Past and Present

Overview

This is an intriguing avant-garde look at what motivates the leisurely classes in Portugal, for better or worse, by director Manoel de Oliveira. Set in a spacious country home peopled with a wide-ranging cast of characters, the drama begins as the friends of a widow come to console her on the loss of her husband. But at one point, the widow goes upstairs, encounters her husband, and is faced with his accusations about the past. This event and others provide the means of revealing the petty, self-serving, egocentric, and romantic pursuits of the melange of people in the house. - Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Cast

Maria de Saisset

Vanda, a widow

Manuela de Freitas

Noémia

Bárbara Vieira

Angélica

Alberto Inácio

Ricardo

Pedro Pinheiro

Firmino

António Machado

Maurício

João Bénard da Costa

Honório

José Martinho

Fernando

Alberto Branco

Doctor

Agostinho Alves