UnowPriceless hyped garbage

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

joseceles José & Pilar is a charming film that shows what the collaboration between Spain and Portugal is capable of producing. It's a shame joint efforts of this type are not more regularly forthcoming. Although it is Saramago who enjoys international renown, the film cannot be considered a hagiographic and exclusive tribute to the figure of the author. Saramago's Spanish better half, Pilar del Río occupies an equally important part. She is never overshadowed by her husband; an equal amount of that footage that does not feature the two together is very equally devoted to each individually. Thus we discover how irreplaceable Pilar had made herself in José's life as a companion, a translator, a personal secretary organizing his hectic agenda outside of those hours devoted to his literary production, a lifelong admirer and defender of his work. Any Portuguese or Spaniard who adheres to the ideals of Iberism ─ a romantic ambition to live in an Iberian Peninsula where the two countries would merge with Lisbon as its capital would find in this film the materialization of its theories. Spanish and Portuguese are the languages spoken in equal doses throughout the film, the director, Miguel Gonçalves Mendes, is Portuguese, Pedro Almodóvar is one of the various producers; the film takes us back and forth from Lanzarote in Spain where José and Pilar reside, to Lisbon or Azinhaga, Saramago's town of birth. All elements combine to create an atmosphere of total naturalness as far as being Spanish or Portuguese is concerned. Even the union between José and Pilar could be taken for a metaphor of that union between the two countries that republicans and left-wingers and romantics have worked toward. But apart from these minor observations, the core of the film is the life of the author as a creator, his ups and downs with the Portuguese government, which led to his self-exile in Lanzarote, his continuous and exhausting travels to the four corners of the earth to promote his books, attend book fairs, participate in congresses and sign copies bought by his readers and his refusal, considering his age, to simply sit down and take it easy. As he gets older the need to carry on working acquires the urgency of one who knows that death is on his tail. Above all the film is a testimony to the deep love José and Pilar profess for each other. It's not a love that manifests itself in words but rather tender gestures, mutual respect, clasping hands, the loving tone of voice used when addressing each other and at all times a love that transmits itself through the looks they proffer each other. It is truly moving the way the director has captured so much complicity and intimacy. A very surprising element in the film is Saramago's very peculiar sense of humour which Pilar often reacts to with no inferior sense of fun. The public watching this film at the Filmoteca in Madrid had a lot of laughs and as the film's credits started appearing indicating that the film had reached its end, there was a very generous round of applause for an enthralling documentary that kept us glued to our seats for close to two hours. José & Pilar was entered by Portugal in an unsuccessful bid to get it nominated in the Best Foreign Film category of the Oscars. This film is most likely not commercial enough for Hollywood. I would go even further and add that it's too good for Hollywood.

