Maria de Medeiros Movies
Tiny and fairy-like, dark-haired beauty
Maria de Medeiros was born in Portugal, the sister of actress
Inês de Medeiros. After studying philosophy and acting on the stage, she made her Portuguese film debut in
Silvestre (1981) and her French film debut in
Paris Seen By...20 Years After (1984). Finding a home for herself in France, she stayed there to play several more supporting roles in French TV movies, miniseries, and features. She started appearing in historical costume dramas with
Sorceress and
1871 before making her international debut in the erotic costume drama
Henry & June (1990), directed by
Philip Kaufman. As her first U.S. production, she was ideally cast as author Anaïs Nin , who wrote the source novel detailing her relationship with American novelist
Henry Miller (
Fred Ward) and his wife, June (
Uma Thurman). During this time, she also made her directorial debut with the hour-long drama The Prince's Death, based on the writings of Fernando Pessoa and originally performed on-stage. Now an international film star, she got several roles in Portugal (
The Divine Comedy), France (
The Man of My Life), and the U.K. (
Meeting Venus). She even made a few films in Spain,
Golden Balls and
Detective of Death, both with
Javier Bardem. In 1994, she appeared in
Quentin Tarantino's big hit
Pulp Fiction, her most recognizable performance to U.S. audiences. She played the small but memorable role of Fabienne, the girlfriend of boxer Butch Coolidge (
Bruce Willis). Rather than stay in Hollywood, she returned to Europe to make scores of films in Portugal, Germany, Spain, and mostly France. She won a Best Actress award at the 1994 Venice Film Festival for her role in the dark drama
Três Irmãos, directed by
Teresa Villaverde. In 2000, she made her feature-length debut as a writer, director, and star with the
Capitães de Abril, a historical drama about the Portuguese
coup d'état of 1974, winning several festival awards. After starring in the Italian comedy
Honolulu Baby, she lined up several projects for 2003, including the French comedy
I, Cesar and the
Guy Maddin film The Saddest Music in the World. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

- 1985
-
In a specialized, hermetic drama about love won and lost, not necessarily by the same individuals, novice director Christine Laurent has focused on the backstage melodramas of an opera company. The conductor for an upcoming performance of the Marriage of Figaro has his mind and heart on other matters -- an entrancing diva who keeps him enraptured with her presence and voice. In the meantime, he finds fault with his cast members who cannot, of course, measure up to the woman of his dreams. As singers encounter one problem or another, it is clear that something has to be done about the conductor. Director Laurent designed costumes for both theater and opera, giving her some insight into the venue. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Magali Noël, Krystyna Janda, (more)

- 1984
-
This anthology is comprised of six vignettes made by different Noveau Vague filmmakers. Each short film centers on a different aspect of Parisian life. The films and their directors include: J'ai Faim, J'ai Froid by Chantal Akerman; Place Clichy by Bernard Dubois; Rue Fontaine by Philippe Garrel; Rue Du Bac by Frederic Mitterand; Paris Plage by Vincent Nordon, and Canal Saint-Martin by Philippe Vernault. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Maria de Medeiros, Pascale Salkin, (more)

- 1981
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Director Joao Cesar Monteiro has posed his actors in front of painted backdrops to act out the two 15th-c. fables that form the basis for this theatrical-literary film. Because of its static style, as though moving from one literary illustration to the other, the film does achieve some sense of life many centuries ago (assuming, as we do, that life then was not at the same frenetic pace as in the modern world). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Maria de Medeiros, Teresa Madruga, (more)