The Uncertainty Principle (2002)

Having lost her place among the social elite, a widow remarries and starts a family.

Director:

Manoel de Oliveira

Writers:

Agustina Bessa-Luís (novel), Manoel de Oliveira

Stars:

Leonor Baldaque, Leonor Silveira, Isabel Ruth

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonor Baldaque	...	Camila
Leonor Silveira	...	Vanessa
Isabel Ruth	...	Celsa
Ricardo Trêpa	...	José Feliciano, 'Touro Azul' / Fiscal
Ivo Canelas	...	António Clara
Luís Miguel Cintra	...	Daniel Roper
José Manuel Mendes	...	Torcato Roper
Carmen Santos	...	Joana
Cecília Guimarães	...	Rute
Júlia Buisel	...	Aunt Tofi
Ângela Marques	...	Adoração
Diogo Dória	...	Policeman
António Fonseca	...	Policeman
João Bénard da Costa	...	Mr. Ferreira (as Duarte de Almeida)
P. João Marques	...	Priest

Storyline

Having lost her place among the social elite, a widow remarries and starts a family.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to joan of arc | uncertainty principle | servitude | bourgeoisie | marriage | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2002 (#05)

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Connections

Followed by Magic Mirror (2005)

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Soundtracks

24 caprici per violino, op. 1
Music by Niccolò Paganini (as Nicolo Paganini)
Performed by Shlomo Mintz

User Reviews

Mature masterpiece

Another masterpiece from the portugese master. Very different from last years popular Je rentre a la maison. This work is more akin to films like Abraham valley and Francisca. An american audience would obviously not get anything from a film as refined as this one.

Camila (Leonor Baldaque) marries António but is the marriage based on love? What is the role of Vanessa? Camila is passive-aggressive and puzzles her environment and the audience.

The cinematography by Renato Berta is superb. There are no camera movements except when the camera is on a bus or a train.

It's hard to summarise a great work like this. Just another peculiar note. Camila is played by the writers granddaughter. The man who really loves her is played by the directors grandson. Both roles captures something of their makers, according to the director.

Anyone interested in serious cinema should see this. People who prefer braindead american cinema shoud stay away.

Details

Official Sites:

Madragoa Filmes [Portugal] (English, Portuguese, French)

Country:

France Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

11 September 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Bijou de famille

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$94,261

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madragoa Filmes, Gemini Films, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1