Country: Portugal / France
Review: “Lines of Wellington” was prepared by Chilean Raul Ruiz to be finished by his widow, Valeria Sarmiento. The movie focuses on the third French invasion of Portugal in 1810, under Napoleon orders. The writing credits belong to Carlos Soboga, who also wrote the screenplay for the charming “Mysteries of Lisbon". In fact, there is no possible comparison between these two movies, except when it comes to cinematography, magnificently handled by Andre Szankowski. “Lines Of Wellington” can’t hide gaps in its narrative, becoming dispersed in its innumerous details and characters. Despite of giving a perception of the period in cause, the absence of a concrete main character, withdrew the possibility to create emotion or giving us some motive to care about. This is a movie of detailed historical facts that needed a greater dose of vitality and focus to stand out. I wonder how it would be if directed by Raul Ruiz.
