RIVER OF GOLD (O RIO DO OURO)
Reviewed by Harvey Karten, Ph.D. Suma Filmes, Skylight Director: Paulo Rocha Writer: Paulo Rocha, Claudia Tomas Cast: Isabel Ruth, Lima Duarte, Joana Barcia, Antonio Capelo, Filipe Cochofel
An unusual film, "River of Gold" will find an audience among those who like the format of the early, silent films coupled with the melodrama, the mythic resonance, and the poetry of opera. The story itself, if taken literally, is absurd to the point of laughter and must be enjoyed--if at all--with the understanding that it's anything but naturalistic in concept.
The story, directed by Oporto-born Paulo Rocha, takes place in the Port wine country of Portugal and features the red-haired, aging Carolina (Isabel Ruth), the elderly but passionate Antonio (Lima Duarte), the lovely, seductive Melita (Joana Barcia), and a mysterious gypsy fortune teller who is ostensibly a jewelry salesman, Ze of Gold.
The tale begins its tragic course as Antonio courts Carolina at the home of her blind father and pleases the old man by announcing that he is in search of "a wife, wealth, and honor." The two are married, but both have eyes for others. Antonio, who saves Carolina's goddaughter Melita from drowning, develops a passion for her young body, to the jealous disgust of Carolina--who is herself enamored of the mysterious Ze, whom she and Melita later meet on a train. When the gypsy passenger reads Melita's palm, he is horrified to discover that she is not the innocent girl she seems (despite her pregnancy), but is linked to a horrible murder some time back in which she killed her lover and painted his bedroom with his blood. In the operatic style, a Portuguese chorus of women washing their clothes on the banks of the "blood-stained" river sing of the horror of the gruesome murder.
As Carolina's desire for vengeance against her straying husband churns like the current of o rio do duoro, director Rocha captures the intensity of her expressions, in one scene portraying her as a knockoff of Greta Garbo's title role in "Queen Christina." This is the sort of narrative that would work much better as a full-blown opera but seems ludicrous as a straightforward film. Unlike "Black Orpheus," its poetry is strained as though Rocha needs to assure the audience that he, too, knows that "The River of Gold" does not work in its present filmed format but is meant to be taken metaphorically. Joana Barcia is impressive as the young Melita, her look of fear fascinating as she seems so frightened of her godmother that she freezes when tied to a chair and spread with honey to supply meat for hundreds of bees. The raw beauty of rural Portugal is captured by Elso Roque's camera, which focuses on the hilly terrain to underscore the timelessness of the rustic culture.
Not Rated. Running Time: 103 minutes. (C) 1998 Harvey Karten
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