José and Pilar

José and Pilar

Cinematic release poster
Directed by Miguel Gonçalves Mendes
Produced by Miguel Gonçalves Mendes
Ana Jordão
Daniela Siragusa
Starring José Saramago
Pilar del Río
Gael García Bernal
Fernando Meirelles
Music by Adriana Calcanhoto
Bruno Palazzo
Camané
Luís Cila
Noiserv
Pedro Granato
Pedro Gonçalves
Cinematography Daniel Neves
Edited by Cláudia Rita Oliveira
Production
company
JumpCut
O2
El Deseo
Release dates
  • 25 September 2010 (2010-09-25) (Brazil)
  • 18 November 2010 (2010-11-18) (Portugal)
Running time
117 minutes
Country Portugal
Language Portuguese

José and Pilar (Portuguese: José e Pilar) is a Portuguese documentary directed by Miguel Gonçalves Mendes following the last years of the Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, chiefly through his relationship with his resolute wife, Pilar del Río. Highly praised by the critics and the audience, the film seems to have accomplished to show the tenderness, the genuine integrity and the deeply concerned humanity behind such controversial figure and his spouse. It gathers sequences from Madrid to Helsinki to Rio de Janeiro and covers Jose and Pilar's life in Lanzarote, their trips around the world (presenting José's books, signing autographs, making speeches) and their most simple, transient and quotidian moments, as for during the period José writes his "The Elephant's Journey". The film was produced by Miguel Mendes' JumpCut (Portugal), Fernando Meirelles's O2 and Pedro Almodóvar's El Deseo.

Plot

"The Elephant's Journey", in which Saramago narrates the adventures and antics of an elephant transported from the court of King John III of Portugal to that of the Austrian Archduke Maximillian, is the starting point of José and Pilar.

The film shows us their daily life in Lanzarote and their trips around the globe, and is a surprising portrayal of an author throughout the creative process of a couple decided to change the world, or at least to make it a better place. The film shows us an hidden Saramago, unravels any preconceived ideas we may have about the man and proves that genius and simplicity are indeed compatible. José and Pilar is a glimpse into one of the greatest creators of the Twentieth Century and shows us that, as Saramago said, "everything can be told in a different way."

Cast

Accomplishments and nominations

Press

See also

References

  1. ""José e Pilar" na corrida aos Oscars". Jornal de Noticias. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  2. "63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
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