António De Macedo
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António de Macedo (5 July 1931 − 5 October 2017) was Portuguese filmmaker, writer, university professor and lecturer. He gave up filmmaking in the 1990s as he felt systematically excluded from the state support programs of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, the only financial source for film production in Portugal in that time. As a consequence, he dedicated himself entirely to writing, investigation and teaching. He published several books, essays, philosophy and fiction.


Biography


Filmmaker

Macedo was born in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, where he graduated in architecture at the ESBAL (Escola Superior de Belas-Artes), the Faculty of Fine Arts, in 1958. From then until 1964, he worked as an architect in the Town Hall of Lisbon. He abandoned his architect career in 1964 to devote himself to filmmaking as director and scriptwriter. He also dedicated to literature and research in the fields of religion and
spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
. He specialized in the history and Sociology of
Esoteric Christianity Esoteric Christianity is an approach to Christianity which features "secret traditions" that require an initiation to learn or understand.Guy G. Stroumsa (2005). Hidden Wisdom: Esoteric Traditions and the Roots of Christian Mysticism. Leiden: Br ...
. In 2010 he earned a doctor's degree ''summa cum laude'' in
Sociology of Culture The sociology of culture, and the related cultural sociology, concerns the systematic analysis of culture, usually understood as the ensemble of symbolic codes used by a member of a society, as it is manifested in the society. For Georg Simmel, ...
(in the field of
Sociology of Religion Sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. This objective investigation may include the use both of quantitative methods (surveys, ...
), at the Nova University of Lisbon. As a filmmaker, he was one of the pioneers of the Portuguese
Cinema Novo Cinema Novo (), "New Cinema" in English, is a genre and movement of film noted for its emphasis on social equality and intellectualism that rose to prominence in Brazil during the 1960s and 1970s.Dixon & Foster, 293. Cinema Novo formed in respon ...
and one of the founder members of the first film
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
societies in Portugal, the "Centro Português de Cinema" (1970). He started his career as a film director with his
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
short film ''Verão Coincidente'' oincident Summerand ''Nicotiana'' (1963). These films were noticed by the producers Francisco de Castro and
António da Cunha Telles António Cohen da Cunha Telles (26 February 1935 – 23 November 2022)
, who invited Macedo to direct his first feature film, ''Domingo à Tarde'' unday Afternoon 1965, which was selected for the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
of that year. During the prime minister
António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (, , ; 28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator who served as President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the ("National Dictatorship"), he reframed the re ...
and later of
Marcello Caetano Marcelo José das Neves Alves Caetano (; 17 August 1906 – 26 October 1980) was a Portuguese politician and scholar. He was the second and last leader of the Estado Novo after succeeding António Salazar. He served as prime minister from 196 ...
dictatorship, Macedo's movies were almost always at odds with the Portuguese censorship, specially ''Domingo à Tarde'' unday Afternoonand ''A Promessa'' he Vow which were seriously affected by censors. ''Nojo aos Cães'' ven Curs Feel Disgustwas totally forbidden. Nevertheless, ''A Promessa'' had a good reception at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and it won the first prize at the
