João César Monteiro, currently the subject of a retrospective at BAM, is a filmmaker previously unknown to me. The images above give some idea of the uncanny visual power of his bizarre 15th-century historical film Silvestre, but can't convey the hypnotic power of the long takes and slow tracking shots combined with highly stylized theatrical acting and sets, beautiful music and a radiant performance by Maria de Medeiros in her first film. I'm in the process of watching his delightfully absurd God's Comedy on DVD and plan to see his final film, Come and Go, next week. It's always a treat to discover a major director like this thanks to the resourceful programmers at BAM Cinematek.
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