Brazilian filmmaker born in the city of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, who with his avant-garde films shot in France, and his innovative experiences in English documentary and fictional cinema have made him one of the most outstanding names in his generation. He studied law and architecture in Switzerland and did his first exercises in cinema with Marcel L'Herbier, Louis Delluc and others. He naturalized himself French and directed Le Train sans yeux (1926) and Rien que les heures (1926). His third film, En rade (1927) became a classic and was re-shot by him in Brazil as O canto do mar (1954). With the advent of talking cinema, he was hired by Paramount and made sound versions, in French and Portuguese, of 21 films produced in Hollywood.
Because of his groundbreaking theories about the function of noise and words, he was invited by John Grierson, to be part of the experimental group of the British General Post Office, for the production and assembly of documentaries. In this work he contributed to landmark films such as Coalface (1936), Night Mail (1936), North Sea (1938) among others. During World War II, at production company Ealing, he combined documentary and fiction in films such as The Foreman Went to France (1941) and Went the Day Well? (1942).
Returning to fiction, he directed films that earned him prestige, such as Dead of Night (1945), Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1946) and For Them That Trespass (1948). Returning to Brazil, he helped create Vera Cruz, the company for which he produced Caiçara (1950) and Terra é semper terra (1951). At Maristela, he directed Simão, o caolho (1952), considered his best Brazilian film, and in the same year he published the book Filme e Realidade (1952). Later, at Kino-Filmes, he directed O canto do mar and Mulher de Verdade (1954). Politically dissatisfied and feeling disenfranchised in cultural circles, he returned to Europe, where he continued with his film activities until he died in Paris.
Source: http://www.dec.ufcg.edu.br/biografias/
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Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biografia/alberto-almeida-cavalcanti.htm