Tiago Resende "Jose & Pilar", that was directed by the Portuguese director Miguel Gonçalves Mendes, is a result of a co production from El Deseo( in Spain), to which the so well famous Pedro Almodover is related to, from the O2 ( in Brasil), which is the self writer/director Fernando Meirelles ́ cinematographic company, and from the Jump Cut ( in Portugal ), to which Miguel Gonçalves Mendes is member. This documentary is the most intimidate portrait of the book-writer Jose Saramago and his wife Pilar del Rio ́s life, a story between Jose and Pilar and it deals also with their love to Life.Within this film "Jose and Pilar" It is possible that we embrace these two wonderful people, who have an unique, particular perspective about the world in addition to the whole rush of their daily lives. The film follows all the process of book writing in " the elephant journey", that is from the first idea ( 2006) to its launch and from the first idea to the launching date of another book of his, which was "Cain " what will happen at the end of 2008 only, passing through Saramago ́s illness leaving him very fragile which had also delayed its writing process.In three acts told we will acknowledge all the hard work of the couple through the rides and flights worldwide, in press conferences, meetings and autographs sessions . Nearly Saramago ́s Bibliotheque be inaugurated in Lanzarote, it was also when he began processing his new book "The elephant journey" In the second act, Saramago due to the stress his life had turn to be and overwork, Pilar called his agenda off because his husband mood was getting worse. Having been in the hospital for several months, during this period in which he had almost faced death. In the third act as he was already strengthened and he got on he vigorously start writing the book.For several months certainly we aware his writing until the opening of a biggest exhibition ever done in our Nobel prize of literature . In 2008 his book is real edited in Brasil.During his return home, he had an idea to his new book "Cain".Jose and Pilar is so a transparent documentary that we really get in touch with the real selves of these two people who love each other. Saramago is a very intelligent and good sense of humored man, with such a strong will to change the world. Therefore it is an optimistic documentary. Even though in his most difficulty moments he never looses the hope, his faith not even his sense of humor. Moreover Pilar del Rio is a very strong and determined woman, who always knew what her wishes were, the prime female defender of women rights. Dedicated wife,as she was,she loved him so much that she followed him everywhere. They were in a very closed relationship. They were made for each other. In other words Saramago without Pilar was not Saramago and Pilar was not Pilar without Saramago.Due to more than 240 hours of shooting, Miguel reached at a 2 hours long documentary. The crew went with the couple to some countries such as Finland Brasil including Portugal. Miguel ́s camera is so fantastic that all the public felt inside the screen, standing side by side to Jose and Pilar and as soon as the film ends it seems we had lived with them more than 3 years time.Thus we view them as if they were our two friends. The film is edited in high quality conditions it has experimental moments and besides it has a good sonority band. Unfortunately on the 18th June this year Saramago passed away without having even/ever seen the final version of this documentary.Crítica Cinema 7ª Arte www.cinema7arte.com

Ruben Rodrigues José+Pilar Is a real scenes movie, about real love. An extreme felling, a felling of love for the spouse and everyone else, shown during the writing of a legacy without rest. "For the over 20 years", by José Saramago (Nobel-laureate novelist). A man born in the middle of nowhere, in a '20s Portugal who became a self- made man, a pure soul. I loved to see some epic ideals expressed in video (about life and death), as well as Saramago's repeated answers to the repeated questions made by the media. In Portugal, the movie ran on public television in prime-time, and that was an unusual fact. The scenes has a very interesting rhythm and music.

RResende It's so hard to make an engaging documentary. The usual process is to make the facts of stories you're supposed to be told into a coherent narrative line, even if in reality that line isn't so clear. That will provide the audiences with a story, something to follow. But how you follow that story is usually in a more external way than how you watch fiction, because in documentary you can't or won't have the same devices to fold you into the thing. You have always that trick on reenact some stuff, if the theme is history. That's lame to me, and lazy.Now here you have something really interesting. The film shows us countless excerpts of the lives of the 2 protagonists throughout the course of about 2 years. The film is presented as a reportage, more than a documentary, meaning that images are what you make of it, words come up apparently loosely. No bent narrative is delivered to you. Or so it seems.Underneath this apparently random display of images, there's a subtle layered structure. The life of the couple José/Pilar in the period of the film mapped to the story of the elephant in the book Saramago is writing. The story that this film displays mapped into the larger story of Saramago's life, with all its weight in the story of literature and Portuguese culture, as we get it in between the lines in several moments of the narrative. The whole idea of journey and encounter mapped into the love story of José and Pilar.And ultimately, as the title denounces, that story is central here. The idea of a pair of people bound by the art of one of them, who chooses to share it, allow the other half to be a part of it. Live as one, that's the beautiful part of the story. I'm glad they chose to share a bit of that story with as, by allowing us to get into it. His art matters. He is a humanist, has profound ideas, truly powerful ideas, and changed language, invented a new way on which people can express.There is one moment when the metaphor for journey mapped into people's lives is perfect: in Saramago's hometown, one street has his name, another street which crosses the other one has her name. Crossed paths.My opinion: 4/5http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com