Synopsis
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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Cast
- Leonor SilveiraRosa Maria
- Filipa de AlmeidaMaria Joana
- John MalkovichComandante John Walesa
- Catherine DeneuveDelfina
- Stefania SandrelliFrancesca
- Irene PapasHelena
- Luís Miguel CintraHimself
- Ricardo TrêpaOficial
- Júlia BuiselAmiga de Delfina
Recommendations
- 100
Christian Science Monitor
As a nonagenarian, de Oliveira is the world's oldest working filmmaker, and still one of the best. This is a lovely, lively, timely treat for the eyes and mind. - 90
The New York Times
In both its intellectual reach and the elegant simplicity of its form, A Talking Picture bears resemblance to Andrei Sokurov's "Russian Ark." - 88
Chicago Tribune
It's a great film that, sadly, may be ignored by all but the most dedicated, knowledgable filmgoers. - 80
Chicago Reader
Initially this seems naive and archaic, but it conceals a Buñuelian stinger in its tail. - 80
The A.V. Club
De Oliveira wraps A Talking Picture with a simultaneous introduction and farewell--a bold curtain-dropper that's either a bleak joke or an imprecisely controlled scream of rage. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
A thoughtful, provocative effort that makes up for its narrative failings with its astute philosophical musings. - 75
New York Post
Moves along its tranquil way until about five minutes before the closing credits, when it turns into a terrorist thriller. - 70
Variety
A film destined to divide Manoel de Oliveira's fans but also to win him new ones, A Talking Picture is his simplest, most linear story in memory.
