Palavra e Utopia (2000)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Manoel de Oliveira

Writer:

Manoel de Oliveira (writer)

Release Date:

17 November 2000 (Portugal)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The story of Father Antonio Vieira, a 17th-century Portuguese priest who lived in Brazil and worked for better treatment of the Indians and to abolish slavery. |

Plot Keywords:

Brazil | Slavery

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Lima Duarte	...	Padre António Vieira (Old)
Luís Miguel Cintra	...	Padre António Vieira (Middle Years)
Ricardo Trêpa	...	Padre António Vieira (Young)
Miguel Guilherme	...	Padre Jose Soares
Leonor Silveira	...	Queen Christina
Renato De Carmine	...	Padre Jeronimo Cattaneo
Diogo Dória	...	Chief Inquisitor
Paulo Matos	...	Notary
António Reis	...	Accuser
Canto e Castro	...	Governor
José Pinto	...	Provincial
José Manuel Mendes	...	Inquisitor
Rogério Vieira	...	King João IV
Duarte de Almeida	...	Pope Clemente X
Ronaldo Bonacchi	...	Father Bonnuci

Also Known As:

Palabra y utopía (Spain)
Parola e utopia (Italy)
Parole et utopie (France)
Vieira (Portugal) (working title)
Word and Utopia (International: English title)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

Spain | Italy | France | Brazil | Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Gémini Films

Only if you have a special interest...

This was a poor choice for my Friday night viewing. I am usually glad when my channel programming allows seeing something else than the usual American stuff. I like exploring new cinematographic territories, and I have been rewarded with many of the finest movies that I have ever seen. This was probably my first Portuguese movie, and it was made more promising as the imdb information was pointing to the director Manoel de Oliveira as to a veteran of the Portuguese cinema, some kind of a Bunuel of Portugal.

What a disappointment! The movie is so static, full of completely still scenes serving as background for human rights preaching in Catholic language. According to the official site - '"Palavra e Utopia" cannot be classified as a documentary, a biography, or a historical or didactic film, despite its chronological format. Rather, I would call it a fiction, with all the premises this will allow.' Actually it looks like a combination of the worst of the above. None of the rules of cinema fiction seem to be applied to create what a good film is about - emotion, identification with the characters, communicating the ideas in an artistic manner. Acting is good, but it does not help when all the rest of the movie is so boringly didactic.

I am not very familiar with Portuguese history. Father Viera's historic character seems to have been important (kind of a Thomas More of his country and time), and he would have deserved a better film.

Unless you are a fan of Portuguese history or moral preaching, you should avoid this film.