Mysteries of Lisbon

Name: Mysteries of Lisbon
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Released: August 5, 2011
Duration: 272 min
Rating: 82

2011

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	Your Score
5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Music Box Films | Release Date: August 5, 2011 | Not Rated

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 overThe 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

Director: Raoul Ruiz

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 272 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Andrew O'Hehir

Aug 4, 2011

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. Read full review

100

J. Hoberman

Aug 2, 2011

Leisurely and digressive, this generally exhilarating saga ("a storm of misadventures" per Ruiz) variously suggests Victor Hugo, Stendhal, and (thanks in part to the unnatural, emphatic yet uninflected, acting) Mexican telenovelas. The score is richly romantic; the period locations are impeccable. Read full review

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Sep 15, 2011

It's smart, energetic filmmaking that also makes for engrossing entertainment. Read full review

Noel Murray

Aug 3, 2011

Mysteries Of Lisbon is an odd kind of epic: It's digressive and even trifling at times, and though a large cast wanders through the frame, the individual scenes tend to be focused on just two or three people, having winding conversations about political intrigue and affairs of the heart. Read full review

Sheri Linden

Aug 11, 2011

The storytelling is straightforward, with a classical sheen, even as mischief and hallucination puncture the serene surface. Read full review

Deborah Young

Aug 1, 2011

What is left is the sheer joy of storytelling, and willing audiences will find themselves caught up in a what-happens-next page-turner of a film. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

Aug 5, 2011

The result is a dull, high-minded soap opera. Read full review

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User Reviews

CitizenCharlie

Sep 26, 2011

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 resultsThe 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 coupleâ… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

babaji

Sep 2, 2011

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.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

emdashm

Aug 27, 2011

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 theA 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 found this helpful00

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