By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Year: 2012
| Gebo and the Shadow (Portugal/France; 95 min.)
directed by:
Manoel de Oliveira
starring:
Michael Lonsdale; Claudia Cardinale; Leonor Silveira; Jeanne Moreau;
Ricardo Trêpa
|
 |
|
Bruce says: “This
film was my biggest disappointment at the 2012 Toronto International
Film Festival. Just when I had finally ‘come around’ to appreciate
Manoel de Oliveira’s filmmaking with the beguiling THE
STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA, I hit a big bump with GEBO AND THE
SHADOW. The cast here is as seductive as one could ever be….Claudia
Cardinale, Jeanne Moreau, Michael Lonsdale and the directors’ grandson
and regular, Ricardo Trêpa.
“The problems abound. Foremost is the camerawork. There are two
primary stations for the camera that makes the film read more like a TV
talk show than a narrative feature. The second is the dialogue. Based
on a play by Raul Brandão written in 1923, the drama is said to
have
relevance in our time. To achieve that, there has to be dramatic
tension. GEBO AND THE SHADOW relies on relentless repetition to make
its point. The intense longing for a loved one – in this case a
mother’s misplaced love for her child that places her in denial for his
wrongdoings – plays like a broken record here. To placate his wife the
husband acts honorably and takes the fall for his son’s misdeeds. The
son’s wife is loyal but resigned to a life alone.
“It is still a joy to see Michael Lonsdale and Jeanne Moreau. Ms.
Moreau brightens up the film to such a degree that it practically loses
its bearings once she has left the room. Claudia Cardinale is wooden
in one of the more thankless roles I have seen in some time. De
Oliveira was 103 when he finished this film and has now begun another.
Let’s hope he is back in his stride at 104. 2.5 cats
“(GEBO AND THE SHADOW screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film
Festival.)” |
|
