Fresh
Oliveira establishes a sense of timelessness only to catch his audience up short with a film that ultimately could scarcely be a more timely comment on the world in which we live.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
A Talking Picture
2003 · 1h 36m · Not Rated
Drama, History
Directed by
Manoel de Oliveira
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A Talking Picture
Overview
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.
Director and cast
- Manoel de Oliveira Director
- Leonor Silveira as Rosa Maria
- Filipa de Almeida as Maria Joana
- John Malkovich as Comandante John Walesa
- Catherine Deneuve as Delfina
- Stefania Sandrelli as Francesca
- Irene Papas as Helena
- Luís Miguel Cintra as Himself
- Ricardo Trêpa as Oficial
- Júlia Buisel as Amiga de Delfina
- David Cardoso Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
76%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Structured like a chatty play in three acts.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Fresh
Extremely slow and won't be for those with no appetite for lengthy, self-serious monologues, but it also has a sharp, personal edge to it.
Mary Brennan, Seattle Times
Fresh
A potent and troubling meditation on the state of Western society.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh
A thoughtful, provocative effort that makes up for its narrative failings with its astute philosophical musings.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
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