Storytelling is one of the most potent tools known to man. It’s not merely a means of indulgence but also a great source of inspiration. Since time immemorial, storytellers have found ways to amuse mankind by spinning yarns of their imagination. Be it the Illiad and theof Homer, the Mahabharata of Vyasa, the Jataka tales, the One Thousand and One Nights , or the plays of Shakespeare , each of these masterful tales, more than anything, has proven to be a consummate manifestation of human expression. Another such tale is Camilo Castelo Branco’s Portuguese epic drama. And, just like any great tale, it deserved to be made into a motion picture. And, who better than Raúl Ruiz to helm such an ambitious project, having previously adapted the seventh and final volume of another ambitious masterwork of literature, Marcel Proust’s magnum opus In Search of Lost Time , as(1999). Make no mistake! It’s no cinch to adapt any major work of world literature into a motion-picture. But, Ruiz was never the one to be daunted by any challenge. Not only did he successfully adapt Branco’s work, but, in the process, also gave cinema its first major epic of the 21century.

Ruiz, during the course of his long and illustrious career, made such multilayered films that carried a universal appeal, thus defying geographical boundaries and transcending genres. It’s worth noting that Ruiz was a student of law, theology and theatre; his profound knowledge of these disciplines is visible in all his films. In fact, Ruiz’ cinema can be looked upon as a fascinating amalgamation of the elements of theology, politics, crime, and theatre of the absurd. While Ruiz offered great attention to cinema aesthetics, he was equally keen on experimenting with novel cinematographic ideas and techniques. Because of being quite high on the intellectual quotient, Ruiz’ films can be rather challenging for the uninitiated lot, but, at the same time, a well-informed, keen-eyed viewer can extract a lot out of his thoroughly absorbing cinematic essays that feed on bizarre, labyrinthine plots, pay great importance to the use of space and time, and seamlessly blend the sensuous intimacy of text with the visual splendor of the motion picture. In a nutshell, Ruiz’ cinema can be looked upon as a continuation of the long tradition of storytellers, from Homer to Eisenstein, Sophocles to Welles , Goethe to Buñuel , Joyce to Kurosawa . And, Mysteries of Lisbon is no exception!

Running slightly longer than four-and-a-half hours, Raul Ruiz’ Mysteries of Lisbon is a sprawling saga of love, intrigue, power, jealousy, honor, hatred, trust, betrayal, compassion, and obsession, with a vast panoply of characters, ranging from coquettish countesses to quixotic lovers, scandalous priests to jealous soldiers, shifty noblemen to honorable brigands, chivalrous knights to sissy cuckolds, which gives us glimpses of the 19th century European aristocracy. Its hypnotic narrative, wrapped in a veil of extraordinary coincidences, is highly reminiscent of the works of Balzac, Hugo, and Dickens. At the center of the tale is a boy named João who is born out of wedlock. João is looked after and taught by a kind pastor named Father Dinis, who, as the plot progresses, gradually emerges as the movie’s pivotal character. João’s peers at the convent suspect Father Dinis to be his biological father. One day when João falls sick after being bullied by another boy who accuses him of being a criminal’s child, he is visited by a certain Countess Ângela de Lima. Who is this angelic countess? How is Father Dinis related to her and João? Rest assured, Mysteries of Lisbon will keep you on the edge of the seat until the very end! And, then there is the enigmatic Alberto de Magalhães who is a part of João’s past, present and future. Magalhães’ caricature would be taken up in detail later. Bear in mind that it's not merely Branco but a synergistic symphony of Branco and Ruiz that is on full display here.

