A TALKING FILM
Portugal, 2003, 98 minutes, Colour.
Leonore Selveira, John Malkovich, Catherine Deneuve, Irene Papas, Stefania Sandrelli.
Directed by Manoel de Oliveria.
A Talking Film is one of the many directed by veteran Manoel de Oliveira. He was 93 when he made this film. However, it shows the perspective of a man much younger in vision, looking back over the culture of Europe, trying to understand something of Portuguese culture, yet very much in the aftermath of 11September 2001 and terrorism.
The film is set in the summer of 2001. A professor of history at the Lisbon University (Leonore Selveira) takes her daughter on a cruise of the Mediterranean, eventually to go to Bombay to meet her airline pilot husband. The film gives the opportunity of having a journey and a quest, to see the places of European culture in the Mediterranean and experience them. There are explanations of Portuguese discovery as the ship leaves Lisbon, a glimpse at French culture in Marseilles, a look at Italian culture, especially the destruction of Pompeii by Vesuvius, a visit to Greece and the Parthenon and the Acropolis, a visit to Turkey, Istanbul and Sancta Sofia, a visit to Egypt, looking at the Suez Canal, the pyramids and the sphinx, eventually a glimpse of Aden and then disaster strikes.
The film is a talking film but the talk is very interesting: the mother explaining history to her child, the child asking innocent questions, guides, an Orthodox priest, an actor all giving explanations of the culture. There is a transition then to conversation on board the ship with John Malkovich as the captain (at first unctuous flattering the three women) giving a strong performance and enabling Catherine Deneuve, Irene Papas and Stefania Sandrelli each to speak in their own language but each of them understanding the other so that they could talk about Europe, culture, the role of men and women, politics and civilisation and each reflect on language and their own heritages. The film is very strong in content - although there is no mention of Asia (where, in fact, the boat was going). There are side mentions of Africa and the Pacific with some condemnations of America.
The film is timely, a film of a 20th century film-maker at the beginning of the 21st century reflecting on the past and some of the seeming hopelessness for the future.
1. The work of the director, his age, insight, his ability to share his insights, the cinematic style, the verbal content and style?
2. The title, the film as truly a talking film, the mother talking to her daughter, the daughter asking questions, the old man in Marseilles, the guide in Pompeii, the Orthodox priest in Greece, the actor in Egypt? The captain and the discussion of the women on the ship? Inviting the mother and daughter to be part of the conversation?
3. The content of the discussions: Portuguese and the 16th explorers and the monument in Lisbon Harbour, France and its democratic traditions, its links with the Greeks, with the Muslims? The fish market in Marseilles? Naples, the Roman Empire, its being destroyed by Vesuvius at Pompeii? The focus on Greece, its art and beauty? The Greeks, the Romans, Muslims? The respect for Catholic and Orthodox? The respect for Muslims especially in the visit to Sancta Sofia? Istanbul, Egypt (and the actor telling the story of Napoleon looking at the monuments of Egypt)? The background of the Suez Canal, the pictures, Empress Eugenie and the French and their achievement? The markets of Aden? Terrorism? The West and the western culture in Europe? The transition to discussion of careers, family, being childless? Success and failure? The sea? The role of language, different languages, the predominance of English? The European Union? Men and their role in Europe? The speculation that some women were rulers? Some reference to Brazil and Latin America? Greece and its contribution to civilisation, its language not travelling whereas Portuguese spoken in the various parts of the world? The final song and its plaintive lyrics and melody?
4. The style of the talking film: conversation, lecture, discussion? Both serious and comic? The character of Maria Rosa, her representing the present, her knowledge of the past? The quest and the visit, her knowledge of culture, wanting to absorb it, her heritage? Her good relationship with her daughter, listening to her, answering all her questions about detail, history, the nature of myth and legend? Her husband and his work? Their going to join him, the holiday? Her pleasant talk with the fishmonger in Marseilles, learning from him? Listening to the tour guides, the Orthodox priest and his explanation of Greece and of the Orthodox Church? The actor and the explanation of Cairo? Her buying the dress in Aden and the irony that this was what her daughter was wearing when the boat blew up?
5. On the boat, with her daughter, keeping to herself, observing the three women, knowing who they were from the media? The captain and his invitation, the gift at the table, the daughter and her delight with the doll? The discussions about Portugal and Greece? Going back to the cabin to get the doll - too late for the lifeboats? The daughter, her age, the range of her questions, learning? The dress, the doll, the cause of their death?
6. The captain as host, his experience, American, his life story? His knowing the women, inviting them to his table, the discussions, flattery? The serious discussions, Babel? Inviting Helen to sing the song? With Rosa, the gift? In the lifeboat - his wanting to save mother and daughter but unable to?
7. The three women, the glamorous icons of the screen, the different nationalities, their languages, each understanding the other, their careers, work, success, yet personal loneliness, widowhood, being childless? Their national perceptions and heritages, philosophy, the role of women? Helen and her explanation of Greece, civilisation, art, democracy, theatre? Her song just before the ship exploded?
8. The glimpse of the old man in Marseilles and his character, explanation of himself, the Pompeii guide? The well-known actor in Egypt?
9. The situation with the bomb, 2001, the explosion and terrorism? The old saved? The present and the future, Maria Rosa and her daughter dying? The captain and his power (a symbol of God) and his inability to save them?
10. The issues of the film and the world: culture, religion, churches, the Catholics, Orthodox, Muslim religion? Africa, the absence of discussion of Asia, references to Latin America and Brazil? Democracy, philosophy, libraries, theatre? Wars? Language, change, empires being destroyed, voyages of discovery, creations of beauty, the ebb and flow of languages and their use, the predominance of English, civilisations being destroyed, passing yet aspects surviving?
11. The perspective of an old 20th century man on the beginning of the 21st century?
