Historic Centre (Centro histórico)

Different views of a Portuguese historical centre, by four masters of European cinema.

With his trademark deadpan wit, Aki Kaurismäki kicks off this four-part study of Guimarães, Portugal, with a dialogue-less chronicle of the life of a barman. Pedro Costa’s contribution revisits the 1974 revolution in a strange ghost story. In Victor Erice’s moving entry, veteran workers of a now-shut textile factory recount their memories. A wry joke about tourism from the great Manoel de Oliveira closes this rich and thought-provoking omnibus.

Text supplied by third party.