Manoel de Oliveira's first film is a briskly cut summary of a day in the working lives of riverside folk on the banks of the Douro River.
It's an early signpost to later technique, notably his capturing and framing of aesthetically pleasing shots. This is one of the appeals of 'Douro' - it's ravishing to look at - but it's also a valuable document of working practices, and it shows (a little self-consciously, it must be said) the arrival of the technology that would change the face of the river banks around the Ponte de D. Luís, in Porto.
One false and unnecessary note is the introduction of a little fictional vignette of a story - a worker is 'trampled' by oxen, to the great dismay of his sweetheart. But this doesn't take much away from a never-less-than-interesting little film.
It's an early signpost to later technique, notably his capturing and framing of aesthetically pleasing shots. This is one of the appeals of 'Douro' - it's ravishing to look at - but it's also a valuable document of working practices, and it shows (a little self-consciously, it must be said) the arrival of the technology that would change the face of the river banks around the Ponte de D. Luís, in Porto.
One false and unnecessary note is the introduction of a little fictional vignette of a story - a worker is 'trampled' by oxen, to the great dismay of his sweetheart. But this doesn't take much away from a never-less-than-interesting little film.