, Randal. “Against the Grain: On the Cinematic Vision of Manoel de Oliveira.” Senses of Cinema . 2003.
< http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/28/de_oliveira.html>
This article discusses in detail the unique style of Oliveira’s films and how his style differs from
American films. It also discusses why Oliveira’s work is received much differently in the United
States compared to Europe.

Interviews With Manoel de Oliveira:
1.“Manoel de Oliveira: The Oldest Living Film Director.” Euronews . September 12, 2008.
< http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/09/manoel-de-oliveira-the-oldest-working-film-director/>
An interview with Manoel De Oliveira about how he became a director and his thoughts on cinema. He views filmmaking as a reflection and a record of life. De Oliveira also talks about current events and what to do about the problems around the world. Lastly, De Oliveira speaks about the funding of cinema and the things that are most dear to him in life.
2. Menzione, Paolo. “Interviews: Manoel de Oliveira.” Cineuropa . October 14, 2003.
< http://cineuropa.org/interview.aspx?documentID=40120>
This is a very brief interview with De Oliveira. He gives his view on winning the “Maestros of
Cinema” award by Film Critica magazine and states his joy that film is the last individualist art.
3. Rapfogel, Jared. “An Ethical Cinema: An Interview With Manoel de Oliveira.” Cineaste .
June 22, 2008.
< http://www.mywire.com/a/Cineaste/ethical-cinema-interview-Manoel-de/6751489/>
In this interview with Oliveira, he discusses the effects of the Estado Novo censorship and his dedication to agriculture while unable to make films during the time of censorship. This allowed him to reflect about filmmaking and the cinema.
4. “Intervista a Manuel De Oliveira Sul Documentario.” YouTube . 2005.
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp5Xm70a_3g>
An interview (in Portuguese) with de Oliveira.
5. “Manoel de Oliveira Completa Hoje 100 Anos Ainda a Rodar Filmes.” YouTube . 2008.
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5eMoZfAjpw>
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2A7uKShovQ&feature=related>
A two part retrospective (in Portuguese) of Oliveira’s filmography, directorial approach, and filmmaking philosophy.
Selected Reviews of Manoel de Oliveira’s Other Films:
1. Monder, Eric. "I'm Going Home." Film Journal International . 17 Aug. 2002. Web.
<http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/reviews/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000696093>.
Monder highlights Oliveira’s knack for avoiding sentimentality and the maintenance of dignity,
“ I’m Going Home speaks eloquently about the symbiotic relationship between art and life […] with its dignified treatment of a complex, aging protagonist.” Though the film plays quietly,
Molder notes “The narrative is minimal, the action hardly exciting […] And yet this quiet film slowly but surely maintains its interest as a poetic tribute to the acting profession – and a bittersweet meditation on the effects of aging.”
2. Soares, Andre. "Manoel De Oliveira Retrospective at BAMcinématek." Alt Film Guide . 7
Mar. 2008. Web.
<http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/manoel-de-oliveira-retrospective/>.
This article provides a brief biography of director Manoel de Oliveira followed by short synopses of 18 of his films, beginning with Aniki Bobo (1942) and ending with Inquietude (1998).

3. Young, Deborah. "Journey to the Beginning of the World." Variety . Reed Business
Information, 25 May 1997. Web.
<http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_review&reviewid=VE1117329767&categoryid=31>.
Young commends Oliveira on once again surprising his audience and on his ability to make the viewers connect with the emotions of his characters. She provides us with a brief synopsis of the film which stars the well-known actor Marcello Mastroianni as Manoel, an aging film director who is traveling through Portugal to find the roots of the famous French actor Afonso.
Information on Portuguese Cinema:
1. Ferreira, Carolin Overhoff. “No Future – The Luso-African Generation in Portuguese
Cinema.” Studies in European Cinema 4.1 (2007): 49-60.
< http://media.web.britannica.com/ebsco/pdf/25/25264873.pdf>
Ferreira discusses how immigration has become a prominent issue since the 1974 Revolution, but has not made very much of an impact in film. She cites two films whose deep focus on social constructs shape the narrative and shed more light on the issue.
2. Traquina, Nelson. “Portuguese Cinema: In the Doldrums of Neglect.” European Journal of
Communication 9.3 (1994): 291-308.
< http://ejc.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/9/3/291>
Portuguese Cinema has been struggling for a while because of low attendance, foreign films dominating the market, and film production being reduced among many other things. European
Cinema infiltrated the Portuguese market throughout the 1970s. It was hard for Portuguese films to make an impact in the market because, in the past, they were so infrequently shown. There are also serious problems distributing Portuguese films. Overall, this article goes into depth about the production, distribution, and exhibition trends in Portuguese film history. It ends with a look at the new legal framework regarding Portuguese cinema.
Literary and Other Resources:
1. Johnson, Randal. Manoel de Oliveira. University of Illinois Press, 2007.
2. Macedo, Neusa Dias de.Bibliografia de Manoel de Oliveira Lima; com estudo biográfico e cronologia. Recife, Arquivo Público Estadual, 1968.
3. Bostonportuguesefestival.org
A Portuguese Film Festival organized by UMass Boston.
Information Compiled and Annotated by:
Ken Wong, Kristin Vaselacopoulos, Allison Mulvey, Anthony Putvinski, Sarah Mias, and Mindi Harris