The Mystery of Oberwald (Il Mistero di Oberwald) (1980)

57% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
35% of users liked it
(340 ratings)

One of director Michelangelo Antonioni's more obscure works from the 1980s, this psychological period piece reunites the filmmaker with one of his favorite performers, Monica Vitti. Shot on video and based upon the play The Eagle Has Two Heads (Jean Cocteau made his own film version of the work in… More One of director Michelangelo Antonioni's more obscure works from the 1980s, this psychological period piece reunites the filmmaker with one of his favorite performers, Monica Vitti. Shot on video and based upon the play The Eagle Has Two Heads (Jean Cocteau made his own film version of the work in 1947), the film casts Vitti as a queen who squares off against an anarchist poet who has come to her castle to kill her. Due to his remarkable resemblance to the long-dead king of the land, the queen falls in love with the dissident. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 9 min.
Directed By: Michelangelo Antonioni
Written By: Michelangelo Antonioni, Jean Cocteau, Tonino Guerra
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Sep 3, 1981 Limited
On DVD: Nov 14, 2000
Studio: Polytel International Film

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The choice of the Cocteau play seems more arbitrary than inevitable, which raises the form-versus-content issue even more than in most Antonioni features.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This opulent made-for-Italian-TV production is a must-see for both for fans of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni and of legendary surrealist Jean Cocteau.
Noel Murray, AV Club
The visual play is interesting, but it doesn't make the director's case that video is as viable as film for artful storytelling.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The Mystery of Oberwald marked a brave experiment from the great director.
Jaime N. Christley, Apollo Guide
An uneven, unusual work, not entirely successful as an experimental film or as a melodrama, but a must-see for film students and Antonioni buffs.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
even the film's elaborate sets and costumes come off looking like plywood and Goodwill rejects

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Cast

Monica Vitti
as The Queen
Franco Branciaroli
as Sebastian
Paolo Bonacelli
as Count of Foehn

Luigi Diberti
as Willenstein
Elisabetta Pozzi

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