Manoel's Destinies
| Manoel's Destinies | |
|---|---|
![]() Film poster  | |
| Directed by | Raúl Ruiz | 
| Written by | Jaden Chong João Botelho Leonor Pinhão  | 
| Produced by | Paulo Branco António Vaz da Silva  | 
| Starring | Ruben de Freitas | 
| Cinematography | Acácio de Almeida | 
| Edited by | Rudolfo Wedeles Claudio Martinez  | 
| Music by | Jorge Arriagada | 
Release date  | 
  | 
Running time  | 120 minutes (French theatrical cut) 138 minutes (Portuguese version) 152 minutes (French version)  | 
| Countries | Portugal France  | 
| Languages | Portuguese French (dubbed)  | 
Manoel's Destinies (French: Les Destins de Manoel; Portuguese: Os Destinos de Manuel) is a 1984/1985 French-Portuguese children's fantasy film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. It was shot on 16 mm film, a co-production of Les Films du Passage, Rita Filmes, and RTP, in association with Revcom Télévision.[1]
Versions
There are multiple versions of this work. Most commonly available is the 1984 French-dubbed TV miniseries that was broadcast in three episodes under the title L'Île aux merveilles de Manoël (roughly 150 minutes). The Portuguese-language version was broadcast as four episodes under the title Aventure au Madeira.[2][3] Film festival programmes have listed it under different titles, such as Manuel de l’île des merveilles or Manuel na Ilha das Maravilhas.[1][4][2][5]
Manuel de l’île des merveilles first screened on 1 February 1985 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, winning the KNF Award.[6] Jonathan Rosenbaum, one of the film's champions, described it as "three 50-minute episodes".[7] It was screened later in the same month at the "International Forum" at the Berlin International Film Festival.[8] A two-hour cut under the title Les Destins de Manoel screened in May 1985 at the Cannes Film Festival as part of "Perspectives du cinéma français".[9][10]
In 2013, the Cinemateca Portuguesa screened the 138-minute Portuguese-language version.[3] In 2024, they screened under the title Les Destins de Manoel / Os Destinos de Manuel a digital copy of the complete and commercially unreleased 170-minute Portuguese-language version that they hold.[11][12]
Parts
It is divided into three parts:[8]
- "Os Destinos de Manuel" / "Les Destins de Manoel"
 - "O Piquenique dos Sonhos" / "Le Pique-nique des rêves"
 - "A Pequena Campeã de Xadrez" / "La Petite Championne d'échecs"
 
The fourth episode of the Portuguese TV miniseries was titled "Tragédia Maderense".[2]
Cast
- Ruben de Freitas as Manoel (7yo)
 - Teresa Madruga as Manoel's Mother
 - Fernando Heitor as Manoel's Father
 - Marco Paulo de Freitas as Manoel (13yo)
 - Diogo Dória as Captain Araujo
 - Cecília Guimarães
 - Vasco Pimentel
 - José de Freitas
 - Aurélie Chazelle
 - Miguel Silva
 - Pedro M. Ruivo
 
Further reading
- Goddard, Michael (2013); The Cinema of Raúl Ruiz: Impossible Cartographies. Wallflower Press, pp. 82–83.
 - Solomon, Stefan (2017); "Education, destiny, and national identity in Raúl Ruiz's Manoel on the Island of Wonders" in Stephanie Hemelryk Donald, Emma Wilson, Sarah Wright (eds.) Childhood and Nation in Contemporary World Cinema: Borders and Encounters, Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 147–159.
 
References
- ^ a b Donald, Stephanie Hemelryk; Wilson, Emma; Wright, Sarah (9 February 2017). Childhood and Nation in Contemporary World Cinema: Borders and Encounters. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-5013-1860-3.
 - ^ a b c Ríos, Valeria de los (2010). El Cine de Raúl Ruiz: Fantasmas, simulacros y artificios. UQBAR. ISBN 978-956-8601-78-2.
 - ^ a b "Aventure au Madeira / Les Destins de Manoel". 2013.
 - ^ "Manoel on the Island of Marvels (3 part TV series, France, 1985)". Rouge. 2003. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
 - ^ Eleanor Mannikka (2012). "NY Times: Les Destins de Manoel". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
 - ^ "KNF Award". IFFR EN. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
 - ^ "Rotterdam: Fury in Akerman's Flat [1985] | Jonathan Rosenbaum". jonathanrosenbaum.net. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
 - ^ a b "La présence réelle". Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V. 1985. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
 - ^ Le Monde Diplomatique, 1985, France, French (in French).
 - ^ "Enfants sur pellicule" (in French). 18 May 1985. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
 - ^ "Trying To Catch Up With Raúl Ruiz: A Conversation with Jonathan Rosenbaum | Jonathan Rosenbaum". jonathanrosenbaum.net. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
 - ^ "Raúl Ruiz – A Imagem Estilhaçada ( Parte I )".
 
External links
