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 ...
concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
relative to the teachings of Portuguese director
António Reis
António Ferreira Gonçalves dos Reis, known as António Reis (27 August 1927 – 10 September 1991), was a Portuguese film director, screenwriter and producer, poet, sculptor and ethnographer. He was married to Margarida Cordeiro, co-director of ...
, to his
work
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an animal tr ...
, conceived with his wife Margarida Cordeiro, and to the works of the directors influenced by theirs. It is a pun on the surname of António Reis, since (
singular
Singular may refer to:
* Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms
* Singular homology
* SINGULAR, an open source Computer Algebra System (CAS)
* Singular or sounder, a group of boar, ...
: ) in Portuguese also means "kings".
Origin of the Term
The term ''School of Reis'' was coined by film historian
Haden Guest
,
Haden Guest (born 1971) in Geneva, New York, is a film historian, archivist and curator. He is Director of the Harvard Film Archive and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Art, Film and Visual Studies, Harvard University
Harvard Unive ...
, director of the
Harvard Film Archive
The Harvard Film Archive (HFA) is a film archive and cinema located in the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of film, the HFA houses a c ...
, when referring to the influence exerted by the school of thought of Portuguese director António Reis through his didactics at his classes as professor of the Portuguese National Filmschool, from 1977 to 1991, over generations of future Portuguese directors who learned under Reis' mentoring.
The term ''Reisian'' is sometimes applied in a similar fashion as ''Fordian'' or ''Tarkovskian'', relative to the style of both the American director
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
or the Russian director
Andrey Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...
.
The Teachings of António Reis
António Reis taught classes at the Portuguese National Film School, such as ''Filmic Space'', in 1977, and later ''Film Analysis'', ''History of Image'', ''Direction of Actors'' and ''Introduction to the Study of Image''.
One of the characteristics of his teaching method was that it was almost exclusively oral, existing very few written materials retaining his theory, in what could be stated to be a reflex of António Reis' beliefs in the ancient oral tradition.
One of the most recognizable aspects of António Reis' aesthetics was his structuring of the cinematographical unity around the exploration of the limits of the possibilities of the ''
match cut
In film, a match cut is a cut from one shot to another where the composition of the two shots are matched by the action or subject and subject matter. For example, in a duel a shot can go from a long shot on both contestants via a cut to a medium ...
'' producing visual rhymes, associations and understated meanings, clearly identifiable in works of his like ''Jaime'' or ''Trás-os-Montes''.
Influence and Heirs of the School of Reis
António Reis' works had a major impact on the practices of contemporaries of his like
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 ...
, whom Reis assisted in his second feature, '' Rite of Spring'', in 1963; Paulo Rocha, having Reis written the script for his feature ''Change of Life''; or
João César Monteiro
João César Monteiro Santos (2 February 1939, in Figueira da Foz – 3 February 2003, in Lisbon) was a Portuguese film director, actor, writer and film critic.
Life and career
João César Monteiro was born into a family with anti-clerical ...
, whose quotations of Reis are clear in films as ''Recollections of the Yellow House'', ''God's Comedy'' or ''Silvestre''.
However, Dennis Lim, in his article for the magazine
Artforum
''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notabl ...
, points out that "for today’s preeminent Portuguese filmmakers, no single figure has been more influential than António Reis." Through his teachings, Reis has had a major impact in the work of subsequent filmmakers of whom he was a professor, as
Joaquim Sapinho
Joaquim Sapinho (born 1965 at Sabugal, Portugal) is a Portuguese film director. Founder of production company Rosa Filmes, he is considered to be part of ''The School of Reis'' film family.
Career
Joaquim Sapinho was a student at the Portugue ...
,
Vítor Gonçalves
Vítor Gonçalves is a Portuguese filmmaker, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is considered to be part of The School of Reis film family.
Career
Vítor Gonçalves was born in 1951 to Vasco Gonçalves. In 1979, he graduated ...
