A Talking Picture (2003)

Lisbon, Marseilles, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Cairo, Aden, and Bombay. Along with a university teacher and her little daughter, we embark on a long journey, experiencing different cultures and civilizations.

Director:

Manoel de Oliveira

Writer:

Manoel de Oliveira (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Leonor Silveira, Filipa de Almeida, John Malkovich

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Leonor Silveira	...	Rosa Maria
Filipa de Almeida	...	Maria Joana
John Malkovich	...	Comandante John Walesa
Catherine Deneuve	...	Delfina
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Francesca
Irene Papas	...	Helena
Luís Miguel Cintra	...	Himself - Portuguese Actor
Michel Lubrano di Sbaraglione	...	Pescador
François Da Silva	...	Cliente do Pescador
Nikos Hatzopoulos	...	Padre Ortodoxo
Antònio Ferraiolo	...	Cicerone Pompeia
Alparslan Salt	...	Cicerone Museu de Santa Sophia
Ricardo Trêpa	...	Oficial
David Cardoso	...	Oficial
Júlia Buisel	...	Amiga de Delfina

Storyline

A meditation on civilization. July, 2001: friends wave as a cruise ship departs Lisbon for Mediterranean ports and the Indian Ocean. On board and on day trips in Marseilles, Pompeii, Athens, Istanbul, and Cairo, a professor tells her young daughter about myth, history, religion, and wars. Men approach her; she's cool, on her way to her husband in Bombay. After Cairo, for two evenings divided by a stop in Aden, the captain charms three successful, famous (and childless) women, who talk with wit and intellect, each understanding the others' native tongue, a European union. The captain asks mother and child to join them. He gives the girl a gift. Helena sings. Life can be sweet.

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Plot Keywords:

mediterranean sea | reference to aphrodite the greek deity | reference to athena the greek deity | reference to minerva the roman deity | reference to poseidon the greek deity | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Madragoa Filmes [Portugal]

Country:

Portugal France Italy

Language:

Portuguese French Italian English Greek

Release Date:

15 October 2003 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

A Talking Picture

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,325, 12 December 2004

Gross USA:

$20,237

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$601,815

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madragoa Filmes, Gemini Films, Mikado Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Irene Papas' third and final collaboration with Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, and also Papas' last movie before she retired.

User Reviews

the movie is like the sea itself

I highly recommend this movie for anyone with an open mind and patience. My own enjoyment of it was further enhanced by my love of languages, zeal for seeking subtext, and boredom with conventional film clichés. If you're like me in this respect, I think you'll enjoy this film. If you're looking for a thrill ride or expect one of the standard narrative forms, you will not.

The film behaves like the sea it frequently depicts. Lilting, undulating, splashing, and crashing randomly on its poetically simple story line: a Portuguese woman and her daughter set out on a cruise to meet their husband/father in Bombay. Along the way, they stop in various cities and have conversations about the history of the places they're visiting.

At first viewing, the films seems like a mixture of luxuriously long shots of ships and waves, stilted conversations between wooden actors, random scenes with strange editing, and almost no musical score. But the more I think about the film, the more the subtle meanings haunt me. The film was not an "upper", but I can't help smiling when I think about it.

I think the point was this: Through its academic recitation of history, a mother's explanations to her child, and an unsettling dose of present day reality, this movie contextualizes life in a way no other film I know of does. Good and Evil brought full circle? The grand flaw of humanity laid bare? An excercise in audience-manipulation? Whichever: Very rewarding.