Lisbon

"City of intrigue, murder and excitement!"

1956 1h 30m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 13

DramaCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For Capt. Robert John Evans, smuggling black-market goods is nothing out of the ordinary. But one day he's hired by Aristides Mavros for a more involved assignment -- sneaking an imprisoned American out of communist-controlled territory. The job seems challenging enough, but when he meets the prisoner's sultry wife, Sylvia, he realizes his mission comes with a startling catch: Not only must he rescue this man, he must bring him back from the dead.

“City of intrigue, murder and excitement!”

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Cast

Ray Milland
Robert John Evans
Maureen O'Hara
Sylvia Merrill
Claude Rains
Aristides Mavros
Francis Lederer
Seraphim
Yvonne Furneaux
Maria Maddalena Masanet
Jay Novello
Fonseca
Percy Marmont
Lloyd Merrill
Robie Lester
Singer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ray Milland
Writers: John Tucker Battle, Martin Rackin
Languages: French, English, Portuguese
Countries: Portugal, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Portugal, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ray Milland, shot by Jack A. Marta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nelson Riddle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard L. Van Enger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara and Claude Rains carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ray Milland directs. Jack A. Marta behind the camera. Nelson Riddle scores. Richard L. Van Enger cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Portugal, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
270 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, Portuguese.
4International production across 2 countries: Portugal, United States of America.
5Directed by Ray Milland, shot by Jack A. Marta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Nelson Riddle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Richard L. Van Enger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara and Claude Rains carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "City of intrigue, murder and excitement!".
10IMDB entry: tt0049446 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Original score: Nelson Riddle
Editing: Richard L. Van Enger
Costume design: Adele Palmer
Makeup / hair: Tony Sforzini
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Lisbon (1956)

Also by

Ray Milland

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-11-10
★ 6/10
Ray Milland had quite an hand in this quite classy looking seaside drama. He ("Capt. Evans") finds himself intrigued by an offer of $10,000 from the debonaire but entirely unscrupulous "Mavros" (Claude Rains) if he will suspend his usual brandy smuggling operations and bring a wealthy and recently kidnapped American to safety in Portugal. The whole operation is being funded by "Sylvia" (Maureen O'Hara) the much younger wife of the captured industrialist, so of course there are temptations afoot to maybe ensure his money is suddenly available for re-distribution. "Evans" turns out to be a bit of a babe magnet here as he also manages to attract the attention of "Maria" (Yvonne Furneaux) who works for "Mavros" and who takes an immediate shine to her sailor boy - despite the obvious chagrin of henchman "Serafim" (Francis Lederer). Who's going to prevail in this battle of hearts, wits and double-crosses? The story itself here is quite solid and Rains cones across well as the duplicitous schemer but O'Hara was always better when her character was allowed to let her hair down. Here, she is a bit stifled by the rather limited scope for her character and the equally linear contribution from an unremarkable Milland. The thriller elements are all too readily subsumed into the menage-à-trois romance and even the elements of menace are just too undercooked. It's got a good look to it and Nelson Riddle works some magic on traditional Portuguese music, but the rest of this is all a bit so what? It's watchable to see a group of consummate professionals do their work, but the film itself is nothing at all memorable.

Production companies