Cartagena Film Festival The Cartagena Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias), or FICCI, is a film festival held in Cartagena, Colombia, which focuses mainly on the promotion of Colombian television series, Latin American films and short ...
. ''Nojo aos Cães'' was selected for the
Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
Film Festival, had good reviews and a final nomination for the first prize as well. At the
Benalmádena Benalmádena () is a town in Andalusia in southern Spain, 12 km west of Málaga, on the Costa del Sol between Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Benalmádena is rich in attractive beaches and interesting places like the Colomares Castle, the 33-met ...
Film Festival it won the prestigious "FICC Award" (annual film prize of the "Fédération Internationale des Ciné-Clubs"). Just before the
Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...
in 1974, Macedo founded in that same year, together with other filmmakers, a new
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
film production company, Cinequanon. There he worked as a director until 1996. His latest film made with this new film company was ''Santo António de Todo o Mundo'' aint Anthony of the Whole World shot in 1996. After the fall of the dictatorial regime of Salazar / Caetano in 1974, Macedo worked intensively in many television films and TV series: films "engagés",
political cinema Political cinema, in the narrow sense of that portray current or historical events or social conditions through a partisan perspective in order to inform or to agitate the spectator. Political cinema exists in different forms, such as documenta ...
denouncing the crimes committed by the former dictatorship. Meanwhile, he kept on making full-length pictures, such as ''O Princípio da Sabedoria'' he Principle of Wisdomor ''As Horas de Maria'' welve Hours with Maria This last one, when released in 1979 was hardly attacked by the Portuguese
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
under the charge of "blasphemy" and "moral and religious outrage". His next feature, ''Os Abismos da Meia-Noite'' he Magic Springs of Gerenia was a box office hit in Portugal, and won three national film awards: "Best Portuguese Film", "Best Script" and "Best Sound Design," and also "Best Actor" at the
Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...
Film Festival. ''Chá Forte com Limão'' lack Tea With Lemonwas his last feature. Notwithstanding his extensive and original filmography, and in spite of the cultural trend of his cinema, Macedo's applications to get support from the film financing programs of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture were systematically rejected. When asked about the reasons why his film projects were so ill-regarded by the juries, some jurors would state that the negative verdicts were consequence of a "uninteresting cinema", "detached from reality", "fanciful and too much whimsical" (See as reference the interview published at the magazine of the Portuguese Authors Society). They alluded to the genre of most of Macedo's movies, which include weird elements, magic fantasy, dark fantasy, science-fiction and so on. Without being able to go on filming, Macedo went on along with his other specializations, namely investigating and teaching
film theory Film theory is a set of scholarly approaches within the academic discipline of film or cinema studies that began in the 1920s by questioning the formal essential attributes of motion pictures; and that now provides conceptual frameworks for und ...
, film aesthetics,
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
as well as
comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...
,
spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
,
history of religion The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...
,
sociology of religion Sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. This objective investigation may include the use both of quantitative methods (surveys, ...
, esoterology. He died in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, aged 86.


