A meditation on civilization. July, 2001: friends wave as a cruise ship departs Lisbon for Mediterranean ports and the Indian Ocean. On board and on day trips in Marseilles, Pompeii, Athens, Istanbul, and Cairo, a professor tells her young daughter about myth, history, religion, and wars. Men approach her; she's cool, on her way to her husband in Bombay. After Cairo, for two evenings divided by a stop in Aden, the captain charms three successful, famous (and childless) women, who talk with wit and intellect, each understanding the others' native tongue, a European union. The captain asks mother and child to join them. He gives the girl a gift. Helena sings. Life can be sweet.
Unfortunately the movie A Talking Picture is not yet available on HBO Max.
| Directing | Manoel de Oliveira | Director |
| Writing | Manoel de Oliveira | Writer |
| Production | Paulo Branco | Producer |
| Editing | Valérie Loiseleux | Editor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Isabel Branco | Costume Design |
| Sound | Philippe Morel | Sound Designer |
| Camera | Emmanuel Machuel | Director of Photography |
| Art | Zé Branco | Production Design |
| Sound | Ruth Sullivan | Foley Artist |
