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Mysteries of Lisbon
Mysteries of Lisbon Image
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Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: The core story centers on Joao, the bastard child of an ill-fated romance between two members of the aristocracy who are forbidden to marry, and his quest to discover the truth of his parentage. But this is just the start of an engrossing tale that follows a multitude of characters whose fates conjoin, separate and then rejoin again over three decades in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. (Music Box Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    Aug 4, 2011
    100
    Once you start to ride with the rapturous, gorgeous, digressive symphony of images and words and music in this film it's completely absorbing and unlike anything you've ever seen.
  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    Aug 2, 2011
    60
    Comfortable with subtle Proustian detachment, the director has taken another stab at colossal scope, this time getting lost in the cerebral folds.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    Aug 5, 2011
    20
    The result is a dull, high-minded soap opera.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. CitizenCharlie
    8
    The Mysteries of Lisbon are not so much mysteries as they are a series of conversations which always lead to some sort of revelation. These revelations are melodramatic punch lines with interlocking characters continuously finding out who their parents are, where they came from, the results of lost loves, and everything in between. If the script was written in a linear fashion with no time jumps or flashbacks, there would be no mysteries; it would just be a meandering retelling of Romeo and Juliet (and all of their cousins). The word meandering sounds harsh and an indictment of a script which does not know where it is going. However, I mean meandering as in there are multiple lead characters to follow and each of them has a very complicated past which takes its time to tell. The Mysteries of Lisbon is four and a half hours long; the director threw out accepted norms for audience patience in favor of showing the whole story. It is based on an 1854 novel by the Portuguese author Camilo Castelo Branco and it appears it was filmed in an unabridged fashion. The main character is a village priest, Padre Denis (Adriano Luz), who at first is indirectly involved in a couple’s forbidden love affair and then purposefully injects himself into their lives and then into everyone else’s life who comes into contact with their troubles. Even though the priest is the interconnecting cog in the middle of all of these characters, he is not the narrator. That role is given to an orphan the priest looks after and becomes a driving force of his own later on. The director, Raul Ruiz, obviously loves conversations, but only deep and emotionally scarring ones. Every conversation or recounting of a previous conversation has its own 30 minute segment it seems. The characters, usually just two, sit in a room and then the scene fades into flashback on what happened in the past which will now illuminate the present. I believe the time shifts were included to create the mystery. The author deliberately created the tension of not knowing and the ‘a-ha’ discovery moments because he could not have accomplished the same moments with a realistic, linear timeline. The action is mostly set in Portugal and appears to be in the early 1800s but after Napoleon. The Emperor is frequently referenced but only in the past tense. Many of the characters are nobles so the costume designer had a true feast in outfitting so many people in remarkable period dress. The Portuguese scenery and elaborate set designs are also enjoyable; somebody really took their time to make the set look intensely real. The lighting is also employed to convey a sense of realness. There seems to be no artificial lighting whatsoever. Light only comes through windows during the day and the rooms are terrifically dark at night. The candles never flicker so there must be some source of artificiality, but it is not noticeable. Unfortunately, Raul Ruiz recently passed away on 19 August. He was Chilean born but left Chile in 1973 when Augusto Pinochet took power. The Mysteries of Lisbon is his final film and is of such epic proportions it appears he was thinking about this film for a long time before he finally took the plunge. I recommend this film, but be careful. Watch it only if you appreciate long, intense scenes of dialogue or appreciate the intricate details of period films. There is extremely little action and drawn out sequences with no words spoken at all; however, there is character with the endearing name ‘Knife Eater’. If these aspects do not scare you, then sit back and enjoy because you are in for a real treat. You will not see a film like this from an American director; no studio would ever sign off on a movie this long, not if they expect it to make any money.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. babaji
    8
    Saw this at the San Francisco Film Festival in April 2011. Long production, well produced, well acted and epic in scope. If you go for large epic tales, this is a good one to watch.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  3. emdashm
    7
    A little over half for the four hour-plus-intermission riveting BBC miniseries-esque film that played at the new Bunim Munroe center at Film Society last weekend. The first half was incredible! The characters, the plot twists, dialogue, costumes, intrigue. Passion. Managed to feed the flame of 19th-century obsession for a whole two hours, that is until the second act when it imploded of its own over-the-top quirks and romantics. Would it really have been asking too much to sustain the handsome, childlike wonder that was Joao for just a little while longer?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

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