Teacher and writer

After 1996, Macedo devoted himself exclusively to literature and to university teaching . Alongside his career of motion-picture director, Macedo has also applied himself to teaching: since 1970 until 1974 he was a teacher in "Theory and Workshops of Film Direction" at the INP Institute (Lisbon), and until 1990 he taught "Cinema Aesthetics" and "Visual
Semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...
" at the IADE Institute ("College of Fine Arts and Design," in Lisbon). After 1994 he was a professor of "Visual Semiotics" at the Lusófona University (Lisbon), and of "Filmic Language" and "Scriptwriting" at the Moderna University of Lisbon. From 2002 on, and at present, he is a professor of "Biblical Studies" and "Esoterology" at the Nova University of Lisbon.


Literature and essays

Macedo implied himself in writing and publishing novels, all of them of science-fiction and fantasy, pervaded by a
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
and often magic atmosphere. Referring to Macedo's novels ''A Sonata de Cristal'' he Crystal Sonata ''Contos do Androthelys'' ales of the Androthelys and others, the Portuguese scholar Teresa Sousa de Almeida, a Professor of Literature at Nova University of Lisbon, states:
Mixing SF with fantastic literature, Antonio de Macedo presents us with a strange and disturbing world, in which irony is always present. . .Also surprising is the transfiguration that the real world sees itself going through when it is affected by the strangeness of a different reality. In the fantastic universe of Antonio de Macedo, the real world merely provides a set of signs which can only be deciphered with a key coming from another universe, to which only a few people have access. Thus, the reading of his works becomes an initiatory process in which the reader seeks out the occult truth hidden behind the story.
He also wrote essays on religion and Christian
esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...
. One of them, ''Esoterismo da Bíblia'' sotericism of the Bible is a treatise on Biblical
esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...
which includes the lessons (from 2002 through 2006) of the course on "Biblical Esoterology" which Macedo taught at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences (Nova University of Lisbon). This book deals with the conditions surrounding the birth, rise and fast expansion of Christianity in its early manifold currents, esoteric and exoteric, and its numberless manifestations, either official or marginal, in present times:
Its author, with his discreet and accessible erudition, explains the connections between the ancient texts and their historical, philosophical and religious antecedents, as well as their connection with the Mysteries, ancient and modern.Helena Barbas, ‘Leituras de Verão’, in: ''Expresso: Actual'', no. 1761, July 29, 2006; p. 6.
Macedo's doctorate dissertation is a comprehensive research on
sociology of culture The sociology of culture, and the related cultural sociology, concerns the systematic analysis of culture, usually understood as the ensemble of symbolic codes used by a member of a society, as it is manifested in the society. For Georg Simmel, ...
,
sociology of religion Sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. This objective investigation may include the use both of quantitative methods (surveys, ...
and on esoterology of the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
texts, and was published in 2011 with the title ''Cristianismo Iniciático'' hristianity and Initiation In a dense volume of 663 pages Macedo makes a deep study of the History and Sociology of the biblical texts, discussing especially the highest importance of the esoteric and heterodox interpretations of the Bible, and respective authors and currents since the production of the ancient biblical texts until today, and the profound significance of those interpretations to the development of mentality, culture, and science of the western civilisation.


Filmography


full-length features

* 1965 — ''Domingo à Tarde'' (Sunday Afternoon) * 1967 — ''Sete Balas para Selma'' (Seven Bullets for Selma) * 1970 — ''Nojo aos Cães'' (Even Curs Feel Disgust) * 1972 — ''A Promessa'' (The Vow) * 1975 — ''O Rico, o Camelo e o Reino ou o Princípio da Sabedoria'' (The Principle of Wisdom) * 1976 — ''As Horas de Maria'' (Twelve Hours with Maria) * 1979 — ''O Príncipe com Orelhas de Burro'' (The Donkey-Eared Prince) * 1983 — ''Os Abismos da Meia-Noite'' (The Magic Springs of Gerenia) * 1987 — ''Os Emissários de Khalôm'' (The Emissaries From Khalom) * 1989 — ''A Maldição de Marialva'' (The Curse of Marialva) * 1993 — ''Chá Forte com Limão'' (Black Tea With Lemon) * 2016 — ''O Segredo das Pedras Vivas'' (The Secret of the Waking Stones)


middle-length and short films

:(selection) * 1962 — ''Verão Coincidente'' (Coincident Summer) * 1963 — ''Nicotiana'' (Nicotiana) * 1966 — ''Crónica do Esforço Perdido'' (Chronicle of the Lost Struggle) * 1967 — ''Alta Velocidade'' ([High Speed) * 1968 — ''Albufeira'' * 1968 — ''Fado: Lisboa 68'' * 1968 — ''A Ginástica na Prevenção dos Acidentes'' (Exercises to Prevent Accidents) * 1968 — ''A Revelação'' (The Revelation) * 1969 — ''Almada-Negreiros Vivo Hoje'' (Almada Negreiros Alive today) * 1970 — ''História Breve da Madeira Aglomerada'' (Brief History of Agglomerate Wood) * 1971 — ''Cinco Temas para Refinaria & Quarteto'' (Five Themes for Refinery and Quartet) * 1971 — ''Do Outro Lado do Rio: Almada'' (On the Other Side of the River:
Almada Almada () is a city and a municipality in Portugal, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River, on the opposite side of the river from Lisbon. The two cities are connected by the 25 de Abril Bridge. The population in 2011 was 174,030, in a ...
) * 1973 — ''Cenas de Caça no Baixo Alentejo'' (Hunting Scenes in
Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...
) * 1973 — ''A Criança e a Justiça'' (Children and Justice) * 1973 — ''Um Milhão de Vóltios'' (One Million Watts) * 1982 — ''O Futuro do Mondego'' (The Future of Mondego)


