Lisbon (1956) User Reviews

Thin on story, but with great players who make it work

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 5 October 2016]

This obscure adventure romance from Republic may be thin on story but is, at least, distinguished by its lovely Technicolor photography shot on location in the title city and the pedigree of its Hollywood veteran cast, Ray Milland (who also directed), Maureen O'Hara and Claude Rains. The film is further blessed with a light, engaging Nelson Riddle song, "Lisbon Antigua," which plays throughout the proceedings. The Riddle song was a radio hit at the time, and is still pretty easily recognized.

The story involves Milland as a smooth operating smuggler (his operations are always kept vague) hired by suave well bred scoundrel Rains to pick up a "package" from an American just arrived in the city (O'Hara) which will involve her kidnapped wealthy husband. The story is neither here nor there, really. The combination of visual pleasures, Riddle's musical score and a capable cast of veterans may be enough for some viewers to want to spend an hour and a half of their time with this fairly inconsequential enterprise.

Rains is always fun to watch with his velvet voice, as a suave sophisticate who is also moral corruption incarnate. He seems to be almost playing his part in his sleep this go round but a Claude Rains asleep is still a great deal more entertaining than many other actors awake.

At one point in the film Rains delicately makes reference to O'Hara of how lovely she looks and how even more lovely she would look should something unforeseen "happen" to her millionaire husband, with he, Rains, receiving a small portion of her inherited good fortune. O'Hara is shocked and outraged by the suggestion, calling him a monster. Rains, realizing his faux pas, quickly regroups, saying that "in my own clumsy fashion" he was merely attempting to pay her a small compliment for not yielding to an idea to which a less scrupulous woman might succumb.

As Rains hints at the implications of a murder he could arrange, a small smile constantly dances across his lips. His expression could almost be that of a wine connoisseur discussing a rare vintage very much to his liking. It's a small, almost throwaway moment in the film, but it's a pleasure to watch the effortless aplomb that Rains brings to the scene.

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

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 17 February 2019]

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.

Mediocre drama but with attractive Lisbon locations

[robert-temple-1 · 6/10 · 30 January 2008]

Ray Milland was not a great director, as this effort shows. This colour film shows much of Lisbon and the surrounding area in the mid-1950s, which is welcome. There are several excellent performances. Claude Rains is magnificent as usual as a devious and urbane crook, Francis (originally Franz) Lederer is superb as his henchman and assassin, underplaying and thereby increasing the menace of his character (which in the script cannot have amounted to much). Yvonne Furneaux is a charming ingenue who tries very hard indeed to be convincing about throwing herself into the arms of an aged Ray Milland and telling him she loves him. Maureen O'Hara flashes her usual Irish fire, but she also has to tell Milland she loves him, and two beautiful gals throwing themselves at Milland in competition is really too much to take, since he looks like he needs a month's rest in a sanatorium rather than a heady romance. Milland always had great 'watchability' and he still retains some in this film. This film has a very weak script and absolutely atrocious cinematography by Jack Marta, who seems only to use about two lights in his interiors. A friend who worked with Ray Milland once told me that Milland was the meanest man with money he had ever known, and he would always try to share taxis with poor actors and then pretend he had forgotten his money and make them pay. (That is why everyone tried to avoid sharing cabs with Milland.) Perhaps Milland, who co-produced this venture, was too mean to pay Marta to have proper lights! The interior shadows and lighting are simply unimaginably awful.There is an equally atrocious score by Nelson Riddle. Somebody should have taken a whip and beaten Milland back into his box. He had no business producing and directing. There is a fine authentic song performed by Anita Guerreiro in this film, who gives us a few moments of real music. Milland obviously loved Portugal, and we can be grateful for his enthusiasm in showing some of it to us as it was then. If only the film had come up to a higher standard, we would be able to say on our postcards: 'Having a wonderful viewing, wish you were here!'

