About

Known credits:
101
Birthday:
1897-02-06
Place of birth:
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Website:
N/A

Alberto Cavalcanti

Overview

Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a prominent mathematician. He was a precociously intelligent child, and by the age of 15 was studying law at university. Following an argument with a professor he was expelled. His father sent him to Geneva, Switzerland on condition that he did not study law or politics. Cavalcanti chose to study architecture instead. At 18 he moved to Paris to work for an architect, later switching to working on interior design. After a visit back to Brazil he took up a position at the Brazilian consulate in Liverpool, England.

Cavalcanti corresponded with Marcel L'Herbier, a leading light in France's avant-garde film movement. This led to a job offer from L'Herbier for Cavalcanti to work as a set designer. So, in 1920 he left his job at the Consulate and moved back to France to work for L'Herbier; he was to be involved in the making of numerous films, the most notable being L'Inhumaine.

He was soon making his own films, in 1926 directing his first, Rien Que les Heures (Nothing But Time) — a day in the life of Paris and its citizens. In 1927 he collaborated with Walter Ruttmann on a similar project set in Berlin, called Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt (Berlin: Symphony of a Big City).

Cavalcanti took a job with Paramount's French studios after the talkies came in, but he found himself making more commercial films which could not hold his interest and left Paramount in 1933. In the same year he returned to England to work for John Grierson's GPO Film Unit. He was involved in many capacities, from production to sound engineer. He was to spend seven years at the GPO Film Unit, working on many projects. Much of his work at the GPO was uncredited, he acted as a mentor to many new film makers, but in 1937 he was appointed acting head of the GPO Film Unit when Grierson left for Canada. When told that the only way the position could become permanent was to become a naturalized British citizen, he decided to leave the unit.

In 1940 Cavalcanti joined Ealing Studios, under the leadership of producer Michael Balcon. He worked as an art editor, producer and director. His most notable works of this period (many of them propaganda films) were Yellow Caesar (1941), Went the Day Well? (1942), Three Songs of Resistance (1943), Champagne Charlie (1944), Dead of Night (as co-director) (1945) and Nicholas Nickleby (1947). In 1946 Cavalcanti left Ealing over a dispute about money. He went on to direct three more films in the UK, before returning to Brazil in 1950.

In Brazil he worked as a producer for Companhia Cinematográfica Vera Cruz; the company eventually became insolvent. After being blacklisted as a communist in Brazil, he decided to move back to Europe in 1954. He eventually settled in France, where he continued his work in television. He died in Paris in 1982 at the age of 85.

Known for

Acting
1976 Um Homem e o Cinema Actor Self N/A
N/A
1970 Alberto Cavalcanti Actor Self N/A
N/A
1969 Lettres de Stalingrad Actor Astronomer N/A
N/A
1934 Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs Actor J. Leviticus (uncredited) 58
Average
1929 Paris Cinéma Actor Self 59
Average

