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The Cannibals (1988)

The Cannibals (1988)

Drama Fantasy

A drama following stories of characters from the Portuguese High Society.

Release Date: 1988, November 10
Directors: Manoel de Oliveira
Countries: Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal
Production: Filmargem, Gemini Films, La Sept Cinéma
Cast: Diogo Dória, Rogério Samora, Leonor Silveira, Luís Miguel Cintra, Sofia Alves, Glória de Matos, António Loja Neves, Rogério Vieira, Oliveira Lopes, Pedro T. da Silva, Joel Costa, Filomena Amaro

Overview:

This odd film is a major representative of an even odder film genre: direct-to-celluloid opera. It was commissioned by the Portuguese master of style, director Manoel de Oliveira from composer João Paes. Musically, it ranges from 19th-century romanticism to popular, modernist and even "post-modernist" styles. In the initially tame story, a host-narrator tells the story of a wedding between the two lovebirds: Viscount d'Aveleda and the beautiful Marguerite. However, what happens in the bridal chamber is incredibly bizarre. The events after that are even stranger, and the wedding guests and family indulge in cannibalism, among other perversions.