Alberto Cavalcanti facts for kids
Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (born February 6, 1897 – died August 23, 1982) was a talented Brazilian film director and producer. He was often known simply as "Cavalcanti." He made many different kinds of films, from experimental documentaries to popular movies, and helped shape filmmaking in several countries.
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Early Life
Alberto Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father was a well-known mathematician. Alberto was a very smart child. By the time he was 15, he was already studying law at university. However, he was asked to leave after an argument with a professor.
His father then sent him to Geneva, Switzerland. He was told not to study law or politics. So, Alberto chose to study architecture instead. When he was 18, he moved to Paris to work for an architect. Later, he started working in interior design, which is about decorating inside buildings. After visiting Brazil, he took a job at the Brazilian consulate in Liverpool, England. This job was like being a representative for Brazil in another country.
While in England, Cavalcanti wrote letters to Marcel L'Herbier. L'Herbier was a leading figure in France's avant-garde film movement. This was a group of filmmakers who liked to try new and experimental ways of making movies. Their conversations led to L'Herbier offering Cavalcanti a job as a set designer for films.
Film Career
Starting in France
In 1920, Cavalcanti left his job at the consulate and moved back to France. He started working for Marcel L'Herbier. Cavalcanti directed his first film in 1926. He helped make many other movies, including a famous one called L'Inhumaine. Soon, Cavalcanti began making his own films. His first was an experimental documentary from 1926 called Rien que les heures (which means Nothing But Time). This film showed a typical day in the city of Paris and the lives of its people.
When talkies (movies with sound) became popular, Cavalcanti took a job at the French studios of Paramount Pictures. But he found himself making more commercial films, which he wasn't very interested in. So, he left Paramount in 1933.
Working with the GPO Film Unit
In 1934, Cavalcanti returned to England. He started working for the GPO Film Unit, which was a government film group led by John Grierson. Cavalcanti stayed there for seven years. He did many different jobs, from producing films to being a sound engineer. He worked on many projects, including: Coal Face (1935), Night Mail (1936), Message to Geneva (1937), Four Barriers (1937), and Spare Time (1939).
Even though he often didn't get credit for his work, he was a great teacher and guide for many new filmmakers. In 1937, he became the acting head of the GPO Film Unit when Grierson left. He was told he could only get the job permanently if he became a British citizen. Cavalcanti decided to leave the unit instead.
Time at Ealing Studios
In 1940, Cavalcanti joined Ealing Studios, a famous British film studio led by producer Michael Balcon. He worked there as an art editor, producer, and director. Many of his important films from this time were propaganda films. These films were made to support a cause, especially during World War II. His notable works included Yellow Caesar (1941), Went the Day Well? (1942), Three Songs of Resistance (1943), Champagne Charlie (1944), Dead of Night (where he was a co-director) (1945), and Nicholas Nickleby (1947). In 1946, Cavalcanti left Ealing after a disagreement about money. He directed three more films in the UK before returning to Brazil in 1950.
Later Career
Back in Brazil, Cavalcanti became the head of production for a film company called Companhia Cinematográfica Vera Cruz. However, the company eventually ran out of money. After facing difficulties in Brazil because of his political beliefs, he moved back to Europe. During the 1960s and 1970s, he traveled and worked as a filmmaker in different countries, including East Germany, France, and Israel.
Alberto Cavalcanti passed away in Paris at the age of 85.
Films He Directed
Films Made in France
- 1926 Rien que les heures
- 1927 Le train sans yeux
- 1927 La P'tite Lili
- 1927 En rade
- 1928 Yvette
- 1928 La jalousie du barbouille
- 1928 Captain Fracasse
- 1929 Le petit chaperon rouge
- 1929 Vous verrez la semaine prochaine
- 1930 Toute sa vie
- 1930 A canção do berço
- 1930 À mi-chemin du ciel
- 1931 The Devil's Holiday
- 1931 Dans une ile perdue
- 1932 En lisant le journal
- 1932 Le jour du frotteur
- 1932 Revue Montmartroise
- 1932 Nous ne ferrons jamais du cinéma
- 1932 Le truc du brésilien
- 1933 Le mari garon
- 1933 Plaisirs défendus
- 1933 Coralie et Cie
- 1933 Tour de chant
Films for GPO & Crown Film Units
- 1934 Pett and Pott: A fairy story of the suburbs
- 1934 The glorious Sixth of June: New rates
- 1935 The King's Stamp
- 1935 Coal Face
- 1936 Message from Geneva
- 1937 Line to Tcherva Hut
- 1937 Men of the Alps (co-produced with Switzerland)
- 1937 Roadways
- 1937 We Live In Two Worlds
- 1937 Who writes to Switzerland?
- 1937 Four barriers
- 1938 Mony a pickle
- 1938 Happy in the morning: A film fantasy
- 1939 Mid-summer day's work
- 1939 The Chiltern country
- 1940 Alice in Switzerland
- 1940 La cause commune
- 1940 Factory front
- 1940 Mastery of the sea
Films Made in the UK (Ealing and others)
- 1941 Yellow Caesar (short)
- 1942 Went the Day Well?
- 1943 Watertight (short)
- 1943 Three Songs of Resistance
- 1944 Champagne Charlie
- 1945 Dead of Night ('Christmas party' & 'ventriloquist' episodes)
- 1947 Nicholas Nickleby
- 1947 They Made Me a Fugitive
- 1947 The First Gentleman
- 1949 For Them That Trespass
- 1961 The Monster of Highgate Ponds
Films Made in Brazil and Other Countries
- 1950 Caiçara (Brazil)
- 1952 Simão, o caolho (Brazil)
- 1952 Song of the Sea (Brazil)
- 1955 Mulher de verdade (Brazil)
- 1955/60 Herr Puntila and His Servant Matti (Austria/East Germany)
- 1957 Die Windrose (East Germany)
- 1959 Venetian Honeymoon (France/Italy)
- 1967 Thus Spoke Theodore Herzl (Israel)
- 1969 Les empailles (France)
- 1971 La visite de la vieille dame (France)
- 1976 Le voyageur du silence (France)
- 1976 Um homem e o cinema (Brazil)
See Also
In Spanish: Alberto Cavalcanti para niños