Republic's last classy drama

[ptb-8 · 12 February 2004]

Probably one of Republic's last good films, LISBON is a feast for the eyes and a good thriller to boot. Produced in Portugal, I assume on a Republic budget subsidised by the Portugese government or tourist office, Ray Milland produces, directs and acts in a lush and lavish romantic drama. The music theme Lisbon Antigua was a massive radio and disc hit in its day and it would be inetersting to know who much in boxoffice it contributed. The indoor studio scenes are very snazzy and well decorated, but some outdoor seabound back projection is wobbly. Still, the location shoot is used to excellent effect and I would say was very much influenced by To Catch A Thief, as is the whole reason for the film existing. Republic didn't make anything much of note around this (maybe only COME NEXT SPRING)and it is probably as modern and A grade as they were able to create by 1956. They folded in 1959, their market overtaken by Allied Artists, AIP and TV. It would be so beautiful to see on a cinema screen as it is in republic's NATURAMA process, their very own brand of CINEMASCOPE. Well worth finding and enjoying.

Routine thriller in which Ray Milland directs and stars a sea captain entangled in international espionage and crime

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 29 April 2022]

Set in 1950s , Lisbon , Portugal, it details an international thief hiring a skipper named Robert Evans (Ray Milland) who lives on a yacht by the river . The latter mostly smuggles consuming products such as cigarettes and booze. Lisbon's police inspector, Joao Casimiro Fonseca (Jay Novello) , is aware of this and often times attempts to catch Evans red-handed but to no avail. At the same time, American Sylvia Merrill (Mauren O'Hara) , wife of industrialist Lloyd Merrill, arrives in Lisbon to arrange the secret release her husband from Communist doings . As Robert Evans has to rescue Maureen O'Hara's husband , but events go awry . 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 wealthy jewel crook and smuggler Aristides Mavros (Claude Rains) , a Greek living in Lisbon, to negotiate a bribe for Communist officials and have her husband released from his Soviet jail .

A thriller movie with adventure , romence , thrills , plot twists set in a city of intrigue , murder and excitement . On location story with gorgeous outdoors from Lisbon brilliantly photographed by Jack Marta and regarding morals among gentlemen thieves. A familiar and simple script concerning a smuggler is hired to release the rich husband of an American woman who's just arrived in Lisbon ; along the way, intercrossing high stakes and ordinary battle of wits , being told less-than-average panache . It contains attractive scenarios , acceptable performance but nothing special . Stars Ray Milland giving a nice acting as an American expatriate Captain Robert John Evans does a bit of smuggling of consumer goods and contraband using his fast boat . While Maureen O'Hara is pretty good as the damsel in distress who attempts to rescue his elderly husband from Communist prison behind the Iron Curtain . Being well accompanied by a nice support cast , such as : Claude Rains as big shot criminal Aristides Mavros , the wonderful Yvonne Furneaux as Madalena Massenet , Francis Lederer as heinous murderer Serafim , Percy Marmont , Jay Novello and Edward Chapman.

It packs a lot of Lisbon sightseeing , such as : Tagus River, Lisbon, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Belém, Panoramic view from the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte , Lisbon , Palácio de Seteais, Sintra, Lisbon, Tobis Portuguesa, Lumiar, Lisbon, Tower of Belém , Praça do Comércio, Cascais, Lisbon,Castelo São Jorge,Lisbon Airport, Portela, Loures, Lisbon Lisbon, Portugal. The motion picture was professionally directed by Ray Milland . Ray was a notorious actor, but also a producer and a craftsman filmmaker. With this Lisbon (1956), Ray Milland moved into another direction, turning out several off-beat, low-budget films with himself as the lead, notably A Man Alone (1957) his Western debut , The Safecracker (1958) , Panic in Year Zero! (1962) and Hostile Witness (1969) . Rating : 5.5/10 . Less-than-notable , but acceptable and passable . The flick will appeal to Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara fans.

Lisbon Like It Isn't Today

[arfdawg-1 · 6/10 · 14 September 2019]

I've been to Lisbon and it looked nothing like this Lisbon of this movie filmed in the mid-50's. The Lisbon in this film is gorgeous. Today, it's rather gritty and contrary to this movie where everyone speaks English, no one does. The illiteracy rate is like 40%.

