The life of the last orthodox party leader in Europe. Álvaro Cunhal (1913-2005) was at the head of the Portuguese Communist Party for more than half a century. Born in a bourgeois family, he maintains himself very close to the soviet leaders, from Stalin to Brejnev. In exile or in prison most of the time until then, he played a major role during the Portuguese revolution (1974/75), attaining then an international notoriety. He was an influential leader of the International Communist Movement up to the fall of the Soviet Bloc. His political career was contemporary to the Spanish Civil War, the Stalinist Purges, the Second World War, the Sino-Soviet split (1963) or the invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968). Talented writer and artist, he defended the hard communist line until his death. Rare archive footage from all over the world reveals this enigmatic figure.

Documentary
56’
Colour
Betacam
Portugal

Title
The Last Communist, 2005
O Último Comunista

Director
Joaquim Vieira

Production
Nanook
SIC