Manoel de Oliveira plans to direct a sequel

Well, as a big Oliveira fan I would, of course, have to disagree with you on his merits. Still, I can understand your point of view. I can understand anyone being defensive of this great film or any great film. There's no need to be though. I always like to cite the example of Peter Hyams' 2010. Hyams is a competent action director and his "sequel" is what you would expect from him. Memorable only at moments and standard and forgettable otherwise. I don't remember what kind of furor the announcement of a sequel to 2001 made back in 1983 but I would imagine considerably more than the announcement we're discussing. Hyams is seen by many as a hack (though this is extreme and unfair) and I'm sure the prospect of his continuation of Kubrick's mythology was not received well. And, of course, the Hyams film is lame in comparison to the original but ultimately, so what? It probably has its admirers amongst action fans who would never watch the original and that's fine. On a similar note I have a dear friend who detests the Lord of the Rings films as compared especially to the source material. Once again, though, the one does not affect the other. In fact, the sequel or adaptation or remake of a classic work is always going to be the one that has to face the prospect of being excoriated, not the original.

At any rate, Oliveira is no Hyams and though I certainly consider him a genius on level with Bunuel I will admit he is not to all tastes and in my opinion has more in common with Bresson than Bunuel. His film will reflect his attitudes toward this material and that likely will strike many different notes, playing to his strengths. It is true that he is not interested in charcter as reflected in the particulars of personality but that is just one difference of many. However, in an earlier post, Eumenides, you suggested that Oliveira's work was cryptic and unfathomable. You do realize that this is how many see Bunuel?

yah i wrote "one of the worst"

jus sayin'