Acto da Primavera

Curalha is a small village in northern Portugal. Its people have kept up a tradition for centuries. Every year they perform the Passion of Jesus. The text they use dates from the sixteenth century. Manoel de Oliveira goes to this village. He asks the villagers to perform the play for his camera. The performers are not professionals but the people of the place. The scenes are set outdoors, in the countryside. The film stands between documentary and fiction. On one hand it records a real tradition. On the other it does not hide that this is a performance. The director puts his own presence on the screen. The camera and the crew appear from time to time. How a representation is made is opened up for question. Nicolau Nunes da Silva and Ermelinda Pires appear in the ninety four minute film, a Portuguese production Manoel de Oliveira finished in 1963.