35mm

Benilde, or the Virgin Mother

Benilde ou a Virgem Mãe
Manoel de Oliveira

Oliveira’s fourth feature was one of his major breakthroughs as a filmmaker: a sensual, deeply ambiguous fable about a sheltered young woman who tells her wealthy, religious parents that she’s been impregnated in the wake of an angelic visitation.

DIRECTOR
Manoel de Oliveira
YEAR
1975
COUNTRY
Portugal
RUNTIME
112 minutes
LANGUAGE
Portuguese with English subtitles
FORMAT
35mm
ORIGINAL TITLE
Benilde ou a Virgem Mãe

Oliveira’s fourth feature, adapted from a play by his close friend José Régio, was one of his major breakthroughs as a filmmaker: a fable about a deeply sheltered young woman who tells her wealthy, religious parents that she’s been impregnated in the wake of an angelic visitation. It’s possible to take Benilde, or the Virgin Mother as a scathing denouncement of religious hypocrisy, a veiled response to the abuses of the Salazar regime, or a set of obsessive, carefully staged formal exercises—or some combination of the three. Whatever else, it’s a sensual, technically virtuosic, and wholly ambiguous movie, and as good a key as any to its director’s subsequent work: Oliveira would keep returning to its spectral, suggestive atmosphere through his last films.

Benilde, or the Virgin Mother
Benilde, or the Virgin Mother

Read More

Announcements

Film at Lincoln Center announces its lineup of repertory, festival, and new release programming for the upcoming summer season, from June through September 2026.

Announcements

This year’s program features more than 50 filmmakers, ranging from acclaimed veterans to exciting new voices, who will be on hand for post-screening Q&As and special appearances, giving audiences an insider’s look into the stories behind their work.

Podcast

This week we’re excited to present a conversation with The Little Sister lead actress Nadia Melliti from this year’s edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema.

Make FLC Your Home for Cinema

Member Discount on All Tickets

NYFF Pre-Sale Access

Pre-sale Access to FLC Series and Festivals

Free Tickets

Exclusive Events

Members-only Newsletter

Film at Lincoln Center Logo

Walter Reade Theater + Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

165 and 144 W 65th Street

New York, NY 10023


212.875.5825

Be the first to hear exciting news and announcements from FLC, including upcoming programming, special offers, added tickets, and more.