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Mysteries of Lisbon

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Overview

Raul Ruiz’s, Mysteries of Lisbon, masterful adaptation of the eponymous nineteenth-century Portuguese novel (by Camilo Castelo Branco) evokes the complex intertwined narratives of Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. 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.

Reactions, Awards & Festivals

"The most glorious achievement of Raúl Ruiz’s prodigious career and one of the first cinematic masterpieces of this century."

Film Comment

“An audacious, extravagantly entertaining Dickensian melodrama.”

Karen Durbin

Elle

"An elegant, exquisitely produced jewel of a film…evoking the novels of Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens."

Indiewire

"Hypnotically beautiful, playful...lavish, elegant, operatic…It immersed me, it wove a spell…"

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 2012 - 2nd Place NSFC Award, Best Foreign Language Film

London Critics Circle Film Awards 2012 ALFS Award Nominee - Foreign Language Film of the Year

Fotogramas de Plata 2012 Nominee - Best Foreign Film, Raoul Ruiz

Winner! Athens Panorama of European Cinema 2011 - Best Film

Winner! Golden Globes, Portugal 2011 - Best Actor, Adriano Luz

Winner! Golden Globes, Portugal 2011 - Best Actress, Maria João Bastos

Winner! Golden Globes, Portugal 2011 - Best Film, Raoul Ruiz (director), Paolo Branco (producer)

Golden Globes, Portugal 2011 Nominee - Best Actor, Ricardo Pereira

Golden Globes, Portugal 2011 Nominee - Best Actress, Joana de Verona

Winner! Satellite Awards 2011 - Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language Film

Satellite Awards 2011 Nominee - Best Art Direction & Production Design

Satellite Awards 2011 Nominee - Best Costume Design

Winner! Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2011 - Best Foreign-Language Film

Winner! São Paulo International Film Festival 2010 Critics Award - Best Film, Raoul Ruiz

Winner! San Sebastián International Film Festival 2010 Silver Seashell Award - Best Director, Raoul Ruiz

San Sebastián International Film Festival 2010 Golden Seashell Award Nominee - Best Film, Raoul Ruiz

São Paulo International Film Festival 2010 - Official Selection

Toronto International Film Festival 2010 – Official Selection

New York Film Festival 2010 - Official Selection

Winner! Prix Louis Delluc 2010 - Best French Film Award, Raoul Ruiz

Vienna International Film Festival 2010 - Official Selection

London Film Festival 2010 - Official Selection

Torino Film Festival 2010 - Official Selection

Cast & Crew
  • Father Dinis : Adriano Luz
  • Ângela de Lima : Maria João Bastos
  • Alberto de Magalhães : Ricardo Pereira
  • Elisa de Montfort : Clotilde Hesme
  • Pedro da Silva : Afonso Pimentel
  • Pedro da Silva – Child : João Luis Arrais
  • Count of Santa Bárbara : Albano Jerónimo
  • D. Pedro da Silva : João Baptista
  • Sebastião de Melo : Martin Loizillon
  • Benoît de Montfort : Julien Alluguette
  • Director : Raul Ruiz
  • Producer : Paulo Branco
  • Screenplay : Carlos Saboga
  • Based on the Homonymous Novel by : Camilo Castelo Branco
  • Cinematographer : André Szankowski (a.i.p)
  • Music : Jorge Arriagada and Luis Freitas Branco
  • Art Direction : Isabel Branco
  • Editing : Valéria Sarmiento and Carlos Madaleno
  • Production Manager : Ana Pinhão Moura
  • Ad : João Pinhão and José Maria Vaz da Silva
  • Sound : Ricardo Leal, Miguel Martins and António Lopes
  • Production Coordinators : Julita Santos and Anne Mattatia (France)
  • Casting Director : Patrícia Vasconcelos
Technical Info
  • Production Year : 2010
  • Release Date : August 5, 2011
  • Countries of Production : France, Portugal
  • Languages : French, Portuguese
  • Running Time : 4 Hours, 17 Minutes
  • Screen Ratio : 1.85:1
  • Sound : Dolby Digital
  • Color : Color
  • Rating : Not Rated
DVD/Blu-Ray Special Features

Collector’s booklet including essays and photos

35 min interview with Raúl Ruiz for CinéCinéma

Interview with screenwriter Carlos Saboga

Roundtable critical discussion about the film for French television

Segment on novelist Camilo Castelo Branco and the film

Radio interview with Raúl Ruiz on France Culture| Theatrical Trailer