Silvestre (1981) User Reviews

Aria of the Bluebeard

[Fenrir_Sleeps · 8/10 · 29 January 2019]

A feminist medieval fable, built from the fusion of two folklore tales.

JCM changes the open vistas and natural grandeur from his last film, "Veredas", to the very self-conscious artificiality of studio scenarios. Somehow, this self-consciousness, allied to the flowery, lyrical dialogues and the ponderous pace of "Silvestre", convey perfectly the sense that we are being told a tale from another age.

The only down point in "Silvestre" is the heavy use of coloured filters in the rare outdoors scenes.

And it starts!

[jomipira · 9/10 · 4 January 2005]

João César Monteiro was one of the most controversial, exuberant, strange, mad, awarded, blessed, genius, talked about, extraordinary Portuguese movie makers of all time. And maybe one of the best directors in the world. I know it sounds ridiculous at first, but he is a man with an unique view on the world. And even though his late movies can be repetitive ( he was stuck on a character, he was stuck on the image of himself)he has made in his career some inventive and touching films. This is one of those cases. When I was a kid I used to see some movies over and over again. From great classics like Rio Bravo to the blockbusters of the time like Superman. And I saw them time and again, repeating the parts I liked the most. It was so with Silvestre. This is the kind of movie (if you see it with an open mind, it's a theatrical film) that will take you to a wonderful journey of knights and adventures. See it and let the magic carry you.

"The Room" of Fantasy Films

[nikosstratigakis · 1/10 · 2 September 2018]

A film full of inconsistencies in terms of aesthetics and storyline. As it regards the aesthetics, some scenes are shot in actual locations, others are shot in houses or towers made out of paper, while others are shot with photographs on the background. A total mess. As for the storyline, the sequence of events is extremely poorly developed: for instance, halfway through the film we learn that one of the characters has actually raised her own dragon. No need to say that the budget was extremely low and this does show throughout. Some good ideas, like the killing of the devilish wizard and the consequent transcedendence to the stars, cannot salvage this film. I could go on and on about its flaws. Actually it's "The Room" of fantasy films.