television films and programs

: (selection) * 1975 — ''Fatima Story'' * 1976 — ''O Outro Teatro'' (The Other Theater) * 1981 — ''A Magia das Bonecas'' (Magic of Dolls) – 3 x 50’ * 1988 — ''Fernando Lanhas: Os Sete Rostos'' (Fernando Lanhas: The Seven Faces) * 1992 — ''O Altar dos Holocaustos'' (The Altar of the Holocausts) – 3 x 50’ * 1996 — ''Santo António de Todo o Mundo'' ( Saint Anthony of the Whole World)


Books


film theory

* 1959 / 60 – ''A Evolução Estética do Cinema'' (The Evolution of Film Aesthetics), two volumes


essays on philosophy and esotericism

* 1961 — ''Da Essência da Libertação'' (On the Essence of Freedom) * 1999 — ''Instruções Iniciáticas'' (Initiatory Teachings) * 2002 — ''Laboratório Mágico'' (Magic Laboratory) * 2003 — ''O Neoprofetismo e a Nova Gnose'' (New Prophetism and New
Gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...
) * 2006 — ''Esoterismo da Bíblia'' (Esotericism of the Bible) * 2006 — ''Textos Neo-Gnósticos'' (Texts on New
Gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...
) * 2011 — ''Cristianismo Iniciático'' (Christianity and Initiation) * 2016 — ''A Provocadora Realidade dos Mundos Imaginários'' (The Provocative Reality of Imaginary Worlds)


science fiction & fantasy

* 1992 — ''O Limite de Rudzky'' (Rudzky's Limit) – short stories collection * 1993 — ''Contos do Androthelys'' (Tales of the Androthelys) – novel * 1995 — ''Sulphira & Lucyphur'' (Sulphira & Lucyphur) – novel * 1996 — ''A Sonata de Cristal'' (The Crystal Sonata) – novel * 1998 — ''Erotosofia'' (Erotosophy) – novel * 2000 — ''O Cipreste Apaixonado'' (The Impassioned Cypress) – novel * 2004 — ''As Furtivas Pegadas da Serpente'' (The Stealthy Footprints of the Snake) – novel * 2007 — ''A Conspiração dos Abandonados'' (The Conspiracy of the Abandoned) – short stories collection


stage plays

* 1983 — ''A Pomba'' (The Dove) * 1984 — ''A Nova Ilusão'' (The New Illusion) * 1989 — ''O Osso de Mafoma'' (Mahomet's Bone) * 2011 — ''O Sangue e o Fogo'', trilogy (The Blood and the Fire, trilogy)


Bibliography

* ''António de Macedo: cinema, a viragem de uma época'' (António de Macedo: cinema, a turning point of an epoch), by
José de Matos-Cruz José de Matos-Cruz (born 9 February 1947) is a Portuguese writer, journalist, editor, high-school teacher, investigator, encyclopedist. From 1980 to 2010, he worked at the ''Cinemateca Portuguesa'' (Portuguese Film Archive) in Lisbon. He is a pro ...
, Publicações Dom Quixote, Lisbon, 2000 * ''O Cais do Olhar'' by José de Matos-Cruz,
Portuguese Cinematheque Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
, 1999


See also

*
Cinema of Portugal The Cinema of Portugal started with the birth of the medium in the late 19th century. Cinema was introduced in Portugal in 1896 with the screening of foreign films and the first Portuguese film was '' Saída do Pessoal Operário da Fábrica Co ...
*
Documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
* Novo Cinema *
Science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
*
Speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...


Notes and references


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macedo, Antonio 1931 births 2017 deaths Portuguese film directors Portuguese male writers Portuguese philosophers People from Lisbon