Maria de Medeiros Movies
Tiny and fairy-like, dark-haired beauty Maria de Medeiros was born in Portugal, the sister of actress Inês de Medeiros. After studying philosophy and acting on the stage, she made her Portuguese film debut in Silvestre (1981) and her French film debut in Paris Seen By...20 Years After (1984). Finding a home for herself in France, she stayed there to play several more supporting roles in French TV movies, miniseries, and features. She started appearing in historical costume dramas with Sorceress and 1871 before making her international debut in the erotic costume drama Henry & June (1990), directed by Philip Kaufman. As her first U.S. production, she was ideally cast as author Anaïs Nin , who wrote the source novel detailing her relationship with American novelist Henry Miller (Fred Ward) and his wife, June (Uma Thurman). During this time, she also made her directorial debut with the hour-long drama The Prince's Death, based on the writings of Fernando Pessoa and originally performed on-stage. Now an international film star, she got several roles in Portugal (The Divine Comedy), France (The Man of My Life), and the U.K. (Meeting Venus). She even made a few films in Spain, Golden Balls and Detective of Death, both with Javier Bardem. In 1994, she appeared inQuentin Tarantino's big hit Pulp Fiction, her most recognizable performance to U.S. audiences. She played the small but memorable role of Fabienne, the girlfriend of boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis). Rather than stay in Hollywood, she returned to Europe to make scores of films in Portugal, Germany, Spain, and mostly France. She won a Best Actress award at the 1994 Venice Film Festival for her role in the dark drama Três Irmãos, directed by Teresa Villaverde. In 2000, she made her feature-length debut as a writer, director, and star with the Capitães de Abril, a historical drama about the Portuguese coup d'état of 1974, winning several festival awards. After starring in the Italian comedy Honolulu Baby, she lined up several projects for 2003, including the French comedy I, Cesar and the Guy Maddin film The Saddest Music in the World. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi- 2011
The São Paulo International Film Festival commissioned this episode film with a most unusual line-up of contributors. The festival asked ten world-class directors to cinematically explore the notion of "invisibility" in the modern world, with each filmmaker responsible for single segment set in or around São Paulo, Brazil. Contributors include Theo Angelopoulos, Manoel de Oliveira, Jerzy Stuhr, Guy Maddin, Gian Vittorio Baldi, and several others. Angelopoulos died a tragic death in a road accident not long after production, making this one of the legendary director's final efforts ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
In this drama from Italy, Diego (Alessandro Gassman) and Shary (Michela Cescon) are a wealthy couple who have rented a luxurious summer house by the sea, which they're sharing with their friends Matteo (Massimo Poggio) and Francesca (Maria de Medeiros). Life is easy until the arrival of David (Thyago Alves), Diego and Shary's handsome son in his early twenties. While everyone likes David, his presence brings out a sense of rivalry and unspoken longings among both couples, and when their friend Leonard (Christo Jivkov), a psychiatrist, arrives, his theories about why so much has changed since David showed up does little to ease anyone's mind. David's Birthday (Il Compleanno) was the second feature film from writer and director Marco Filiberti, following the controversial 2003 release Poco Piu Di Un Anno Fa (aka Adored: Diary Of A Porn Star); the film received its world premiere at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alessandro Gassman, Maria de Medeiros, (more)
- 2007
Director Tonino de Bernardi reworks the tragic myth of Medea into a passionate tale of a nightclub singer abandoned by her husband and forced to care for their two children alone. Irene (Isabelle Huppert) left her homeland in pursuit of Jason, the love of her life. Now Irene is a stranger in a strange land, yet she and her husband Jason live comfortably in a Parisian banlieu with their two children. The couple also owns a nightclub where Irene is the featured entertainer. Though everything seems to be in place for a happy future, Irene suddenly finds herself tumbling into despair after Jason inexplicably abandons his wife and their two young daughters. But Irene has also been caring for a mute girl named Martha who she had brought with her from home, and now the pressure of being a single mother to three children is taking a heavy psychological toll. Consumed by madness yet refusing to lash out violently towards those around her, Irene finds her life forever changed after crossing paths with an exploited Rumanian girl named Marcela. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Tommaso Ragno, (more)
- 2007
French filmmaker Paolo Franchi's sophomore feature follows a psychologically damaged youth who makes the grim decision to kill his parents. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruno Todeschini, Elio Germano, (more)
- 2007
When the heiress of a shoe manufacturing business returns to her home Italy after a trip to Tunisia and discovers an Arab teenager in her luggage, the makeshift family formed between the heiress, her faithful factory worker, and the runaway crumbles under the weight of the outside world. Heiress Anna and her lover Maria have just returned from a romantic getaway in Italy, and upon opening her suitcase Anna discovers that Arab teen Anis has stowed away for the ride to Europe. A stranger in a strange land, Anis is cared for by the motherly Anna despite Maria's initial objections. As the days go by the three gradually build a tenuous domestic rhythm - Anna is the caring mother, Maria the sisterly confidante, and Anis the wide-eyed child. But despite the fact that Maria soon warms to the idea of having Anis around, Anna's mother is vehement in her disapproval of the situation. Meanwhile, Mara suffers at the bedside of her ailing father while Anis grows increasingly comfortable with his new home life and attempts to figure out why Anna and her employee share the same bed. Now, as Anis and Mara grow increasingly closer, their common bond, and shared problems, with Anna slowly come into focus. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maria de Medeiros, Antonia Liskova, (more)
