As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor (1935) Review - Dusty, Sweet, and Very Slow

If you are looking for a fast-paced movie with lots of action, please stay far away from As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor. But if you have a soft spot for dusty, crackling black-and-white films where everyone speaks like they are on a theater stage, this might be a sweet way to spend an afternoon. 🌾

It is basically a Portuguese soap opera from 1935, set even further back in the 1860s. The plot is all about village gossip, young lovers, and a priest who has to keep everyone from ruining their lives.

The whole thing has that hyper-innocent, moralistic vibe you get in other old dramas from the same era, like Enlighten Thy Daughter. Every little decision, like who walks home with who, feels like a massive scandal that the whole town needs to discuss.

The Good Stuff

The best part of the movie is easily António Silva. He has this incredibly expressive face, and whenever he is on screen, he looks mildly annoyed in a way that is just really funny to watch.

The sound design is also super charming, mostly because of how old it is. There is this constant, warm hiss in the background that makes you feel like you are listening to an old vinyl record on a rainy day.

Some of the outdoor scenes near the river look surprisingly pretty. The water looks like shiny tinfoil because of the old film stock, and it gives the whole village this dreamy, faraway feel.

The Not-So-Good Stuff

To be honest, the middle of the movie drags a lot. The camera barely moves, and sometimes the actors just stand in a semi-circle waiting for their turn to speak their lines.

"Is she going to marry him or just stare at the dirt for another ten minutes?"

I actually wrote that exact sentence in my notebook about halfway through because the pacing just stops dead. It’s got that theatrical style where people explain their feelings out loud to empty rooms, which gets a bit silly after a while.

Still, there is something very comforting about how small the problems are here. Nobody is trying to save the world; they just want to make sure the village rector doesn't get upset at them.

It is a neat little time capsule of early Portuguese cinema. Just make sure you have a cup of warm tea nearby, because it will definitely put you in a very sleepy, relaxed mood.