,
Pedro Costa
Pedro Costa (born 30 December 1958) is a Portuguese film director. He is best known for his sequence of films set in Lisbon, which focuses on the lives of the impoverished residents of a slum in the Fontainhas neighbourhood.
Biography
After com ...
,
Manuela Viegas
Manuela Viegas (born 13 October 1957) is a Portuguese film editor and director. She is considered to be part of ''The School of Reis'' film tradition.
An influential film editor since the 1970s, she has edited dozens of films, among them Pedro ...
and
João Pedro Rodrigues
João Pedro Rodrigues (born 24 August 1966) is a Portuguese film director. He is considered to be part of ''The School of Reis'' film family.
Career
Having studied at the School of Theatre and Cinema of Portugal, Rodrigues started his career as a ...
. Some of them, like Sapinho, Gonçalves or Viegas are today professors at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema, the current name for the former Portuguese National Film School.
Film Program
The film program known by ''The School of Reis: The Films and Legacy of António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro'', curated by
film scholar
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies.
Fi ...
Haden Guest
,
Haden Guest (born 1971) in Geneva, New York, is a film historian, archivist and curator. He is Director of the Harvard Film Archive and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Art, Film and Visual Studies, Harvard University
Harvard Unive ...
, was premiered at the Harvard Film Archive in May 2012, followed by a presence at the
Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema. and at
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...
in July 2012. It was the first complete retrospective of António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro's work outside their native Portugal, and is composed of eleven films:
* ''
Jaime
Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...
'' directed by António Reis
* '' Trás-os-Montes'' directed by António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro
* '' Ana'' directed by António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro
* ''
Sand Rose
A desert rose is an intricate rose-like formation of crystal clusters of gypsum or baryte, which include abundant sand grains. The "petals" are crystals flattened on the ''c'' axis, fanning open in radiating clusters.
The rosette cry ...
'' directed by António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro
* '' Rite of Spring'' 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 ...
João Pedro Rodrigues
João Pedro Rodrigues (born 24 August 1966) is a Portuguese film director. He is considered to be part of ''The School of Reis'' film family.
Career
Having studied at the School of Theatre and Cinema of Portugal, Rodrigues started his career as a ...
* ''
This Side of Resurrection
''This Side of Resurrection'' ( pt, Deste Lado da Ressurreição) is a Portuguese independent drama film written and directed by Joaquim Sapinho. It was produced by the independent production company Rosa Filmes and had its world premiere at the ...
'' directed by
Joaquim Sapinho
Joaquim Sapinho (born 1965 at Sabugal, Portugal) is a Portuguese film director. Founder of production company Rosa Filmes, he is considered to be part of ''The School of Reis'' film family.
Career
Joaquim Sapinho was a student at the Portugue ...
* ''
Blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
'' directed by
Pedro Costa
Pedro Costa (born 30 December 1958) is a Portuguese film director. He is best known for his sequence of films set in Lisbon, which focuses on the lives of the impoverished residents of a slum in the Fontainhas neighbourhood.
Biography
After com ...
Manuela Viegas
Manuela Viegas (born 13 October 1957) is a Portuguese film editor and director. She is considered to be part of ''The School of Reis'' film tradition.
An influential film editor since the 1970s, she has edited dozens of films, among them Pedro ...
* ''
A Girl In Summer
''A Girl In Summer'' ( pt, Uma Rapariga No Verão) is a Portuguese film from 1986, directed by Vítor Gonçalves. It was considered by the Harvard Film Archive as ''One of the great Portuguese films of the 1980s'',Vítor Gonçalves
Vítor Gonçalves is a Portuguese filmmaker, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is considered to be part of The School of Reis film family.
Career
Vítor Gonçalves was born in 1951 to Vasco Gonçalves. In 1979, he graduated ...
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 ...
*
Film studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies.
...
*
Philosophy of film
The philosophy of film is a branch of aesthetics within the discipline of philosophy that seeks to understand the most basic questions about film. Philosophy of film has significant overlap with film theory, a branch of film studies.
History
T ...