A Divina Comédia (1991)

In a mental institution the patients see themselves as people like Jesus, Lázaro, Marta, Maria, Adão, Eve, Sonia, Raskolnikov, Aliosha e Ivan Karamasov, a Philosopher, a Profet, Santa Teresa d'Avila, reciting the Divine Comedy.

Director:

Manoel de Oliveira

Writers:

Manoel de Oliveira (scenario), Manoel de Oliveira (dialogue),

Stars:

Maria de Medeiros, Miguel Guilherme, Luís Miguel Cintra

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria de Medeiros	...	Sónia
Miguel Guilherme	...	Raskolnikov
Luís Miguel Cintra	...	Prophet
Mário Viegas	...	Philosopher
Leonor Silveira	...	Eva
Diogo Dória	...	Ivan
Paulo Matos	...	Jesus
José Wallenstein	...	Aliosha
Ruy Furtado	...	Director
Carlos Gomes	...	Adao
Luís Lima Barreto	...	Pharisee
Laura Soveral	...	Elena Ivanovna
Júlia Buisel	...	Maria
Cremilda Gil	...	Isabel Ivanovna
Miguel Yeco	...	Lázaro

Storyline

In a mental institution the patients see themselves as people like Jesus, Lázaro, Marta, Maria, Adão, Eve, Sonia, Raskolnikov, Aliosha e Ivan Karamasov, a Philosopher, a Profet, Santa Teresa d'Avila, reciting the Divine Comedy.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [pt]

Country:

Portugal France Switzerland

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

11 October 1991 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

The Divine Comedy

Filming Locations:

Casa de Camilo, Sao Miguel de Ceide, Vila Nova de Famalicao, Portugal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madragoa Filmes, Gemini Films, 2001 Audiovisuel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Candy (2006)

User Reviews

A divine comedy, indeed

This was my first contact, a few years ago, with the work of portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, and I was completely astonished. The movie is given to a lot of interpretations, and the way I see it, it presents in it several extremes of the kind of people that in fact exists in our society. The story takes place in an insane institution, where all the "clients" believe they are an historical character. So we have a couple who believes to be Adam and Eve, we have another who sees himself as Jesus, another one wants to die so he can return to life as Lazarus did. But the characters whose dialogues I enjoyed the most where the prophet and the philosopher. This one is a none believer who is always discussing with the prophet on the theme of god. The prophet spends the movie carrying a book which he says has the truth in it, it's like the fith gospel. In the end (and I saw that as the true message of the movie), we find out that the book is totally empty. Just blanke pages. If the mankind history was almost always made by wars in the basis of books which had supposed truths in it, and those wars caused a lot of pain in lots of people troughout the times, than we should write no longer. The true gospel is in the good actions, not in a book with written

things that can be interpreted in many ways, even lethal ways... Think about it... and watch the movie to help you.