The Jester (O Bobo). 1987. Directed by José Álvaro Morais

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The Jester (O Bobo). 1987. Portugal. Directed by José Álvaro Morais. Courtesy Leopardo Filmes

The Jester (O Bobo). 1987. Portugal. Directed by José Álvaro Morais. Screenplay by Morais, Rafael Godinho. With Fernando Heitor, Paula Guedes, Isabel Ruth, João Guedes. 4K digital restoration by Cinemateca Portuguesa; courtesy Cinemateca Portuguesa. In Portuguese; English subtitles. 119 min.

Though it took home the Golden Leopard prize at the Locarno Film Festival, The Jester is nevertheless an overlooked gem in Portuguese cinema. A work of tremendous technical and formal ambition, José Álvaro Morais’s film tells the story of a theater director who uses illegal arms sales to finance his play—a metaphor for a country in the midst of a confusing post-revolutionary period and coming to grips with its recent, violent colonial past.

This film accompanies The Ongoing Revolution of Portuguese Cinema.

Past events

Fri, Nov 8, 2024, 4:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2
Mon, Nov 4, 2024, 7:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

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