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Pedro da Silva (Afonso Pimentel) (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Blanche de Montfort (Léa Seydoux) and Benôit (Julien Alluguette) (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Director Raúl Ruiz and Producer Paulo Branco (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Maria João Bastos (Ângela de Lima) and Adriano Luz (Father Dinis) (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Alberto de Magalhães (Ricardo Pereira) and Elisa de Montfort (Clotilde Hesme) (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Father Dinis (Adriano Luz) (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Young Pedro Da Silva (João Luis Arrais) (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Sofia Aparício, Helena Coelho, Catarina Wallenstein, and Margarida Vilanova (Courtesy of Music Box Films)

Mysteries of Lisbon

directed by Raúl Ruiz
starring Adriano Luz, Maria João Bastos, Ricardo Pereira, Clotilde Hesme, Afonso Pimentel

Raul Ruiz’s 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.

Awards

BEST OF 2011 YEAR END LISTS

The New York Times – A.O. Scott
The New York Times – Manohla Dargis
New York Magazine – David Edelstein
Film Comment
IndieWIRE
Slant Magazine
NPR – Ella Taylor
Village Voice – J. Hoberman

Louis-Delluc Prize 2010
Best French Film Award

San Sebastián International Film Festival
Silver Shell Best Director 2010

Toronto International Film Festival
Official Selection 9th – 19th September 2010

The New York Film Festival
24th September – 10th October 2010

São Paulo International Film Festival
Critic’s Award

Viennale – Vienna International Film Festival
Official Selection 21st October – 3rd November 2010

London Film Festival
Official Selection 13th – 28th October 2010

Torino Film Festival
Official Selection 26th November – 4th December 2010

New York Film Critics Circle 2011 Special Award – Raúl Ruiz (posthumous)

IPA Satellite Awards 2011 – Best Foreign Film

International Cinephile Society – 9 Award nominations

Best Picture
Best Director (Raúl Ruiz)
Best Film Not In The English Language
Best Adapted Screenplay (Carlos Saboga)
Best Cinematography (André Szankowski)
Best Editing (Carlos Madaleno, Valeria Sarmiento)
Best Production Design (Isabel Branco)
Best Original Score (Jorge Arriagada)
Best Ensemble

Press Reactions

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

Technical Information

Production Year: 2010
Release Date: 5 Aug 2011
Countries of Production: Portugal
Languages: Portuguese, French with English subtitles
Running Time: 257
Screen Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital
Color: Color
Rating: unrated