Running slightly longer than four-and-a-half hours, Raul Ruiz’ Mysteries of Lisbon is a sprawling saga of love, intrigue, power, jealousy, honor, hatred, trust, betrayal, compassion, and obsession, with a vast panoply of characters, ranging from coquettish countesses to quixotic lovers, scandalous priests to jealous soldiers, shifty noblemen to honorable brigands, chivalrous knights to sissy cuckolds, which gives us glimpses of the 19th century European aristocracy. Its hypnotic narrative, wrapped in a veil of extraordinary coincidences, is highly reminiscent of the works of Balzac, Hugo, and Dickens. At the center of the tale is a boy named João who is born out of wedlock. João is looked after and taught by a kind pastor named Father Dinis, who, as the plot progresses, gradually emerges as the movie’s pivotal character. João’s peers at the convent suspect Father Dinis to be his biological father. One day when João falls sick after being bullied by another boy who accuses him of being a criminal’s child, he is visited by a certain Countess Ângela de Lima. Who is this angelic countess? How is Father Dinis related to her and João? Rest assured, Mysteries of Lisbon will keep you on the edge of the seat until the very end! And, then there is the enigmatic Alberto de Magalhães who is a part of João’s past, present and future. Magalhães’ caricature would be taken up in detail later. Bear in mind that it's not merely Branco but a synergistic symphony of Branco and Ruiz that is on full display here.

In Mysteries of Lisbon, Ruiz limns a beautiful canvas for the audience with the meticulousness of a tightrope walker. Ruiz is at the top of his game and seems to be in ultimate control of things: be it art direction, costume design, cinematography, editing, music, or casting. At different points in the movie a lesser character is seen either observing the proceedings from a distance or eavesdropping on the conversation between the main characters. In doing so, Ruiz chooses to emphasize on the act of observation in the film, thus inviting the viewer to be a part of the experience, and, in the process, blurring the lines that separate theatre from cinema. The end product is a visual feast, an intellectual extravaganza like seen never before on the celluloid. The mysteries of Lisbon unfold like a jigsaw puzzle; the picture becomes clearer as individual pieces start to fall in the right places. We get to see different characters across different timelines whose lives get entwined by bizarre coincidences of fate. Some of these characters reemerge at a later point in time under different names and identities. The movie’s story-within-a-story-within-a-story narrative, devised in the vein of “One Thousand and One Nights,” makes it almost impossible to grasp the things as they happen, for there is so much going on at any given point in the movie that it becomes a real challenge to keep a track of things. But, gradually, as more plot and character details fill in, the things start to become clearer, though, once the dust settles, certain ambiguities still remain in the minds of the viewer. A second and possibly a third viewing may prove to be beneficial. In his review of Mysteries of Lisbon , the late American film critic, Roger Ebert , writes, “.”

Speaking of the movie’s multifaceted characters, Father Dinis is revealed as the ultimate master of disguise. He is an adept shape-shifter who is invariably present in one guise or the other, defying the sands of time across different timelines, at key junctures in the story, on some occasions as a deus ex machina and on the others as a bystander or a secondary character. But, he is not the only shape-shifter around, for there are others who are no less adept in concealing their true identities. Among these other masters of disguise, there’s one that stands out, who, at first, goes by the peculiar name of “Knife Eater”. His is easily the most complex caricature on display in Mysteries of Lisbon. Tall and strongly built, the Knife Eater comes across as the proverbial savage, all brawn and no brains, but an epiphanous encounter with a mysterious gypsy, Sabino Cabra, proves to be a life-changing experience for this remorseless assassin, which frees his spirit and opens him up to the path of knowledge and science. In his new avatar of Alberto de Magalhães, the Knife Eater appears as a suave and wealthy businessman with an obscure past who is happily married to a beautiful woman named Eugénia. In hot pursuit of Magalhães is the yet another enigmatic character, Elisa de Montfort, the French duchess of Cliton. The archetypal femme fatale, Elisa de Montfort is hell-bent on possessing Magalhães. He would either belong to her or to no one else. And, just when things seem to go out of control for the two of them, guess who comes to their rescue? The story’s deus ex machine, Father Dinis. But, coincidences don’t end here. When Elisa de Montfort returns to France, she encounters the quixotic lover and poet, Pedro. But, who is Pedro? He is none other than the story’s protagonist, João, who has now grown up into a handsome young man. At the beginning of the film, we are warned that what we are about to witness is “a diary of suffering”. Behind the façade of splendor, Mysteries of Lisbon is indeed a tragedy of epic proportions, reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez

A Still from Mysteries of Lisbon: Puppet Theatre