Belle toujours: Table conversations and civilization in Manoel de Oliveira's work

The aim of this paper is to point out at how the sociological elements in Manoel de Oliveira’s film Belle toujours (2006) can be investigated by articulating some expressive resources of film, such as, on one hand, framing, music and dialog, and, on the other hand, the recurring enactment of certain sequences. The sequences to be analyzed are those taking place during meal situations (long takes which are rich in elements within the shots), a peculiar aspect in some of the filmmaker’s works, such as Non – ou a vã glória de mandar (1990 – Non – or the vain glory of command), Viagem ao princípio do mundo (1997 – Voyage to the beginning of the world), Um filme falado (2003 – A talking picture) and O estranho caso de Angélica (2010 – The strange case of Angelica), among others.

The author intends to point out at how these meal situations serve as a support for developing that which is spoken in the film, and, based on that, (considering the proposal of session A of RC 37, “analysis of art works as a way to achieve social knowledge about societies or social groups”), explore how the play between dialog and silence, on one hand, and music, light and framing, on the other hand, makes it possible to build a perspective on western civilization and, very particularly, European civilization. Firstly, based on the temporal nature involved in said blocks of the film, since such situations produce a framework that breaks up with certain traditional schemes of action in film. In the second place, based on the dialogues maintained there. Thirdly, by exploring those aspects that the film does not directly show, but which allow for a sociological look, even if an oblique one, on certain civilizational themes.