The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001)
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001), directed by Rolf de Heer, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Timothy Spall.
score
Synopsis
In El Idilio, a village on the banks of a river in the Amazon rainforest, Antonio Bolívar, known to everyone as "The Old Man," lives a recluse. One day, Antonio begins reading the romance novels that the traveling dentist Rubicondo Loachamin brings him to pass the time. He shares this occupation with a beautiful local girl, a waitress and prostitute, named Josefina, with whom he ends up falling in love. But all does not go smoothly when Antonio is forced to go on a hunting trip.
- Denis LenoirCinematography
- Rolf de HeerDirector, Screenplay
- Julie RyanProducer
- Michelle de BrocaProducer
About the film
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories is a 2001 French/Australian/Dutch/Spanish adventure drama film directed by Rolf de Heer, based on the book of the same name by Luis Sepúlveda. It was not released into cinemas until 2004.
Read the full article (3k characters)
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories is a 2001 French/Australian/Dutch/Spanish adventure drama film directed by Rolf de Heer, based on the book of the same name by Luis Sepúlveda. It was not released into cinemas until 2004.
Plot
Antonio Bolivar has lived most of his life in a small riverside hut in a remote spot in the Amazon basin, on his own after his wife had died soon after their arrival there. He reads voraciously, borrowing books from a young woman called Josefina, who works for the corrupt local mayor Luis Agalla. Agalla insists that Bolivar accompanies him with a group who start hunting a female jaguar which has been stalking and killing people near the village. Bolivar begins to reflect on the truths and beauties of life as the film progresses.
Cast
Richard Dreyfuss as Antonio Bolivar
Timothy Spall as Mayor Luis Agalla
Hugo Weaving as Rubicondo the dentist
Cathy Tyson as Josefina
Victor Bottenbley as Nushino
Fede Celada as Juan
Luis Hostalot as Manuel
Guillermo Toledo as Onecen
Jerome Ehlers as Gringo
Production
The film is based on a short novel by Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda, and directed by Rolf de Heer.
The producer attached to the film was French producer Michelle de Broca, who had purchased the rights to Sepúlveda's book, and it went ahead as a French/Australian co-production. De Heer discarded the script that had been written and wrote his own adaptation. His relationship with De Broca soured, as they conflicted in their approach to the film. Working with an "old school" French producer differed from his holistic style, but he later said "But she was a very gracious lady in other respects", and also that this film was "the most reflective of me as a human being". Before the release, in communication with the French producers, he realised that they were "still after the full-on masculine semi-exploitative hunting film [based on the original script], rather than the gentle, beautiful and romantic film I'd written and we'd shot".
The film ended up as a French/Australian/Dutch/Spanish co-production; Julie Ryan as co-Producer in Australia, Eddy Wijngaarde in the Netherlands, and Inaki Nunez in Spain. Tania Nehme edited the film, and Australian composer Graham Tardif composed the score.
French cinematographer Denis Lenoir was responsible for shooting the film, and Vertigo Productions was the film production studio. Ernst Goldschmidt was executive producer.
Release
The premiered in 2001, but was not seen in cinemas until 11 March 2004.
Reception
The Age critic called the film "a tale of life, death and atonement", that is " something much calmer and more leisurely" than De Heer's two films made since this one, but released before it: The Tracker (2002) and Alexandra's Project (2003).
Awards and nominations
References
External links
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories at IMDb
Review at The Age
"Rumble in the Jungle - the Making of The Old Man Who Read Love Stories"
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories at Urban Cinefile
Text from The Old Man Who Read Love Stories on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_Who_Read_Love_Stories
Trivia
- The production budget was US$ 9.5 million.
- It premiered on March 7, 2001, a Wednesday.
- It runs 1h55 — a typical feature length.
- It won 0 award(s) and received 4 nomination(s) on record at Wikidata — AACTA Award for Best Film among them.
- As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Looke.
- This film's quiz has 13 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosSF Studios, Fildebroc, Magnetic Hall, Odusseia Films, Kino Visión, Vertigo Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Fandango
- CountriesAustralia, France, Netherlands, Spain, Netherlands Antilles, Italy
- LanguagesEnglish, Portuguese
- BudgetUS$ 9,500,000
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Nominations
- AACTA Award for Best Film 2004
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2004
- AACTA Award for Best Editing 2004
- AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score 2004
Where to watch
Cast
-
Richard Dreyfuss
Antonio Bolivar -
Timothy Spall
Luis Agalla -
Hugo Weaving
Rubicondo -
Cathy Tyson
Josefina - Victor Bottenbley Nushino
-
Guillermo Toledo
Onecen -
Fede Celada
Juan -
Luis Hostalot
Manuel -
Behi Djanati Atai
Dolores -
Josse De Pauw
The Man Who Bets -
Jerome Ehlers
Gringo -
Jim van der Woude
The Patient - Denis Fouqueray Election Official
- Alberto Dominguez Salinas
- Deen Abboud The Priest
-
Viviane EMIGRÉ
Zamora - Duncan Thompson Gringo #2
- Christian Holer Gringo #3
- Jean-Pierre Soulat Drunk Man
- Peter Geselle Boat Captain
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
Fim da Sentença
6.3
-
O Sonho da Liberdade Adventure from the 2000s
6.8
-
O Príncipe do Deserto
6.5
-
Memórias Secretas
7.4
-
O Pastor
6.9
-
Amigos de Caça Drama from the 2000s
6.5
-
Paixão Obsessiva
6.2
-
Mexicali: Terra sem Lei
7.8
-
Interceptor
6.0
-
Visões de Um Crime Drama from the 2000s
5.9
-
Beast
7.5
-
Uma Skatista Radical
7.2
Crew
- Denis Lenoir Cinematography
- Rolf de Heer Director
- Julie Ryan Producer
- Michelle de Broca Producer
- Fernando Sancho Original music
- Graham Tardif Original music
- Claude Cohen Writer
- Rolf de Heer Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is The Old Man Who Read Love Stories about?
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories: In El Idilio, a village on the banks of a river in the Amazon rainforest, Antonio Bolívar, known to everyone as "The Old Man," lives a recluse. One day, Antonio begins reading the romance novels that the traveling dentist Rubicondo Loachamin brings him to pass the time. He shares this occupation with a beautiful local…
Who directed The Old Man Who Read Love Stories?
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories was directed by Rolf de Heer in 2001.
Who stars in The Old Man Who Read Love Stories?
The cast of The Old Man Who Read Love Stories includes Richard Dreyfuss, Timothy Spall, Hugo Weaving, Cathy Tyson and Victor Bottenbley.
How long is The Old Man Who Read Love Stories?
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories runs for 115 minutes, or 1h55.
Where can I watch The Old Man Who Read Love Stories?
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories is available on Looke. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.
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Page updated on 09/11/2026.
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