Gilbert Valence is a theatre actor. Talent and a long career have landed him a number of brilliant parts. But one afternoon right after the show, tragedy enters his life: his agent and old friend Georges tells him that his wife, his daughter and his son-in-law have just died in a car crash. Gilbert starts sharing his time between the grandson he adores and the theatre. Although the young actress with whom he works is smitten by him, his heart is in no state for adventure; but he does accept the proposal of an American director to work on an adaptation of Joyce's Ulysses. The text is short, but so is the amount of time he has to memorize it in English.
BIOGRAPHY
MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA Oporto, 1908. Is one of Europe's great filmmakers, with an impressive career behind him. His first feature, Aniki-Bobó, dates from 1941. His most recent films: Party (1996), Viagem ao principio do mundo (Journey to the Beginning of the World, 1997), Inquietude (Anxiety, 1998), A carta (The Letter, 1999), Palabra e Utopia (Word and Utopia, 2000) and Je rentre à la maison (2001), warmly acclaimed at the last Cannes Festival, confirm Oliveira's mastery.
CAST & CREW
Director
Manoel de Oliveira
Photography
Sabine Lancelin
Edition
Valérie Loiseleux
Cast
Michel Piccoli, Antoine Chappey, John Malkovich, Catherine Deneuve
Sales
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