Movie: Lusitanian Illusion

Top 10 Billed Cast

António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar

Self (archive footage)

Américo Tomás
Américo Tomás

Self - President of the Republic (archive footage)

Hanna Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla

Erika Mann (voice)

Rüdiger Vogler
Rüdiger Vogler

Alfred Döblin (voice)

Christian Patey
Christian Patey

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (voice)

Annabella
Annabella

Self (archive footage)

Danielle Darrieux
Danielle Darrieux

Self (archive footage)

Louis Jouvet
Louis Jouvet

Self (archive footage)

Robert Montgomery
Robert Montgomery

Self (archive footage)

Madeleine Ozeray
Madeleine Ozeray

Self (archive footage)

  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Images and sounds expose the duality of Portugal during the days of WW2: a peaceful, god-loving, rural country, providing an escape route for over one hundred thousand European refugees to the Americas; and a political and cultural elite that disguised their Nazi inclinations just enough to play its neutral role in international politics.

  • Release Date

    2010-04-22

  • Average

    6.4

  • Rating:

    3.2 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    FrançaisDeutschPortuguês
  • Keywords

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