A post-revolution hangover takes over the theatre stage in a long-suffering masterpiece of Portuguese cinema. Russian premiere as part of the retrospective programme of the Festival of Films Regained.
The Jester
- Date:
- 23 Sep 2025,
19:30–22:00
- Age restrictions
- 18+
O bobo
1987, José Álvaro Morais
Portugal
120 minutes, Portuguese with Russian subtitles
Starring: Fernando Heitor, Paula Guedes, Luís Lucas, Carlos Farinha
T
Four years have passed since the Carnation Revolution (1974) overthrew the right-wing dictatorship in Portugal. On the outskirts of Lisbon, rehearsals are underway for a play about the birth of the Portuguese Empire. To finance the production, the director and lead actor sells weapons—and then his childhood friend, former underground activist João, is murdered.
Shot form The Jester, 1987
With its complex language, its exploration of history and cultural identity, and its play on the ambiguity of time and reality, O bobo has its place in a list of great Portuguese films.
— Eugène Green, Sight & Sound
The Jester was shot back in 1978, but editing, reshooting, re-recording and other alterations lasted nine years, and then another four years — already after winning the Locarno festival in 1987. The film was worth all the trouble: it is perhaps the most intricately constructed portrait of a paradoxical Portuguese identity. Until recently, however, it could only be seen in murky copies.
The screening will be followed by a talk with Ines Branco Lopéz—producer, curator, Deputy Director of the Lisboa Film Festival.
