The Call of the Oboe (1998) User Reviews

An unpredictable, poetic Latin American tale

[gonz30 · 9/10 · 30 May 1999]

I want to comment on THE CALL OF OBOE ("O Toque do Oboe") not only because it's an excellent film, but because I wouldn't want others, as a couple of friends of mine did, and as I did on the first showing, to miss it due to lack of information, or in my case, one sole very negative review (but the only single one; not related to IMDb by the way) from a clueless critic who should not have critiqued a film he did not understand at all. The plot deals with the developments in an old decadent village after a stranger arrives at the old train station, an event in itself. This stranger is a Brazilian musician who carries and plays his "oboe". The music from the oboe, the musician's instrument, will change the lives of everyone involved, and that small village itself will forever be changed by the sound of the oboe. With characters well-developed, expertly acted and directed, this film has been popular with the public and critics alike, having just won both the Audience Award and the Jury Award as Best Picture at the recent 1999 Brazilian Film Festival.

a story about life

[FerrariPryncess · 10/10 · 16 June 2005]

I watched this movie at the Brazillian Film Festival on South Beach, FL when I was attending college in Miami. I don't speak Portuguese or Spanish, but that didn't seem to matter with this movie. The acting, story line, direction and cinematography, as well as everything that came together to make this film, were what enabled me to understand everything that was going on, without having to concentrate on the subtitles too much. After I watched this movie... I felt inspired, hopeful, and was able to understand some things in life a little better. I think fondly of this movie whenever I think about it. I have always remembered this movie since I first watched it and have told many people about it's touching story of life, love and death. (I hope that didn't spoil anything for anyone...) I like this movie and I recommend seeing it to those that are interested. If you let this magical tale relax you into its world of wonder... hopefully you'll remember this movie for all time... just like I do!

A masterpiece somehow underrated

[wkbwkb_leaves · 10/10 · 26 July 2020]

I watched this film thank to those who wrote reviews before me suggesting that this is worth to watch, and yes, it absolutely was! I give rating 10! The story writer Hugo is genius, I see some religious implications here and there, very professional introduction of each character. And I must say there are some real good actors in this film I didn't know of, but I can see they are really good.. Those who haven't watched, I strongly recommend to watch it right away!

superb surrealist work within the south-American tradition

[diwa · 10/10 · 27 July 2004]

This is definitely a movie worth seeing. I wouldn't categorize it as "fantasy" though, because that makes you think of unicorns and dragons. But it's not fantasy in that way. Sure, impossible things take place, but it would be better categorized as surrealistic in the sense of South-American literature (Mario Vargas Llosa , Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Laura Esquivel). If you like books by these writers, you will enjoy this movie as I did. The scenery is very much as you would imagine it for such actions to take place. It also provides a very nice portrait of the different characters - the local policeman, the prostitute in the autumn of her career and life (same as her faithful clients). In fact the only "normal" people (that is not overemphasized) are the oboe-player and the woman that runs the cinema.