The Strange Case of Angelica

The Strange Case Of Angelica

The title is strange and the film is even stranger. It is also an artistic creative masterpiece. There is hardly any language spoken throughout the film. The cinematography is exquisite and often beautiful music is played in the background. I haven’t seen an art film like this for a long time.

It is hard to believe that the Portuguese Director Manoel de Oliveira is 102.His spiritual nature certainly comes through in the film. I’m not quite sure what the film was trying to express but I enjoyed viewing it all.

A young photographer, Isaac, lives in a boarding house in a small pastoral village in Portugal. He is called to take the picture of a beautiful young bride who has died. When he looks at her she appears alive. He becomes haunted with her and sees her around him. He even asks himself at one point if he is out of his mind. In one scene the two float together hovering in space linked together. It was almost like a Chagall painting. Isaac is actually played by the director’s grandson.

The photographer also is obsessed with some workers who toil in the vineyards. They use old tools and labor in the dry clay soil. They chant while they work.

The scenes of the vineyards are so pastoral. The neat little village is spectacular with the red roofs. I was most impressed with the shot of the burial procession walking down the little street in the village on the way to the burial. It is an aerial view and the church bells toll in the background. The camera lingers on the spot and you feel as if you are in the picture.

In one scene a cat is watching a bird in the cage. The camera lingers on this shot for a long time. You are distracted with the sound of a dog barking outside. I would very much have liked to hear the director explain each scene. At the same time it didn’t seem to matter. The film is a vision and that is really enough. It is currently playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. I don’t anticipate that it will last very long.