José Fonseca e Costa

Directing

José Fonseca e Costa

Born June 27, 1933 · Caála, Angola

Died November 1, 2015 · aged 82

José Fonseca e Costa was a Portuguese film director. He was one of the founders of the Portuguese Cinema Novo. Born in Angola, Costa worked as an assistant to Michelangelo Antonioni before becoming one of the leaders of Portugal's 'Young Cinema' in the 1960s.

Known For

No Trace of SinNo Trace of Sin · 1983
No Trace of Sin
★ 6.81983
MovieDrama
A young man from a high-bourgeois family, Henrique receives mysterious phone calls from a woman at the barracks where he is serving in the military, which attracts him to meetings without consequences.
The KillersThe Killers · 1980
The Killers
★ 5.71980
MovieCrimeDrama
"Kilas" (a Portuguese misrepresentation of the English word "killers") is the nickname of a petty con-man who gets involved with a deadly ring of spies.
What The Tourist Should SeeWhat The Tourist Should See · 2009
What The Tourist Should See
★ 8.02009
MovieDocumentary
Homage to Fernando Pessoa and the city that lies next to the Tagus River.
The Circular TriangleThe Circular Triangle · 1964
The Circular Triangle
★ 8.01964
MovieDramaCrime
Business tycoon dies in plane crash. Suspected, Georg, his main partner, Alain, a young Turkish finance, and Anna Maria, the group's proxy, are all seeking his succession.
Ballad of Dog BeachBallad of Dog Beach · 1987
Ballad of Dog Beach
★ 6.41987
MovieCrimeDrama
In Portugal, in the 60s, the corpse of a man appears on Dog's Beach. The corpse is identified as the major Dantas, a man wanted by authorities after his escape from a military prison where he was awaiting trial for insurrection.
The Ghosts of Alcacer-KibirThe Ghosts of Alcacer-Kibir · 1976
The Ghosts of Alcacer-Kibir
★ 6.21976
MovieDrama
Alentejo 1975. The Police associate a group of traveling players with a strike of agricultural workers. The action takes place in the open space and harsh heat of the Alentejo. With the connivance of Lianor, the troupe enters the palace of Don Gonzalo an old aristocrat. The gentleman is obsessed by visions of great past deeds in a universe of ghosts. This was the first example of militant cinema in Portugal after the end of the Estado Novo dictatorship, exploring the world after the Carnation Revolution and its contradictions.
The JewThe Jew · 1996
The Jew
★ 5.71996
MovieDrama
The story of Brazilian Antônio José da Silva, a jewish poet, playwright and lawyer living in the 18th Century Lisbon, who managed to avoid Inquisition by converting himself to Catholicism, after being tortured. But his fierce criticism of Portugal's élite led him to persecution and torture, becoming kind of a scapegoat.
Velhos são os TraposVelhos são os Trapos · 1981
Velhos são os Trapos
★ 8.01981
MovieDrama
Old people tend to be kept apart, even humiliated by the new generations. The stories and different destinies of three old persons are linked together, and the realism of it imposes itself on us.

Filmography

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Jogo de MãoJogo de Mão · 1983
Jogo de Mão
★ 7.31983
MovieDrama
In a unique approach to what amounts to four pseudo-morality plays, director Monique Rutler has a street entertainer with hand puppets summarize the characters and idea of each story. The first sketch is about a young man who shines shoes for a living, and tries to keep up a relationship with two women while convincing each she is his only true love. The next story is about a man who beats up his wife when he is drunk, and sells furs for a living. One day, as she is riding in the back of his truck with the furs, he hits a bad patch and she and some furs fall out. The question is, will the woman be enterprising and leave the jerk - or not? The third tale concerns a woman looking into how much control a prostitute has over her clients, and to really find out, she becomes a prostitute herself for awhile - leading to some quite unexpected situations. The last segment handles the uglier side of the life styles of the rich and famous.

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