A Talking Picture

A Talking Picture

2003 · 96 min · ★ 6.7 · Drama, History

A meditation on civilization. July, 2001: friends wave as a cruise ship departs Lisbon for Mediterranean ports and the Indian Ocean. On board and on day trips in Marseilles, Pompeii, Athens, Istanbul, and Cairo, a professor tells her young daughter about myth, history, religion, and wars. Men approach her; she's cool, on her way to her husband in Bombay. After Cairo, for two evenings divided by a stop in Aden, the captain charms three successful, famous (and childless) women, who talk with wit and intellect, each understanding the others' native tongue, a European union. The captain asks mother and child to join them. He gives the girl a gift. Helena sings. Life can be sweet.

Directed by Manoel de Oliveira · Written by Manoel de Oliveira

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Cast

Leonor Silveira Rosa Maria
Filipa de Almeida Maria Joana
John Malkovich Comandante John Walesa
Catherine Deneuve Delfina
Stefania Sandrelli Francesca
Irene Papas Helena
Luís Miguel Cintra Himself
Ricardo Trêpa Oficial
Júlia Buisel Amiga de Delfina
David Cardoso
Manoel de Oliveira

Make it a double feature

3h 6m together

A Talking Picture

I’m Going Home

Both from Manoel de Oliveira.

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