Isabel Ruth Movies

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. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Manoel de Oliveira's The Uncertainty Principle is based, like several other of the director's films, on the writing of Agustina Bessa-Luís. The film opens with a long shot of an old cathedral in the rain, as a young woman, Camila (Leonor Baldaque, the granddaughter of Bessa-Luís), surreptitiously enters, presumably to pray, then emerges a short while later. Then the conversation of two brothers, Daniel (Luis Miguel Cintra) and Torcato Roper (José Manuel Mendes), Camila's former tutors, is heard as they describe the central characters of the film. Antonio (Ivo Canelas) is from a wealthy family; he's also the childhood friend of Jose (Ricardo Trêpa, de Oliveira's grandson), the son of his family's maid, Celsa (Isabel Ruth). Jose, who is known as "the Blue Bull" and has been in love with Camila since childhood, is engaged in some kind of shady business practice with Vanessa (de Oliveira stalwart Leonor Silveira), who runs a brothel and a dance club. Thanks to Celsa's machinations, Antonio proposes to Camila, whose family has fallen on hard times. The calculating Camila marries Antonio, who makes little effort to hide his affair with Vanessa. The Uncertainty Principle was shown in competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It was also selected for the 2002 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Two weeks before her wedding, Maria Joao (Beatriz Batarda) is spoiled, hung over, possibly pregnant, and unwilling to exchange her party girl ways for her impending marriage. So, with the objections of her father (Luis Miguel Cintra) and the encouragement of her idiosyncratic Uncle Nini (Francisco Rabal), she leaves her family's estate, on a mission to return a large boat and trailer to her fiancé, who lives in Spain. With the help of Gabriel (Marcello Urgeghe), her father's godson, she drives a large rig across the Iberian plains, visiting her estranged brother Ze Maria (Ricardo Aibeo) in Cordoba along the way and dallying in sexual hijinks to boot. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Paulo Rocha directed this Portuguese-Brazilian drama which Rocha initially began scripting 30 years ago. Carolina (Isabel Ruth) marries dredging-boat operator Antonio (Brazilian TV star Lima Duarte), but she soon becomes jealous of Antonio's interest in their goddaughter Melita (Joana Barcia), but both Carolina and Melita fancy gypsy gold salesman Ze of Gold (Joao Cardoso). Passions, jealousy, and long-buried secrets begin to surface. Folk ballads performed by Portuguese singer Jose Mario Branco. Shown in the A Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The 89-year-old Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira wrote and helmed this Portuguese-French-Spanish-Swiss co-production, an anthology film drama featuring three tales linked by the theme of death. In "The Immortals," adapted from a Helder Prista Monteiro play, two famous doctors, an 80-year-old father, and his 60-year-old son, contemplate senility and death. "Suzy," from an Antonio Patricio story, is set in the '30s when a young courtesan dies on the operating table. "Mother of the River" is from an Agustina Bessa-Luis fable about eternal life. Shown out of competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This lightweight comedy is part of a trilogy about Lisbon. Scatter-brained Franny is in Lisbon to deliver a valuable package. Unfortunately she has lost the address and only knows that the recipient's name is Joao. When she meets an old hooker, Esmeralda, the two join forces and begin cruising the town and the local bars to find Joao. The contents of the package are truly surprising. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this artful film by 85-year old director Manoel de Oliveira, the heroine, instead of being powerless in the face of a world ruled by men, finds herself to be far too powerful. Beginning when she was a child, Ema (Leonor Silveira as an adult) had the kind of looks and manner that could stop cars when she came up to a street -- or cause accidents. As time goes by, she explores her power over men and, as a mature woman, chooses to marry a man who has virtually no machismo so that she can continue having affairs and exploring this mysterious ability of hers. Eventually she seeks to transcend her unusual limitation and accomplishes her death with astonishing serenity. This haunting story is based on a novel by Agustina Bessa-Luis. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A number of colonial wars in Africa in the 1970s have resulted in the conscription of Alex's father Pedro into the Portuguese Army. The young man and his father write to one another frequently, and it seems as if they are still close. However, at some point, the letters stop coming. Alex and his mother are worried that Pedro might have been killed or captured, but that particular concern is soon replaced by another when they learn from a returning soldier that Pedro has been back in Portugal for several months. When he is persuaded to return to his home, it becomes clear that he might have been wiser to stay away. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This classy drama is an updated version of Dickens' novel. Filmed entirely in black and white, the tale is set in the Portuguese industrial town of Poco do Mundo (World's End). The story centers on the schoolmaster's two children. The sister is married to a prominent factory owner. She is terribly unhappy. Her brother works in her husband's factory. All of the main characters have terrible secrets that they hide. Eventually the secrets destroy them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This exquisitely wrought Portuguese drama is framed by the conversation between two old flames who meet at a restaurant to remember a recently murdered friend, a film producer who had been filming an adaptation of 19th-century playwright Alexandre Herculano's historical drama O'Bobo. Their ensuing conversation forms the narrative framework for several stories that are shown via flash back. The dinner topics include, the destruction of their relationship the making of the film and the events that lead to the producer's demise. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide