Aniki Bóbó (1942)

The story takes place in the old streets of Porto and by the banks of the Douro River. A gang of very young kids has just accepted a new member, Carlitos, a shy boy who has "played it tough... See full summary »

Director:

Manoel de Oliveira

Writers:

Alberto Serpa (song), João Rodrigues de Freitas (novel),

Stars:

Américo Botelho, Feliciano David, Nascimento Fernandes

Cast

Credited cast:
Américo Botelho	...	Estrelas
Feliciano David	...	Pompeu
Nascimento Fernandes	...	Shop owner
Fernanda Matos	...	Terezinha
Rafael Mota	...	Rafael
António Palma	...	Shop customer
Armando Pedro	...	Shop employee
Antonio Melo Pereira	...	Batatinhas (as Antonio Pereira)
Pinto Rodrigues	...	Policeman
António Santos	...	Eduardinho
Vital dos Santos	...	Teacher
Horácio Silva	...	Carlitos
António Soares	...	Pistarim
Manuel Sousa	...	Philosopher (as Manuel de Sousa)

Storyline

The story takes place in the old streets of Porto and by the banks of the Douro River. A gang of very young kids has just accepted a new member, Carlitos, a shy boy who has "played it tough" by stealing a doll in a shop. Carlitos soon develops a crush on Terezinha,the only girl of the group. The trouble is that Eduardo, the "boss", is also in love with the pretty little girl. And he will not allow any rival to challenge him...

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Plot Keywords:

river | shoplifting | working class | children | train | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

18 December 1942 (Portugal)

Filming Locations:

Douro River, Porto, Portugal

Box Office

Budget:

PTE 750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produções António Lopes Ribeiro

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film directed by Manoel de Oliveira. He would not renew the experience until 21 years later.

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Connections

Referenced in Porto of My Childhood (2001)

User Reviews

Magical Neorealism

This film has something magical. I saw it a long time ago at the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro and it remained stuck in my memory. I remember the scenes of poor children playing in the streets of Porto (Portugal), there are little games and love and sometimes a song underlines some scenes (if I remember it right). It's about innocence (not innocence the way Hollywood sees it) and life melding harmoniously together. I could see "Aniki Bobó" only once and I would really like to see it again. There are no VHS or DVD copies released and that's a shame.

It's Portuguese neorealism with subtle surreal and fantasy bits. A real masterpiece. Please, someone release this film on DVD.