''Benilde or the Virgin Mother'' (Benilde ou a Virgem Mãe) is a 1975 Portuguese drama film based on the play by

José Régio José Maria dos Reis Pereira, better known by the pen name José Régio (17 September 1901, Vila do Conde – 22 December 1969, Vila do Conde), was a Portuguese writer who spent most of his life in Portalegre (1929 to 1962). He was the brother ...

and directed by

Manoel de Oliveira Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wo ...

Plot

Raised in seclusion, a young woman claims her unborn child was conceived through an angel.

Cast

* Maria Amélia Matta as Benilde * Jorge Rolla as Eduardo, Benilde's cousin *

Varela Silva Varela is a Spanish and Portuguese surname of Galician origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Abigail Varela (born 1948), Venezuelan artist *Adilson Tavares Varela (born 1988), footballer * Adrián Varela (born 1984), Mexican reality s ...

as Melo Cantos, Benilde's father *

Glória de Matos Glória is a common Portuguese girl's name, the equivalent of ''Gloria'' in Spanish and English. It may also refer to: Places * Glória (Rio de Janeiro), a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Glória, Bahia, a municipality in Bahia, Brazil * ...

as Etelvina, Eduardo's mother * Maria Barroso as Genoveva, the house-keeper * Augusto De Figueiredo as Cristóvão, the priest * Jacinto Ramos as Fabrício, the doctor

References

External links

* 1975 films 1975 drama films Films directed by Manoel de Oliveira Films produced by Paulo Branco Portuguese drama films 1970s Portuguese-language films {{Portugal-film-stub