Una pelicula muy extraña. Las secuencias largas parecen ser habituales en el modo de filmar de Manoel de Oliveira (prolifico y veterano cineasta portugues) y no es para personas acostumbradas al cine hollywoodense ni para los que se distraen fácilmente, pues las secuencias de las charlas en el barco o las largas tomas de paisajes de distintos paises del mediterraneo se toman su tiempo, fácil de 5 a 10 minutos que "retan" la paciencia del espectador no acostumbrado, pero ofrece un quehacer intelectual al espectador interesado. Lo de extraña mas que nada lo digo por el muy estrepitoso final. Recomendable de observar.

A mother takes her daughter to a cruise trip through Mediterranean Sea. She teaches her story and gets in touch with three European women and the ship's captain. Everyone speaks his own language... That's why it's a "Talking picture", a meeting among people of several cultures. The dialogue follow the everyday life. The film seems to be very calm and seems to tell simply a friendship story, until the final scene...

Talk, talk, talk, then...........nothing.

A tepid, awkward travelogue interrupted by tepid, awkward dinner-table philosophy and put to rest by an awkward ending apparently intended to imbue the film with meaning through tragedy. The only success in the film was capturing John Malkovich's expression at the end of the movie and holding that one successful moment frozen through the credits.

i had imagined this film to be a satiric attack on the EU, but just realized it is the director's response to the violence and brutality of Sep 11th. however, i enjoyed the dialogue between the mature little girl and her attractive, empathetic mom.

this is the movie i told you in the morning, it's telling many facts about historical places but i didnt find it successful and i was sleepy i didnt understand anything @-.-@

Staid and civilized for much of the time, the first half nonetheless carries a charm as a mother and daughter travel to various locations, discussing myths, fables, and history. But when the film switches to staying on the cruise ship, it takes a wrong turn, and the last five minutes are horribly obvious and contrived.

A tepid, awkward travelogue interrupted by tepid, awkward dinner-table philosophy and put to rest by an awkward ending apparently intended to imbue the film with meaning through tragedy. The only success in the film was capturing John Malkovich's expression at the end of the movie and holding that successful moment frozen through the credits.

the dialogues are fascinating, and informative. every inquisitive child's dream parent (and any nurturing parent's dream daughter) -- though the dinner banter between the comandante and his 3-5 lady guests were hard to decipher for their varied political subtexts :)

A Talking Picture, directed by Portugues legend Manoel De Olivera, spends its first half as a badly filmed travel-log with commentary by Leonore da Silveira and an 8-year-old child, portraying her daughter. Where they go and what they have to say holds some interest, as da Silviera speaks in grand terms regarding civilization, mythology and legends, but the clarity of the film itself looked like it was shot by a 1950's era camera. I was crying out for a polarizing filter to get rid of some of the pervasive haze. Between the lines the film's message is about humanity, as da Silviera and daughter spend time talking to a fisherman in Marseilles, simply because he has a cute dog. The theme is then echoed when they reach Istanbul and take in the Hagia Sophia, pointing out how the Christian cathedral was conquered by the Muslims and turned into a Mosque. There are several very static shots, filmed as if you were behind the camera looking out at the scenery; often the camera lingers after Da Silviera has left the frame, so you can see other tourists walking in front of the camera. Interesting, but something I would have edited out of my home movies. From the previous paragraph it is obvious that there isn't much in the way of artful filming going on, although there is a nice shot where the camera films da Silviera exiting a taxi, filmed from the street, looking through the taxi window, which reflects the ancient architecture of the building behind. As da Silviera and daughter are traveling the Mediterranean via boat, there are some almost laughable shots of the old cruise ship bobbing on the waves - looking like something Ed Wood would have produced using a toy ship in a bathtub. Add to this the ridiculous filming of the ships' prow cutting through the water to signify time passing between destinations and you've got yourself a bad home movie. Other wasted opportunities include a showing of only a single mosaic at Pompeii (and no frescos), and while at the ampatheator in Athens, the guide points out a stone chair and says "this is a very important chair, see the inscription." Of course the camera shows the chair and inscription, which is in GREEK!! I don't read Greek and don't believe da Silviera does either - so I have no idea whose butt sat in that chair of honor. The 2nd half of the film takes place in the dining salon aboard ship, where da Silviera and daughter are seated near the captain's table - which allows the film to focus on the captain and his honored guests - 3 VIP women who all hail from different countries, yet understand enough varied languages to be able to keep up a fluent conversation (this also speaks of the commonality of humanity). John Malkovich, who is his usual droll, restrained self, plays the captain. He notices the young girl, so after the meal approaches da Silviera and invites her to the captain's table the following evening; an offer that she demonstrably refuses as if she believed Malkovich was hitting on her - truly odd. At the next evening's supper, Capt. Malkovich cajoles a famous Greek actress and singer to do a number for the guests. The song, sung in Greek and going on way too long, is about the missing leaves of the trees and how they were blown away by a harsh north wind. The film has a surprising twist at the end, and when the final frame freezes on Malkovich's face you understand the message of the centuries of civilization and humanity - striving forward and creating through strife, chaos and loss, as a reprise of the Greek song plays over the credits.

just boring.. thousands and thousands of words... maybe a book version would have been a better choice.. the overall sense is ok, but the form is embarrassing.

