Reportedly,
Raul Brandão’s 1923 play was a strong influence on Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, but it will strike
most contemporary viewers as being downright Dickensian. Regardless, probably
no filmmaker is better suited to adapt it for the screen than 104 year old
Manoel de Oliveira. He was around when it premiered and has seen its critical
reputation evolve over time. The dean of world cinema continues to polish his
craft with Gebo and the Shadow (trailer here), which opens
tomorrow at the Anthology Film Archives.
This
is the part of the review where we all marvel at Oliveira’s productivity and
longevity. Pushing 105, Oliveira has multiple projects in development and at
this point there is no reason to doubt he will see them through. Given the
exquisite elegance of The Strange Case of Angélica (which hit theaters when Oliveira was the tender age of 102), we
can also expect them to be quite good. While Shadow is a relatively minor work, it clearly shows the hallmarks
of a master at work.
Old
Gebo should be retired by now, but he labors on as a debt-collecting clerk for
his callous employers. He has no choice. Gebo is the sole support of his
beloved wife Doroteia and daughter-in-law Sofia, since his son João absconded eight
years ago, under ominous circumstances. Gebo struggles to preserve the illusion
João might someday return to protect Doroteia’s fragile psyche. Yet, he fears
their son’s homecoming might lead to more harm than good, should it actually
come to pass. Unlike Godot, the
prodigal (the metaphoric shadow of the title) will indeed suddenly darken Gebo’s
door at the end of the first act.
Shadow’s theatrical roots
are highly conspicuous, but Oliveira tries to make a virtue of its staginess—for
understandable reasons. He might be 104, but Micheal Lonsdale looks at least
that old as the much abused Gebo. It is a striking performance, marked by
palpable physical exhaustion and acute world weariness. Yet, it is his tender
moments with Leonor Silveira as the sensitive Sofia that really give the film
its soul. Claudia Cardinale is perfectly fine as the high strung Doroteia, but
it is not a great showcase role. For further art house appeal, Jeanne Moreau
makes her presence deeply felt when appearing briefly as the mystical neighbor,
Candidinha, like the veteran screen diva she is. In contrast, Ricardo Trêpa is
rather stiff and shrill as Dostoyevskian João.