- 2007
A movie fan finds a way to make himself a presence in the lives of his favorite actresses in this comedy from French writer-director Laetitia Colombani. Robert Lepage (Kad Merad) is a janitor who is part of the cleaning crew at the offices of the biggest talent agency in Paris. Ordinarily, this job wouldn't offer many perks, but Robert is clever enough to know what to look for while he's vacuuming or emptying waste baskets, and he's able to swipe invitations to major events and pencil himself onto guest lists for show-biz soirees. Robert's longtime girlfriend (Maria de Medeiros) doesn't think much of his double life, but he's having enough fun that he starts adding his own thoughts to paperwork at the office, and begins using his skills to boost the careers of his favorite stars -- classy veteran actress Solange Duvivier (Catherine Deneuve), sultry siren Isabelle Serena (Emmanuelle Beart) and promising starlet Violette Duval (Melanie Bernier). Thanks to Robert's meddling, Solange, Isabelle and Violette are cast together in a big-budget costume epic, but when he becomes a regular visitor to the set, the actresses begin wondering among themselves who he is and how he became such a big shot. Mes Stars Et Moi (aka My Stars) received its North American premiere at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, (more)
Chaos and quirk reign in this sweetly funny film set in Latvia. An American's arrival in the Baltic country coincides with the Summer Solstice of the year, and he would rather be anywhere else in the world. As he searches for his half-sister, he encounters a cab driver who gives him fondness for this strange country. Midsummer Madness stars Pulp Fiction's Maria de Medeiros and Amelie's Dominique Pinon. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maria de Medeiros, Dominique Pinon, (more)
Isabel Coixet's Mi vida sin mi (My Life Without Me) is a tale of a woman dying before her time. Sarah Polley plays Ann, a 24-year-old mother of two. Ann is married to Don (Scott Speedman), and they live near Ann's mother (Deborah Harry), who is bitter about the fact that Ann's father is serving a ten-year prison sentence. Ann learns that she has only a few months to live. She makes a series of goals to complete before her time on Earth comes to an end. Among her accomplishments are taking a lover (Mark Ruffalo), finding someone to care for Don, and recording birthday greetings for her two daughters. My Life Without Me was screened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Scott Speedman, (more)
- 2003
- R
- Add The Saddest Music in the World to Queue Add The Saddest Music in the World to top of Queue
Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin directs The Saddest Music in the World, reworked from an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro. Set in Winnipeg during the Great Depression, the film involves a contest announced by the legless and glamorous Lady Port-Huntly (Isabella Rossellini) to find the saddest music in the world. She's hoping the contest will result in increased sales of her company's brand of beer. American theatrical producer Chester Kent (Mark McKinney) shows up to win the contest with his kooky show-business idea, while brother Roderick Kent (Ross McMillan) returns from the war. Maria de Medeiros plays Narcissa, a sleep walker romantically linked to both brothers. Their father, the alcoholic doctor Fyodor Kent (David Fox), is tortured by his role in Lady Port-Huntly's leg amputation, so he makes her a new glass pair filled with beer. The Saddest Music in the World was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mark McKinney, Isabella Rossellini, (more)
An international party of astronauts crash lands on Mars. Bummer. Since rescue is, oh, 26 months away, and they only have air, food, and water for a few days, the astronauts must come to grips with the idea of dying slow and painful deaths. The captain (María Lidón) and two others explore the planet, only to make an awesome discovery. Meanwhile, Baglioni (Vincent Gallo) tries to convince the very-Catholic Jenny (Maria de Medeiros) to have sex before dying. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent Gallo, Maria de Medeiros, (more)
- 2001
A guy finds himself living most men's fantasy, only to learn it isn't as much fun as he imagined in this offbeat Italian comedy. Alberto Colombo (Maurizio Nichetti) has spent 20 years working an insignificant desk job with a large multinational corporation, and he not only has little to show for his efforts, but like most of his co-workers, he fears he could be fired at any moment. What's worse, the heads of the firm have insisted that their Italian employees learn to speak English in the name of efficiency, which only makes things more difficult and annoying for him and his co-workers. Colombo gets little respite at home, since his wife Margarita (Maria de Medeiros), who manages a fast-food restaurant, has decided they should speak English at home as well. Colombo thinks he's reached the end of the line -- both personally and professionally -- when he's sent on assignment to Melancias, a small Latin American community where several employees have disappeared in the past while searching for oil reserves. Colombo assumes the worst, but once he arrives, he discovers most of the workers sent to Melancias are alive and well and stayed there by choice; it seems that the town is populated almost entirely by beautiful women, and no man who arrives there will ever want for romantic attention. But Colombo soon discovers that even paradise can have a downside, as he learns it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Honolulu Baby was directed and co-scripted by leading man Maurizio Nichetti; the picture was shot on 35 mm film, then transferred to digital video for post-production work, including special color manipulation. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maurizio Nichetti, Maria de Medeiros, (more)
