Review of Mysteries of Lisbon (2010) by Aaron B — 15 Jul 2011
It's rare to find a film these days that justifies an intermission, but this four and a half hour Portuguese historical epic certainly does. It tells a myriad of intertwined stories of 19th century Portuguese life amongst the nobility, with detours in place and time to Venice and revolutionary France.
Sticklers might find the emphasis on patient story-telling and gradual reveals frustrating, but personally I relished the chance for the various characters' stories to stretch out and breathe; indeed it became something of a running joke for characters to utter lines like "let me tell you my story right from the beginning".
Replete with multiple identities, honour-staked duels, unknown legacies, wronged noblewomen, vengeful suitors, quixotic adventurers and dozens of cast members, Mysteries of Lisbon sprawls most enjoyably on the big screen, and rewards viewers who appreciate cinema on the grand scale.
My only complaint pertained to the slightly melodramatic score, which occasionally swelled to intrusive proportions.
This review of Mysteries of Lisbon (2010) was written by Aaron B on 15 Jul 2011.
Mysteries of Lisbon has generally received positive reviews.
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