Born in Brazil in 1897, Alberto Cavalcanti began his film career in France in 1920, working as writer, art director and director. He
directed the avant-garde documentary
Rien que les heures (1926)
("Nothing but Time"), a portrait of the lives of Parisian workers in a
single day. He moved to England in 1933 to join the GPO Film Unit under
John Grierson, working as a sound engineer
(Night Mail (1936)) then as a producer. He
went to work for Ealing Studios during the war, initially as head of
Michael Balcon's short film unit until
1946, again working as an art director, producer and director. His
notable films as director include
Champagne Charlie (1944),
Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
and
Sträfling 3312 - Auf der Flucht (1947).
After the latter film he moved back to Brazil. There he made
O Canto do Mar (1953) ("The Song
of the Sea") and
Mulher de Verdade (1954)
("Woman of Truth") with his own production company. However, his
progressive political views caught the attention of the the right-wing
Brazilian authorities, and Cavalcanti thought it prudent to return to Europe in 1954. He
eventually settled in France, where he continued his work in
television. He died in Paris in 1982.