Directing
1978 Le Voyageur du silence Directing Director N/A
N/A
1976 Um Homem e o Cinema Directing Director N/A
N/A
1971 La visite de la vieille dame Directing Director N/A
N/A
1961 The Monster of Highgate Ponds Directing Director 59
Average
1960 Herr Puntila and His Servant Matti Directing Director N/A
N/A
1959 Venetian Honeymoon Directing Director 59
Average
1957 The Wind Rose Directing Director 58
Average
1955 Mulher de Verdade Directing Director 58
Average
1953 Song of the Sea Directing Director 59
Average
1952 Simão, o Caolho Directing Director 59
Average
1949 For Them That Trespass Directing Director 58
Average
1948 The First Gentleman Directing Director 59
Average
1947 They Made Me a Fugitive Directing Director 59
Average
1947 The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Directing Director 59
Average
1945 Dead of Night Directing Director 63
Fair
1944 Champagne Charlie Directing Director 58
Average
1944 Trois chansons de la résistance Directing Director N/A
N/A
1943 The Sky’s the Limit Directing Director N/A
N/A
1942 Went the Day Well? Directing Director 60
Fair
1942 Alice in Switzerland Directing Director N/A
N/A
1942 Film and Reality Directing Director N/A
N/A
1941 Yellow Caesar Directing Director 59
Average
1940 Young Veteran Directing Director N/A
N/A
1940 Mastery of the Sea Directing Director N/A
N/A
1940 La Cause Commune Directing Director 59
Average
1940 French Communique Directing Director N/A
N/A
1939 A Midsummer Day's Work Directing Director N/A
N/A
1939 The Chiltern Country Directing Director N/A
N/A
1939 Men of the Alps Directing Director N/A
N/A
1938 Mony a Pickle Directing Director 58
Average
1938 Happy in the Morning: A Film Fantasy Directing Director N/A
N/A
1937 We Live in Two Worlds Directing Director N/A
N/A
1937 The Line to Tschierva Hut Directing Director N/A
N/A
1936 Message from Genova Directing Director N/A
N/A
1935 Coal Face Directing Director 59
Average
1934 The Glorious Sixth of June Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Coralie and Company Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs Directing Director 58
Average
1934 Montmartre qui tourne Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 New Rates Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 Le mari garçon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 Plaisirs défendus Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 The Brazilian thing Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 Tour of Song Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 Halfway Up the Sky Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 The Devil's Holiday Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 In a lost island Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 All His Life Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 Little Red Riding Hood Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 A Canção do Berço Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 Captain Fracasse Directing Director 59
Average
1929 Train Without Eyes Directing Director N/A
N/A
1927 Yvette Directing Director N/A
N/A
1927 Sea Fever Directing Director 58
Average
1927 La P’tite Lili Directing Director 58
Average
1927 La jalousie du barbouillé Directing Director N/A
N/A
1926 Nothing But Time Directing Director 59
Average
1924 The Gallery of Monsters Directing Assistant Director 59
Average

Writing
1982 Brasília, segundo roteiro de Alberto Cavalcanti Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1960 Herr Puntila and His Servant Matti Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1957 The Wind Rose Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1955 Mulher de Verdade Writing Idea 58
Average
1953 Song of the Sea Writing Writer 59
Average
1952 Simão, o Caolho Writing Writer 59
Average
1951 Angela Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1950 Caiçara Writing Story 59
Average
1937 The Line to Tschierva Hut Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1935 Coal Face Writing Writer 59
Average
1934 Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs Writing Writer 58
Average
1930 Little Red Riding Hood Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1927 Yvette Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1927 Sea Fever Writing Writer 58
Average

Production
1953 Song of the Sea Production Producer 59
Average
1951 Terra é Sempre Terra Production Producer N/A
N/A
1950 Caiçara Production Producer 59
Average
1943 Greek Testament Production Producer 59
Average
1942 The Foreman Went to France Production Associate Producer 59
Average
1942 Find, Fix and Strike Production Producer N/A
N/A
1940 Young Veteran Production Producer N/A
N/A
1940 Sea Fort Production Producer N/A
N/A
1940 Salvage with a Smile Production Associate Producer N/A
N/A
1938 North Sea Production Producer 58
Average
1938 N or NW Production Producer 59
Average
1938 Happy in the Morning: A Film Fantasy Production Producer N/A
N/A
1937 Daily Round Production Producer N/A
N/A
1935 BBC: The Voice of Britain Production Producer N/A
N/A
1935 The King's Stamp Production Producer N/A
N/A

Sound
1934 Granton Trawler Sound Sound Designer 58
Average

Art
1927 The Little People Art Production Design N/A
N/A
1925 The Late Mathias Pascal Art Art Direction 59
Average
1924 L'Inhumaine Art Art Direction 59
Average
1923 Résurrection Art Production Design N/A
N/A

Costume & Make-Up
1921 El Dorado Costume & Make-Up Costume Design 59
Average

Crew
1938 Happy in the Morning: A Film Fantasy Crew Script N/A
N/A

Editing
1934 Pett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs Editing Editor 58
Average
1930 Little Red Riding Hood Editing Editor N/A
N/A