Os Olhos da Ásia

1996 film by João Mário Grilo

April 11, 1997 (1997-04-11) (Portugal)

Running time

86 minutesCountriesPortugal
France
GermanyLanguagesPortuguese
Japanese

Os Olhos da Ásia (Portuguese: The Eyes of Asia) is a 1996 Portuguese historical drama film directed by João Mário Grilo, who also co-wrote the script with Paulo Filipe. It is partially based on the novel Silence by Shūsaku Endō.^[1] The film premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival on 15 August 1996 where it was also nominated for the Golden Leopard.^[2] The film was released in Portugal on 11 April 1997.

Plot

Nakaura of Julian (Julião Nakaura), a priest of the Society of Jesus, was one of four young ambassadors sent to Rome by the Jesuits in 1538, as proof that Japan had converted to Christianity. Fifty years after the mission, which so fascinated European royalty, Julian was forced again to prove his faith, only this time before a shōgun, who wanted to force him to abandon his religion. Julian resists, as does Miguel Chijiwa, a fellow at the embassy to Rome, who become a martyr. Betrayed by Cristóvão Ferreira, who cannot bear the torture, Julian suffers an inglorious death ... or maybe not.^{[clarification needed]}^[3]

Cast

Geraldine Chaplin as Jane Powell
João Perry as Cristóvão Ferreira
António Cordeiro as Mateus
Marques D'Arede as Giovanni Adami
José Eduardo as Lucas do Espírito Santo
Rui Gomes as Sebastião
Kyioto Harada as Matazaemon
Edward Ishita as Edward Ishita
Yuzi Kosugi as Kurobei
Carlos Martins Medeiros as António de Souza
Yoshi Oida as Julião Nakaura
Itaru Takahara as Sr. Takahara
Yasukiyo Umeno as Miguel
Diogo Vasconcelos as Orlando

References

^ "Os Olhos da Ásia de João Mário Grilo no espaço Nimas". Hardmusica (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
^ "Awards for Os Olhos da Ásia". IMDb. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
^ "Os Olhos da Ásia". Cinema (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2011.