The film is a romance/drama/film noir.

Claude Rains is really odd. He was born in England but has a really non-English way of speaking. He also looks rather old. Ray Miland who also directed this film is also looking rather old. Every time I see him I think of he and Rosie Greer in the 2-Headed Man. He plays a really horny smuggler.

Anyway, on to the movie. It's capably directed. Well acted and reasonably well done. Some of it stretches believability. And segments are really hokey. The subplots are not needed at all --especially the one with the hot sexed up secretary. And some of the writing could have been improved.

But it sure does look nice in Technicolor.

Ray Milland between two women in Lisbon

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 7 July 2021]

Ray Milland produced, directed, acted, and made out with two beautiful women in "Lisbon" from 1956.

This is a gorgeous color film shot on location in Portugal. A smuggler, Evans (Milland) is hired by a local Greek smuggler, criminal, and jewel thief, Aristides Mavros (Claude Rains) to sneak an imprisoned American out of communist-controlled territory.

The man's wife, Sylvia Merrill (Maureen O'Hara) is paying for the release, and she is not sure whom she can trust. She comes to trust Milland, and also seemingly fall in love with him.

She's not alone - a young woman (Yvonne Furneaux) who lives in Mavros' mansion, is also attracted to him. This is upsetting to Seraphim (Frances Lederer), Mavros' major domo who would like to see Milland dead.

We eventually find out Sylvia's agenda - she'd kind of like it if her husband didn't come back in the best of health - i.e., dead. He's old and she's tired of him.

Claude Rains is terrific as the evil Mavros. He always brings class to any production. What will happen when Evans picks up Merrill? Can he even trust Mavros to pay him? Or does he have an agenda as well?

This was done in Republic's Naturama process, and it's very well done. Not the most scintillating story, but great locations.

The movie setting who shines is Claude Rains!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 3 October 2019]

Ray Milland's debut as director wasn't so bad, he plays Robert John Evans an American smuggler based at Lisbon, living an easy fancy life at Orca, his fastest boat, suddenly appears a profitable offers from a Greek scoundrel Aristides Marvos (Claude Rains) to bring a package from someone at Lisbon's Hotel, there he meets the beauty Sylvia Merrill (Maureen O'Hara) a wife of a American millionaire who was kidnapped by the reds, Marvos intent to bring home his husband for mere 250.000 dollars, safe and sound, Robert will be the bait to mislead the Portuguese policy and also takes the old Merryll in his boat, mixing romance, betrayal, international kidnapping among others elements, this picture is holds in a specific and splendid character Marvos, a soft spoken on black humor, scheming man, cruel and cold, profound connoisseur of human nature and finally the gorgeous Yvonne Fourneaux as Maria, shot on most famous and beautiful Lisbon's touristic spots!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 7

Oh dear, whatever were they thinking ?

[spottedowl · 1/10 · 5 September 2009]

Great actors, great scenery, great filming - but oh, so dreary - this is one for the insomniacs amongst us. I never did get to see the end of the movie, about half way had me in the land of nod without any desire to find out what happened, that is if indeed, anything at all happened.

Claude Rains looked glassy eyed and appeared that he was wishing he was elsewhere. The whole thing would have been better off as a travelogue with the actors posing for the different scenes.

This movie is slow ........ Torturously slow! Those having a yen to watch paint dry will find that this fits well with their desire.

1/10 - and that's for the scenery.

