Lisbon

19561956
ApprovedApproved
1h 30m

High stakes battle of wits and morals between gentlemen crooks, set in beautiful Portugal. A smuggler is hired to kidnap the rich husband of an American woman who's just arrived in Lisbon, P... Read allHigh stakes battle of wits and morals between gentlemen crooks, set in beautiful Portugal. A smuggler is hired to kidnap the rich husband of an American woman who's just arrived in Lisbon, Portugal.High stakes battle of wits and morals between gentlemen crooks, set in beautiful Portugal. A smuggler is hired to kidnap the rich husband of an American woman who's just arrived in Lisbon, Portugal.

6.0/10

494

Director
- Ray Milland
Writers
- John Tucker Battle(screenplay)
- Martin Rackin(story)
- Lord Byron(quotation)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Maureen O'Hara and Jay Novello in Lisbon (1956)

Director
- Ray Milland
Writers
- John Tucker Battle(screenplay)
- Martin Rackin(story)
- Lord Byron(quotation) (uncredited)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

In 1950s Portugal, American expatriate Captain Robert John Evans does a bit of smuggling using his fast boat. He mostly smuggles consumer goods and contraband such as cigarettes and booze. Lisbon's police inspector, Joao Casimiro Fonseca, is aware of this and often times tries to catch Evans red-handed but to no avail. At the same time, American Sylvia Merrill, wife of industrialist Lloyd Merrill, arrives in Lisbon to arrange the secret release from a Communist prison from behind the Iron Curtain of her husband. She first complains to the State Department about her husband's imprisonment but U.S. officials seem unable to make any progress to obtain his release. Sylvia Merrill contacts big shot criminal, jewel thief and smuggler Aristides Mavros, a Greek living in Lisbon, to negotiate a bribe for Communist officials and have her hubby released from their prisons. Mavros is a man with many useful connections but he's also a scoundrel not to be trusted by anyone. He figures to woo the wealthy Sylvia Merrill and convince her to agree to have her husband murdered after his rescue from Communist custody. This way, Sylvia Merrill, who is very much younger than her elderly husband, can inherit all his money and reward Mavros with one million dollars for his assistance. Mavros hires the services of Captain Evans to use his boat for the Lloyd Merrill rescue mission. Mavros also tasks his henchman Serafim to kill Merill after his rescue and make it look like an accident. He also tells Serafim to kill Captain Evans on the return trip, in order to eliminate all witnesses. However, Mavros fails to take into account the perseverance of police inspector Fonseca or the love for Captain Evans of one of Mavros' young secretaries, local beauty Maria Maddalena Masanet. —nufs68

city in title damsel in distress held at gunpoint song singer 19 more

Taglines
- CITY OF INTRIGUE, MURDER AND EXCITEMENT! (original poster-all caps)
Genres
Certificate
- Approved
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
Nelson Riddle's instrumental recording of "Lisbon Antiga" (an ancient Portuguese melody) was already on the Hit Charts before this film was made. Republic publicity sent out a story that "Director/Producer Ray Milland took a recording of the music with him and had a Portuguese orchestra adapt it for a sequence in the picture".

Goofs
Mrs. Merrill asks Evans about the Fado they're listening to in a tavern of Alfama (Lisbon), "Lisboa Antiga". He answers, "Ancient Lisbon - old Lisbon. A sort of Home, Sweet Home, for Brazilians." In a single sentence, Evans shows his insensitivity for the use of the English language, the disparity of Portuguese and Brazilian national souls, and of this Fado in particular - "Lisboa Antiga" was written in 1937 by Raúl Portela, was used in two movies before this, and was made famous the world over sang by Amália Rodrigues - a singer Americans would know since she sang for the Mashall Plan programs (1950), her 14 weeks at La Vie en Rose (New York, 1952), and her NBC Eddie Fisher show (1953). Nelson Riddle took this music to America and orchestrated it for the movie's opening theme - but Evans wouldn't know that.

Quotes
Sylvia Merrill: I've never met Mr. Avros.
Capt. Robert John Evans: I have and I don't nothing about him.
Sylvia Merrill: What was your impression?
Capt. Robert John Evans: [almost shouting] A CROOK!
Sylvia Merrill: I know that... but is he a reliable crook?

Soundtracks
Lisboa Antiga
(orchestral recording)
Music by Raúl Portela
English Lyrics by Harry Dupree
Sung by Robie Lester (as Roby Charmandy)

Top review

7/10

The final portion of the film offered a few nice surprises.

I have seen more films than practically anyone. One thing I really appreciate is a picture that surprises me...one that avoids the usual formulas and cliches. Well, although "Lisbon" seems like a by-the-numbers movie, its final portion manages to offer quite a few surprises...and I really appreciate that.

The film, not surprisingly, is set in Lisbon, Portugal. It centers initially around two very different criminal smugglers....Aristides Mavros (Claude Rains), a man who has no scruples whatsoever, and Captain Robert Evans (Ray Milland), a rogue with few scruples...though how much you'll have to discover through the course of the movie.

Into this den of not niceness arrives a lady who is there to ransom back her rich elderly husband. Sylvia (Maureen O'Hara) is an odd one...and who she is and what her intentions are not clear until later in the movie...which I appreciate. Of course, the Captain is smitten with her....and another lady is smitten with him. How does all this work out? See the film!

An odd movie....not O'Hara's nor Milland's best. But still, it offers enough surprises that I felt pleased overall. Oh, and it was also directed by Milland as well.

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