MUSIC BOX FILMS HOME ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES
Mysteries of Lisbon
ONE OF THE FINAL WORKS BY LEGENDARY FILMMAKER RAUL RÚIZ, THIS ACCLAIMED ADAPTATION OF THE EPIC PORTUGUESE NOVEL TELLS A SWEEPING AND TIMELESS TALE OF ROMANCE, WAR, PASSION AND BETRAYAL
Available on VOD and Special 3-disc DVD and Blu-ray
December 20, 2011
Chicago, IL (November 2, 2011 ) – An orphan boy in Portugal sets out on a quest to learn the story behind his origins, his parents and his own identity in MYSTERIES OF LISBON, the acclaimed epic film by legendary Chilean-born filmmaker, Raúl Ruiz. Adapted from the 19th Century novel by Portugal’s Camilo Castelo Branco, the film covers three decades, four countries and a host of rich characters—all sparked by one man’s search for the truth—and is filled with all manner of adventures and escapades, coincidences and revelations, sentiments and violent passions, and vengeance and romance.
MYSTERIES OF LISBON is a large-scale film of such scope and complexity that it could only be mounted by a true cinematic genius like Ruiz, whose nearly 50-year career has yielded more than 100 movies, including such masterpieces as Time Regained, On Top of the Whale and Three Lives and Only One Death. One of Ruiz’s final works (he died this year at the age of 70), MYSTERIES OF LISBON is a saga that evokes the artistry, intricacy and richness of the sprawling intertwined narratives of such giants as Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. It’s truly a magnificent milestone in the career of one of the cinema’s most ambitious and visionary directors.
Music Box Films Home Entertainment presents MYSTERIES OF LISBON on Digital Download, VOD, and 3-disc DVD and Blu-ray collector’s set w/special booklet, for the first time on December 20 (prebook November 21). Released theatrically around the world and in the U.S.’s top markets following its premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, the MYSTERIES OF LISBON Blu-ray and DVD will carry the suggested retail prices of $34.95 and $43.95, respectively.
Set in Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon in the 19th Century, the story at the heart of MYSTERIES OF LISBON centers on the 14-year-old João (portrayed as a child by João Luis Arrais and as an adult by premiere Portuguese actor Afonso Pimentel), an orphan in a boarding school who’s compelled to discover the truth behind his parents, his origins, and thus, himself. Setting out on a quest that will span more than 30 years, João encounters a collection of inimitable characters in the Portuguese aristocracy who are all somehow connected to him. Questions are answered and secrets are revealed as the years go by and João’s voyage takes him from Portugal to France, Italy, and even Brazil. Over a journey filled with war, romance, passion and betrayal, João sees that his life and destiny are connected to those of the people he meets. And the truth for one man, he learns, isn’t always the truth for all.
The film was immediately praised at prominent film festivals around the world and Raúl Ruiz received honorable accolades noting MYSTERIES OF LISBON as one of the finest works he ever made, winning the Silver Shell for Best Director at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and France’s prestigious Louis Delluc Prize.
Audiences and critics uniformly agree, with LA WEEKLY describing MYSTERIES OF LISBON as “an utterly absorbing masterwork†and SALON.com gushing that, “Once you start to ride with the rapturous, gorgeous, digressive symphony of images and words and music in this film, it’s completely absorbing and unlike anything you’ve ever seen.†VOGUE’s John Powers’s review of the film perfectly sums ups its excellence: “…Moment after moment, shot after shot, [MYSTERIES OF LISBON] shows a level of attention to detail that is never less than magisterial. Every location is perfect. Every camera placement is perfect. Every performance is perfect.â€
A hypnotically engrossing motion picture experience and a landmark film by one of the international cinema’s most respected storytellers, MYSTERIES OF LISBON demands to be seen.
More information on MYSTERIES OF LISBON can be found on the MUSIC BOX FILMS website at www.musicboxfilms.com/mysteries-of-lisbon and the film’s website at http://www.mysteriesoflisbon.com
MYSTERIES OF LISBON — Synopsis:
In 19th Century Lisbon, Portugal, João, an orphan in a boarding school, sets out on a quest to discover the story behind his origins, his parents and his true identity. From this city of intrigue and secrets emerges a collection of characters who are all somehow linked to João’s destiny: Father Dinis, a descendant of the aristocratic libertines who later becomes a hero who defends justice; a countess maddened by her jealousy and obsessed with vengeance; and a prosperous businessman who mysteriously made his fortune as a bloodthirsty pirate. João’s questions are slowly answered—while others are raised—over the course of three decades and a personal voyage that takes him from Portugal to France, Italy, and even Brazil. But as secrets are revealed and João’s life begins to intertwine with those of the people he meets, he slowly learns that the truth for one isn’t always the truth for all.
About Music Box Films:
Founded in 2007, Music Box Films has quickly established itself as one of the leading distributors of non-English language feature films in the US in theaters, on DVD and Blu-ray, and via Video-on-Demand. Music Box’s release of Guillaume Canet’s Tell No One was the most popular foreign-language film of 2008. In 2010, the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy of international mega-sellers dominated the foreign-language film market: the first in the series, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, was one of the most popular international releases of the decade with over $10 million in US box office. Music Box Films is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation which also owns and operates The Music Box Theatre, Chicago’s premiere venue for independent and foreign films.