The Immortal Story (1968)

In the Portuguese town of Macao, a wealthy trader named Charles Clay hires two people to recreate a story of a sailor who is paid to impregnate a man's wife.

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Karen Blixen (novel) (as Isak Dinesen), Orson Welles

Stars:

Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Roger Coggio

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeanne Moreau	...	Virginie Ducrot
Orson Welles	...	Mr. Charles Clay
Roger Coggio	...	Elishama Levinsky
Norman Eshley	...	Paul, the sailor

Storyline

The Portuguese colony of Macao in the 19th century. Mr. Clay is a very rich merchant and the subject of town gossip. He has spent many years in China and is now quite old. He likes his clerk Levinsky to read the company's accounts to him at night for relaxation. Tonight Mr. Clay recounts a true story he heard years before about a rich man who paid a poor sailor 5 guineas to father a child with his beautiful young wife. Levinsky says that's a popular old sailor's legend and not true. Mr. Clay has no heir for his fortune and no wife either. He resolves to make the story true... Levinsky approaches Virginie, another clerk's mistress, and strikes a bargain for 300 guineas. Now to find the sailor...

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Plot Keywords:

sailor | legend | foreign language adaptation | based on novel | story | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 September 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Immortal Story

Filming Locations:

Brihuega, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF), Albina Productions S.a.r.l.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min 62 min (TCM print) 47 min (alternate)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Orson Welles originally planned for this film to be made as part of an anthology of adaptations of stories by Karen Blixen. Originally made for French TV, it was later released in theaters. This movie is available on DVD from The Criterion Collection.

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Goofs

After Levinsky pays Virginie, she removes the shawl from the table but it can be seen still on the table in shots of Levinsky.

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Quotes

Elishama Levinsky: Behold, your God shall come with a recompense. Then the eyes of the blind shall be open and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then, shall the lame man leap like a deer and in the wilderness, shall the waters break out.
Mr. Charles Clay: What was all that? Has it happened?
Elishama Levinsky: No.
Mr. Charles Clay: Is is happening now?
Elishama Levinsky: No.
Mr. Charles Clay: Who put that thing together?
Elishama Levinsky: The prophet Isaiah.
Mr. Charles Clay: The prophet. Bah. I don't like prophecies. People should only record things that already happened.

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Alternate Versions

French-language version runs 51 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Arena: The Orson Welles Story - Part 2 (1982)

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Soundtracks

Gymnopedie No. 1
(piano pieces)
Written by Erik Satie
Performed by Aldo Ciccolini with permission of Pathé Marconi

User Reviews

Immortal poetry

The more I watch this movie, the more I love it. It's a gift of a genius who proves how easily Literature and Cinema can be mixed in a powerful way. Although is short and barely commercial, is a gem, a masterpiece of colour, rythm, music and words. The lasts shots, are simply magic.