Lisbon

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 10 November 2023]

Ray Milland had quite an hand in this quite classy looking seaside drama. He ("Capt. Evans") finds himself intrigued by an offer of $10,000 from the debonaire but entirely unscrupulous "Mavros" (Claude Rains) if he will suspend his usual brandy smuggling operations and bring a wealthy and recently kidnapped American to safety in Portugal. The whole operation is being funded by "Sylvia" (Maureen O'Hara) the much younger wife of the captured industrialist, so of course there are temptations afoot to maybe ensure his money is suddenly available for re-distribution. "Evans" turns out to be a bit of a babe magnet here as he also manages to attract the attention of "Maria" (Yvonne Furneaux) who works for "Mavros" and who takes an immediate shine to her sailor boy - despite the obvious chagrin of henchman "Serafim" (Francis Lederer). Who's going to prevail in this battle of hearts, wits and double-crosses? The story itself here is quite solid and Rains cones across well as the duplicitous schemer but O'Hara was always better when her character was allowed to let her hair down. Here, she is a bit stifled by the rather limited scope for her character and the equally linear contribution from an unremarkable Milland. The thriller elements are all too readily subsumed into the menage-à-trois romance and even the elements of menace are just too undercooked. It's got a good look to it and Nelson Riddle works some magic on traditional Portuguese music, but the rest of this is all a bit so what? It's watchable to see a group of consummate professionals do their work, but the film itself is nothing at all memorable.

Showing off for the camera, and paying for it with a tepid reaction.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 10 February 2017]

Beautiful locations, a most fantastic cast, and some great moments do not make a good movie. This convoluted melodrama tries to be clever, often succeeds in being amusing, but it only comes off with a big huh? It's all about ray Milland aiding Maureen O'Hara in arranging for crooked Rains to help her find her husband, while Milland is pursued by a much younger woman (Yvonne Furneaux) while escorting O'Hara around Lisbon. This shows off the Portuguese locations gorgeously, but a trip to a museum or a travelogue video is quite different than trying to become involved in a political thriller.

The gorgeous Maureen O'Hara seems to have had her voice altered in the editing booth to sound higher pitched, and it comes off as most distracting. Ray Milland seems pike a middle aged man desperate to hang onto his lighthearted appeal and comes off foolish looking. Claude Rains manages to hang onto his dignity, looking dashing with white hair and getting some of the best lines in the film. The opening scene with Rains, some birds and a hungry cat had me dropping my jaw. Francis Lederer comes off as a taller and thinner version of the middle aged Peter Lorre, but lacking in the humor. Milland directs as well (billed as R. Milland), and I have to wonder if he had to put up the money to have it produced with him as the star as well.

Another late in their existence Republic film, it's an interesting example of a company trying to stay afloat yet failing, much like RKO was doing at the very same time. O'Hara is still gorgeous, formidable and mesmerizing, but Milland comes off as a bit misogynistic and unworthy of all the female attention he gets here. The story really just isn't all that interesting, and the script just seems to get more pretentious as it goes on. But since this is the closest I'll get to Lisbon in my lifetime, I'll take the opportunity to see it as it was long before I was born, with a bit of encyclopedia Britannica history thrown in.

Beautifully filmed romantic crime thriller.

[Neil-117 · 8/10 · 30 January 2002]

Elegant is the only word to describe this wonderful example of 1950s film-making at its best. Art direction is usually one of those obscure technical credits nobody ever bothers about, but in this case the entire movie is a feast for the eyes thanks to clever art direction using subtle shades of blue and brown to reflect the beautiful natural locations in Portugal. Almost every frame is a painting in its own right and the movie is worth watching just for its sumptuous looks alone.

Against this delightful visual backdrop, a complex double/triple-cross crime story is allowed to unfold at a leisurely pace as the viewer is gradually let in on the intricacies of the plot. Characters and motives also develop with the story and by its conclusion little is what it first seemed. Claude Rains, Maureen O'Hara and Ray Milland (who was also director and associate producer) are each excellent in their roles. Claude Rains in particular as a raffishly handsome crime boss with impeccable breeding is both lovable and chilling. Ray Milland has all the women falling at his feet, and not without reason. Maureen O'Hara is alternately tough and romantic as we see her character gradually revealed.