What? I don't remember why this was on our netflix queue. But I was looking forward to seeing the Mediterranean cruise. It highlights some places I've been and places I want to go with educational mother/daughter dialog (in Portuguese). Then on the ship it got all crazy (in a slow boring way). John Malkovich!!! as captain and three ladies chat in different languages about love and politics and then the ship blows up. Where in the world did that come from?!?! It was like watching three movies in one or something.

Parece uma exibição do Telecurso 2000.

Saw this as a part of a Contemporary Portuguese Cinema series held by the the Austin Film Society. In the movie, a woman and her daughter take an ocean cruise from Portugal to Bombay via the Mediterranean and Red Seas with stops in Marseilles, Napoli, Athens, Istanbul, Egypt, and Aden in July 2001. Most of the movie plays out like a brief travelogue with commentaries on the rise and fall of civilizations, current Western civilizations, and the conflicts between Islam and the West. Some interesting thought-provoking discussions ensue among the characters. However, as the film draws to it's conclusion, the theme considerably darkens, ultimately resulting in a conclusion that is somewhat shocking and depressing with an abrupt freeze frame actually somewhat reminiscent of the conclusion of "The Wages of Fear". I found this conclusion to be quite jarring and quite different in tone from the film, although as this movie makes references to 9/11 and the War on Terror, this needs to be taken into account. My problems with the film mainly concern the pacing as the most of the film moves at pretty much the same pace with very little conflict or action, until the last 10-20 minutes of the film. It somewhat seems incongruous and out-of-place in context with the rest of the movie on initial viewing. Some of the travelogue scenes could have been presented better as well (e.g. no identifying text for a number of the scenes), especially regarding the travel times between each port-of-call. In fact, this important element is definitely missing regarding the conclusion of the film (somewhere in the Red or Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean??). Note: The styling of this film is very typical of the director. Along with "Voyage to the Beginning of the World", the pacing is very slow and much of the plot is dialog-driven. Definitely does not follow the pacing and/or plot forms of other filmmakers, so the film may be quite tedious to many viewers.

Great film from a great director, if you don't like it is because you don't get it.

BIG SCREEN. Su propuesta es atrevida al incorporar su formalismo didáctico en su mismo desarrollo, pero lamentablemente su repaso-reflexión histórico es tan vetusto y falto de vida como los libros escolares de historia universal. Su final, sin embargo, es impactante... aunque cuestionable. / It is a daring proposition in attempting to incorporate its didactic formalism within its development, but regrettably, its historical review-reflection is as tired and lifeless as a school text of Universal History. The ending, however, hits hard... though it's questionable.

This film sort of plays out as a travelogue/history lesson and it does it in a captivating sort of way. I found myself extremely intrigued by every word and every fact that was spoken, eager to gain more knowledge of diverse cultures and histories. That may sound boring to you, but this film was somehow not. Young Maria Joana is constantly asking such insightful questions (espcially for a young girl such as herself) and her mother, Rosa Maria, always answers them so patiently and so articulately. It seems there isn't a question from her daughter that she doesn't know the perfect answer to. The bond and relationship between this mother and daughter is very precious and very sweet. Their exploring of so many different places was interesting and wonderful to watch and very much made me want to do the same. Then there's Rosa Maria's meeting Captain John Walesa (John Malkovich), who then introduces her and her daughter to three strong, cultured and intelligent women and their in depth conversations felt more as if I was watching a documentary and getting a glimpse into some very interesting lives. The ending was shocking and sort of brought it all to a screeching hault. I most certainly was not expecting that. Still, it was a very interesting and intriguing film and worth watching for it's excellent dialogue and wonderful on-location scenes.

One of the best european film.(should be documentary)

A mother takes her daughter to a cruise trip through Mediterranean Sea. She teaches her story and gets in touch with three European women and the ship's captain. Everyone speaks his own language... That's why it's a "Talking picture", a meeting among people of several cultures. The dialogue follow the everyday life. The film seems to be very calm and seems to tell simply a friendship story, until the final scene...

Una pelicula muy extraña. Las secuencias largas parecen ser habituales en el modo de filmar de Manoel de Oliveira (prolifico y veterano cineasta portugues) y no es para personas acostumbradas al cine hollywoodense ni para los que se distraen fácilmente, pues las secuencias de las charlas en el barco o las largas tomas de paisajes de distintos paises del mediterraneo se toman su tiempo, fácil de 5 a 10 minutos que "retan" la paciencia del espectador no acostumbrado, pero ofrece un quehacer intelectual al espectador interesado. Lo de extraña mas que nada lo digo por el muy estrepitoso final. Recomendable de observar.