Renowned actress Maria de Medeiros directs this sweeping historical drama set in Portugal about the heady days leading up to April 25, 1974, when that country was finally freed from 40 years of Fascist rule. The film opens with a series of grisly black and white photographs of Portuguese war atrocities committed against its colonies -- Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau. Antonia (de Medeiros) is a teacher who begs her minister-brother to release a couple of her students from the clutches of the secret police. As a result, she herself gets captured, interrogated, and tortured. At the same time, a young couple bid a tearful adieu at the train station just as the man, Capt. Maia (Stefano Accorsi) is drafted to fight in the colonies. Just before the youth gets shipped off to Africa, he manages to persuade the soldiers of a remote army outpost to rebel. Along with his buddies Lobao (Fele Martinez) and Antonia's ex-husband Manuel (Frederic Pierrot), Maia manages to storm a radio station and ultimately besiege the national guard barracks, which houses the president and military advisors. This film was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stefano Accorsi, Maria de Medeiros, (more)
- 1999
- NR
An elaborate fantasy tale intended for family audiences, Babel tells the story of the Babels, a strange breed of four-foot-tall creatures who once coexisted happily with human beings on planet Earth. However, when the humans built a huge tower to taunt God, he became angry and drove the Babels underground, while scattering the humans to the corners of the Earth and giving them different languages to keep them separate. Thousands of years later, three Babels are searching underground for the Babel Stone presented to them by God when they lose the map -- which is soon snapped up by a dog, who presents it to his master, an advertising man named Patrick. The Babels are desperate to recover the map, and they recruit Patrick's son David to help them find it (and the Babel Stone) before the evil Nemrod can steal the stone and claim its powers. Featuring a cast of French and Canadian actors, including Maria de Medeiros and Michel Jonasz, Babel was shown at Sprockets: Toronto Film Festival for Children in April 1999. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mitchell David Rothpan, Maria de Medeiros, (more)
- 1999
- NR
This romantic comedy from France explores the misadventures of several friends looking for love and trying to define beauty. Daphne (Arielle Dombasle) is a lovely women who is nonetheless unsure about her looks, compounded by the fact that she's fallen in love with Vincent (Thibault de Montalembert), who has a policy of only dating models. Daphne's best friend Celine (Maria de Medeiros) comes up with an idea -- she'll get her pal Jacques (Jean-Philippe Ecoffey) to paint a nude portrait of Daphne. When Vincent sees the painting, he'll be more attracted to the woman who posed for it, leading him to her doorstep. But of course, it isn't quite that simple. Les Infortunes de la Beaute is dominated by Gilles Porte's largely hand-held camerawork, ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arielle Dombasle, Maria de Medeiros, (more)
Daphna Kastner directed this romantic comedy-drama, set in Spain. Interviewing Madrid men, journalist Zoe (Kastner) intends to expand her magazine article into a book. Her own experiences with men, however, haven't exactly made her an expert, but possibilities arise when she meets straight-talking Antonio (Toni Canto) and former professor Carl Livingston (Martin Donovan), owner of a Madrid bookstore. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daphna Kastner, Toni Canto, (more)
- 1997
The third feature from popular Spanish filmmaker Juanma Bajo Ulloa is a sprawling and complex action comedy with a touch of Almodovar-esque surrealistic absurdity that simultaneously satirizes gangster movies, film noir, and the Catholic Church. Juantxo is the chief protagonist. Coming from a bourgeois family, he has had all the opportunities to fulfill his father's wishes by obtaining a university degree, getting a high-paying job and making a place for himself in high society. The trouble is, Juantxo is a socially awkward idiot and a mamma's boy. He is, however, engaged to a rich and beautiful woman. A few days before his wedding, Juantxo's buddies Konradin and Paco persuade him to go out for a final night of oat-sowing. They are not long at the stag party when Juantxo falls for an exotic prostitute. Unfortunately he loses his fiancee's expensive engagement ring while messing with the hooker. Later, this valuable ring is discovered by Villambrosa, a gangster/pimp/international drug runner. His enemy Souza finds out about the ring and sends his sexy moll Fatima do Espirito Santo, a new age girl who can levitate, to investigate the situation. Meanwhile, Juantxo and friends frantically search for the ring. They have three days to find it and their journey takes them on a riotous road trip that leads them into the depths of the Mafia underworld. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Karra Elejalde, Fernando Guillen-Cuervo, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.