Movie buffs might even see some tongue in cheek allusions to the plot of Casablanca, particularly in the final scene, as this cleverly crafted story unfolds. There's certainly something to please everyone. I'm a person who rarely enjoys movies made in the 1950s because of the stifling social values of the era, but for me Lisbon has been a revelation of the artistic heights which could be achieved in that era when the movie makers stopped trying to preach political and social values and just did what they were good at.

Lackluster Rescue Caper with Travelogue Scenery

[dglink · 6/10 · 29 April 2021]

Passably entertaining, producer-director-star Ray Milland's film, "Lisbon," deals with big-time smugglers and petty crooks in 1950's Portugal. A beautiful redhead, trophy wife of a wealthy industrialist, who has been held prisoner behind the Iron Curtain, enlists a Greek expatriate smuggler named Mavros to help her bribe the Communists and rescue her husband. Mavros subsequently hires a part-time smuggler with a fast boat, Captain Evans, to facilitate the rescue. Unfortunately, with a screenplay full of holes, awkward direction, and unconvincing romance, the Republic Pictures production fails on several counts.

The stellar cast, however, remains an asset, especially veteran character actor Claude Rains, who plays Aristide Mavros with conviction and authority gleaned from decades of accomplished performances. Fiery Maureen O'Hara as the duplicitous wife is also quite good, despite her transparent character. Producing, directing, and starring may have been one or two roles too many for Ray Milland, however. His direction is pedestrian, and his staging of the fight scenes is clumsy at best. Besides his limitations as a director, Milland is not everyone's idea of a romantic lead, and O'Hara's and 30-year-old Yvonne Furneaux's attraction to the nearly-50-year-old Milland stretches credibility to the breaking point. While Milland's character supposedly shows interest in his female co-stars, the actor lacks any chemistry with them, and their romantic scenes together are cold and lifeless.

Another asset is Jack Marta's color cinematography. Marta lensed the film on scenic locations in and around Lisbon, which looks glorious, and the film will entice some viewers to book a flight. But, despite the city's color and beauty, watching Milland and his co-stars stroll around the tourist spots adds nothing but padding to the thin predictable plot. Beyond Lisbon's attractions, O'Hara's beauty, and Raines's acting skill, "Lisbon" has little to offer other than a lazy way to pass 90 minutes with an undemanding, uninspiring movie.

Good Cast Cannot Save Turkey Script - Lisbon

[arthur_tafero · 5/10 · 14 November 2023]

I absolutely adore Claude Rains as an actor; I can only think of three films that he made (out of over 100) that were turkeys. Unfortunately, this was one of them. If Claude Rains can't save a film, then you know the script is really bad. Not only was the script bad, but the cinematography was terrible whenever it went indoors. The sound was bad, the shots were all stagey, Practically every shot indoors is a two shot, and most of the outdoor scenes as well. Couldn't they afford to shoot with two cameras? It makes for a very sleepy production. Ray Milland, unfortunately, was at the end of his career (he was even better in Panic in the Year Zero than this bomb). He gives it the old college try, but this aint Lost Weekend. Maureen O'Hara looks miscast in this film, as her career had come to an end as well shortly after this attempt. If the movie doesn't put you to sleep, then you really have a case of insomnia.

Beautifully photographed, with Ray Milland starring and directing. A quite good adventure.

[mamalv · 8/10 · 17 March 2005]

Lisbon is the local for this adventure romance, starring Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara. It is beautifully photographed on location and the story is rousing and the intrigue suspenseful. Claude Rains, is the thief who Sullivan hires to get back her elderly husband, a millionaire, who has been kidnapped by the Chinese. Rains, is of course, suave, devious, and wonderful as the man of many tastes, including beautiful young women. He has always been good in such a part, as he was in Notorious, as the Nazi spy. Ray Milland is dashing, elegant and just nice to look at. His part as the smuggler gives him a chance to use a little comedy, especially when pursued by a beautiful young woman who Raines employs as a "secretary." She is enamored of Milland and she tries to help him escape the hands of Sarafin, who works for Raines and wants to kill Milland to keep the girl for himself. Maureen seduces Milland, but he rejects her advances after she tells him she wants her husband back "dead." He returns the husband alive, and Raines is picked up by the police for the smuggling that Milland was doing all along. Nice twists all around. Milland is still so wonderful to look at and listen to, it is not surprising that all the women are in love with him. For those who thought that Yvonne Furneaux had a hard time throwing herself into the arms of Milland, you have to remember that she is living with Claude Rains as his mistress. Therefore Milland would not look older to her. He directs this film with just enough pace to make it interesting, and the O'Hara character is smooth and crafty. Beautiful to look at scenery only adds to the pictures appeal.

