Directed by:
Manoel de OliveiraCinematography:
Renato BertaCast:
Leonor Silveira, Ricardo Trêpa, Luís Miguel Cintra, Marisa Paredes, Lima Duarte, Michel Piccoli, Isabel Ruth, Diogo Dória, Leonor Baldaque, José Wallenstein (more)Plots(1)
Adapted from author Agustina Bessa-Luis' novel The Soul of the Righ, writer/director Manoel de Oliveira's Magic Mirror travels deep into the restless psyche of a well-to-do woman who longs to experience a divine vision. Previously imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, Luciano (Ricardo Trepa) emerges into the real world in desperate need of a sense of direction. Luciano is haunted by the death of his sister Camila, though he does his best to stay distracted from family ghosts by going to work at the manor house of malcontent rich woman Alfreda (Leonor Silveira). Married to the much older Bahia (Duarte de Almeida), Alfreda has no children and spends much of her time discussing religious issues with eccentric Bible scholar Herschel (Michel Piccoli). When man-in-waiting Luciano fails to convince Alfreda that her fixation on the Virgin Mary is merely a delusion brought about by mental malaise, he subsequently hires local girl Filipe (Luis Miguel Cintra) to pose as the Madonna as part of an elaborate, but obscure, ruse. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Leonor Silveira
Portugal
Best movies:
Abraham's Valley (1993)
No, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990)
John From (2015)
Ricardo Trêpa
Portugal
Best movies:
No, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990)
Centro Histórico (2012)
To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
Luís Miguel Cintra
Spain
Best movies:
Abraham's Valley (1993)
No, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990)
The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
Marisa Paredes
Spain
Best movies:
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
All About My Mother (1999)
Talk to Her (2002)
Lima Duarte
Brazil
Best movies:
Me You Them (2000)
Michel Piccoli
France
Best movies:
Un amour de pluie (1974)
May Fools (1990)
Mado (1976)
Isabel Ruth
Portugal
Best movies:
Abraham's Valley (1993)
Lourdes: A Story of Faith, Science and Miracles (2000) (TV movie)
Sunday Afternoon (1966)
Diogo Dória
Portugal
Best movies:
The Portuguese Nun (2009)
Abraham's Valley (1993)
No, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990)
Leonor Baldaque
Best movies:
The Portuguese Nun (2009)
I'm Going Home (2001)
Belle toujours (2006)
José Wallenstein
Portugal
Best movies:
In the White City (1983)
Amo-te, Teresa (2000) (TV movie)
La Mort de Louis XIV (2016)
Adelaide Teixeira
Best movies:
The Portuguese Woman (2018)
The Strange Case of Angelica (2010)
Christopher Columbus, The Enigma (2007)
Duarte de Almeida
Portugal
Best movies:
No, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990)
City of Pirates (1983)
The Convent (1995)
Glória de Matos
Portugal
Best movies:
Abraham's Valley (1993)
Les Cannibales (1988)
Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl (2009)