''Abraham's Valley'' () is a 1993 Portuguese

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Manoel de Oliveira Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wor ...

, based on a novel by Agustina Bessa-Luís, and partially inspired by

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

's 1857 novel ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' (; ), commonly known as simply ''Madame Bovary'', is the début novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, originally published in 1856 and 1857. The eponymous character, Emma Bovary, lives beyond he ...

''. The film was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

66th Academy Awards The 66th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1993 and took place on March 21, 1994, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p. ...

, but was not nominated.

Production

''Abraham's Valley'' was filmed in 1.66:1 on 35 mm film.

Plot

Set in mid-20th century Portugal, in the vicinity of

Lamego Lamego (; ) is a city and municipality in the Viseu District, in the Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region of the Douro Subregion, Douro in northern Portugal. Located on the shores of the Balsemão River, the municipality has a population of 26,691 ...

, Ema is a beautiful young girl who is married off to Carlos, an older doctor and friend of her father's. Dissatisfied, she takes several lovers.

Cast

* Leonor Silveira as Ema Cardeano Paiva * Luís Miguel Cintra as Carlos Paiva, Ema's husband *Cécile Sanz de Alba as young Ema *

Ruy de Carvalho Ruy Alberto Rebelo Pires de Carvalho (born 1 March 1927) is a Portuguese actor. As of 2025, he is the world's oldest actor still working in theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usu ...

as Paulino Cardeano, Ema's father

Reception

Accolades and screenings

It won the Critics Award at the 1993

São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival (), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South Ame ...

and the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 1993

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

. It was screened at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for the film's 30th anniversary.

References

External links

* *
''Vale Abraão''
at amordeperdicao.pt . {{Portuguese submissions for Academy Awards 1993 drama films 1993 films Films based on works by Agustina Bessa-Luís Films directed by Manoel de Oliveira Films produced by Paulo Branco 1990s Portuguese-language films Portuguese drama films French drama films Swiss drama films Films shot in Portugal 1990s French films Portuguese-language drama films