A Good potboiler of the time

[autobenelux · 8/10 · 21 January 2007]

I consider Ray Milland was a much more influential director and actor than the afficiandos estimate. A good sound actor who could carry the lead particularly well and as this film and "A Man Alone" indicate he had the ability to create watchable,logical movies that had good camera work and never over egged the pudding.The Camera work in Lisbon is particularly good as are the sets which convey the aura of the time. The story line is clever without being to complex and an air of authenticity pervades the production which was done in an age where the backlot was normally everything.Splendid acting from Claude Rains as usual with Milland and the rest matching it perfectly. A good rainy day movie even now and worth my score of 8.

Lisbon

[pepitacardinali · 10/10 · 7 June 2006]

I also saw this movie and it's an excellent spy movie. I saw this movie because my Mom Anita Guerreiro plays the singer at the restaurant that Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara's character's are having dinner. I also knew Hummberto Madeira who played Tio Rabio Ray Milland's ship mate.

If you are a fan of spy movies you have to see this one. It is great. This movie was shot on location in Portugal and that was great to be able to see beautiful Lisbon in the good old days. Portugal is a beautiful country and it has been shown in several movie thru out the years.

Pepita

A definite must-see attraction!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 22 April 2018]

Copyright by 1956 by Republic Puictures Corp. New York opening at the Mayfair: 29 August 1956. U.S. release: 17 August 1956. U.K. release through British Lion: 14 January 1957. Australian release through 20th Century-Fox: 18 July 1957. Sydney opening at the Plaza (ran two weeks). 8,139 feet. 90 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: A smuggler, headquartered in Lisbon, attempts to get his hands on a $25 million fortune.

NOTES: Milland's second film as a director, following A Man Alone.

COMMENT: As Republic movies have a considerable cult following, I racked my brains as to which film I should review next for IMDb. I came up with Lisbon, mostly out of sheer perversity. I like the movie, but most Republic fans do not, as their interest usually lapses for the studio's products after 1950.

What Lisbon has to recommend it are its players, its locations and its music score. Maureen O'Hara has a rare unsympathetic role, Milland is his usual suave self, while Yvone Furneaux plays the real heroine with considerable charm. But it's villain Claude Rains who has all the best lines: "Burn two of her dresses!" he screams to his servant. "She kicked me-hard!" replies the eager flunkey. "Indeed? Then burn just one of her dresses." With material like this, the hardworking Rains easily steals the movie's acting honors from Francis Lederer's maniacal killer and Percy "Aloma of the South Seas" Marmont (who makes but a brief appearance near the end).

But it's the real Portuguese locations that lift Lisbon into the must-see class. Milland's direction is lively and he uses his backgrounds with considerable skill. In fact, the Naturama screen (it's actually Franscope in disguise) is so cleverly utilized and tightly framed that Lisbon cannot be squeezed at all happily into a standard TV image (which is another reason of course why the usual roster of Republic admirers don't like it).

Nelson Riddle's haunting music score, including his top-of-the-chart "Lisbon Antigua", is an unexpected bonus.

Visually impressive with colorful settings, this 2nd venture of Milland behind the camera, is an engaging experience not to be missed for fans of the old Republic classics !!

[DeuceWild_77 · 9/10 · 29 April 2018]

I've always fond of Ray Milland, he had a capability to fulfill his characters with lots of charisma sporting a macho attitude, but maintaining his smooth touch of class act and charming the screen in a debonair way few others could do. He reminds me of a mix between Alan Ladd, John Wayne and Roger Moore.

