Past and Present

Past and Present — Plot

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

• Release date
• February 27, 1972
• Runtime
• 115 min
• Genres
• Comedy, Drama
• Director
• Manoel de Oliveira

Past and Present — Cast

M

Maria de Saisset Vanda, a widow

M

Manuela de Freitas Noémia

B

Bárbara Vieira Angélica

A

Alberto Inácio Ricardo Pedro Pinheiro Firmino

A

António Machado Maurício João Bénard da Costa Honório

J

José Martinho Fernando