"Lisbon" was his second directed film, which he also produced and acted as the leading star, filmed entirely in the beautiful sunny Portugal in the days of the old regime, back in the mid 50's.

Milland plays the role of Captain Robert John Evans, a good-hearted north american smuggler and owner of a fast boat called "Orca", that established his operations in Lisbon smuggling expensive perfumes from North Africa. When a cynical Greek gangster, Aristides Mavros (Claude Rains) offers him a large sum of money to help the millionaire husband of Sylvia Merrill (Maureen O'Hara), held captive in communist China, to evade, Evans is brought to a web of espionage, intrigue and to a femme that may be... fatale !!

Directed with panache by Milland and colorfully photographed by cameraman Jack A. Marta (shot in Trucolor and Naturama), "Lisbon", like the title may suggest, is the real star of this film, one of the last good ones produced by Republic Pictures (in association with the portuguese Tobis Studios where the interiors were shot).

It's impossible to not be amazed of the beautiful scenery and locations, captured with inspired esthetics by the filmmakers, of "Lisboa Antiga" (Ancient Lisbon), which is also the title of the Fado song that so well represented the heart and soul of the Portuguese people in a time when heritage and patriotism were valued, with Fado singer Anita Guerreiro offering a haunting rendition of it in the scene at the restaurant in Alfama, one of the oldest districts of Lisbon, where Milland and O'Hara's characters first met.

Like a tourist guide, but filmed with passion for the city and its surrounding municipalities, Milland shows the world some of the principal Lisbon's secular monuments such as Castelo de São Jorge (Saint George's Castle); Torre de Belém (Tower of Saint Vincent) and Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery) and also the Rio Tejo (Tagus River), the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula.

Milland also used the beautiful and mystical town of Sintra, today World Heritage Site, to shoot a few scenes showing the Seteais Palace, today a 5 stars Hotel, which overlooks the Pena National Palace, a Romanticist castle and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

Milland and Maureen O'Hara look genuine fascinated with the surroundings and the local folks and that's visible on camera, they even break characters in the scene with the fruits' vendor.

Well, the magnitude of scenery apart and concentrating now on the (side) plot, "Lisbon" is, obviously, reminiscent of the Humphrey Bogart's classics such as "Casablanca" ('42) or "To Have and Have Not" ('44), but more vague & derivative with an upbeat feeling and less intricated in its plot & not so maudlin melodrama, elevated by the optimistic view of the luminous capital of Portugal.

All the main cast performs well with Milland (even that if he started showing some signs of aging around that time), joyfully commanding the screen as the desirable leading star in his pet project; Maureen O'Hara, playing the villain for the first time and having a blast doing it and the great Claude Rains (Captain Louis Renault from "Casablanca") stealing all his scenes with the malevolence and cynicism that his character required (and having the best quotable lines in the whole film).

Yvonne Furneaux as the naive "secretary"; Francis Lederer as the jealous henchman and Edward Chapman as the arrogant butler, all Rains' employees, offer good supporting turns completing the main cast.

In short, "Lisbon" is an enjoyable adventure / film noir / crime film that don't take itself too seriously, to watch with a nostalgic feeling to it, evoking a wonderful Era for filmmaking and presenting a splendorous view of Lisbon, my own hometown, and Sintra, the town where i live for more than 40 years and rewatching this Ray Milland film, produced 20 years before i was even born, reminds me that unfortunately, things didn't changed for the better...

Ray Milland a smuggler with Maureen O'Hara a would be widow and Claude Rains a nasty godfather

[clanciai · 9/10 · 11 February 2019]

This is an elegant thriller in the environment of beautiful Lisbon with the sea as one of the major fields of action in a difficult intrigue involving smuggling and even possible murder, however, as in all thrillers, things don't work out as planned. Ray Milland is a professional smuggler in a boat regularly visiting every port of the Mediterranean for deliveries and fishing, Claude Rains is a fox of a wicked godfather running dirty business professionally and assisting others in the same, sometimes converting them to the same activity, and Maureen O'Hara is a beautiful young married lady to a multi-millionaire advanced in age who is expected out of prison at any moment, but the question is if he will come out alive or dead. The latter would suit Claude Rains' purposes and maybe others' as well, but there is also plenty of romance in this film, with exquisite visits to a number of delicious restaurants and tavernas with adorable music all the way throughout the film (Nelson Riddle). Also photographically the film is enjoyable, but the main thing is the suspense, since everything relies on the release of the old millionaire (25 million), whether it will succeed, what will become of it, and what complications will turn up - there are always complications. The direction and acting leaves nothing more to be desired, and everything is next to perfect, including a satisfactory conclusion. It could have gone worse.

Beautiful to look at, but not much else

[Red-125 · 8/10 · 24 June 2017]

"Lisbon" (1956) was directed by Ray Milland. In theory, the stars are Milland, as Capt. Robert John Evans, Maureen O'Hara as wealthy Sylvia Merrill, Claude Rains as rich gangster Aristides Mavros, and Yvonne Furneaux as Maria Maddalena Masanet, a young woman who is "secretary" to Mavros. In fact, the real star of the movie is the beautiful city of Lisbon.

The plot involves Rains as a successful Greek criminal, and Milland as a smuggler. They are both "gentlemen thieves," but Milland is an honest thief, and Rains is a very dishonest thief.

Maureen O'Hara is the wife of a wealthy man being held captive somewhere. (Somehow, the U.S. State Department is involved as well, although it what never clear to me what they were doing in the movie.)

The plot reminded me of "To Have and Have Not," except that Milland isn't Bogart, and O'Hara isn't Bacall. (Actually, I should say Furneaux isn't Bacall. It's complicated.)

The best part of the film is the few minutes when Milland and O'Hara spend time in a fado club. The beautiful young fadista is the brilliant Anita Guerreiro. Now, 60 years later, Guerreiro is still singing fado in Lisbon. We heard here sing the fado in a club in April, 2017!

We saw this film on (gasp) VHS. It would probably work better in a theater, but it's unlikely that anyone will ever show it, except maybe in a retrospective of one of the leads. If you have VHS capability, watch it that way. Just don't expect to see a thrilling melodrama. Expect to see the city of Lisbon, and that's a city worth seeing.

To summarize, if you want to see boats and bad guys, watch "To Have and Have Not." If you want to see Lisbon and hear Guerreiro, watch "Lisbon."

P.S. Dumbest line in the show, spoken by by Milland when O'Hara asks him about the fado Lisboa Antiga. "It's home sweet home for Brazilians." It's not.

Smartest line in the show, spoken by Yvonne Furneaux, when she tells Milland that he's going to be killed, and he ignores her. "Imbecile!"

A good film made better by Nelson Riddle's musical score.

[rdbqpaul · 8/10 · 8 December 2021]

Seeing Ray Milland, Claude Raines and Maureen O'Sullivan together is good, but add the on-location photography and a haunting Nelson Riddle score and you have a fun viewing experience. This was the first of 4 films directed at Republic by Milland. It is an excellent example of how Republic grew from one step above Poverty Row to near A stature.

Better than average fun melo-dramedy

[rav_vale · 8/10 · 11 January 2024]

I really enjoyed this film. While it's no masterpiece, I thought the performances were quite good, as was the directing, cinematography, location, music, costumes, color and screenplay. It was fun and made me laugh out loud a few times. Claude Rains steals every scene he's in. It's corny in places, but hey; I'm a cornball, so it works for me. It's far from perfect and the third act has a bunch of flaws. But I had a good time and it looks great on Blu-Ray. Milland did a better job with his first directing job, A MAN ALONE, but this one works for me. A good "hang-out" movie. YMMV. Recommended for fans of anyone in the cast, Milland as a filmmmaker and certain kind of old-fashioned post WWII movies from the 50's.