The 15th Stone (2007): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2007, The 15th Stone is a documentary film directed by Rita Azevedo Gomes, running about 121 minutes. “Manoel de Oliveira and João Bénard da Costa in a conversation filmed by Rita Azevedo Gomes” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Joáo Bénard da Costa, director of the Portuguese National Film Archives [deceased in 2009], interviews the dean of contemporaneous film directors [96-years-old then]. Two humanists of different philosophical backgrounds, both with their long, entire lives dedicated to culture in general (music, painting, literature) and to film in particular, discuss freely, sometimes haltingly, the director's power as a creator or a magician, the philosophy beyond particular scenes in classic movies, film technique, the importance of color, sound and music to films, art versus entertainment, and much more. Their talk takes place in a museum room, seating in front of "The Annunciation" (a 1510 oil painting by João Vaz, a Portuguese artist), which eventually leads to a discussion of 'Leonardo da Vinci', and the relationship between a trend-setter master and his disciples.

Who’s in it. The 15th Stone stars Manoel de Oliveira as Himself and João Bénard da Costa as Himself.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.3/10, The 15th Stone has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on DocAlliance Films and rent or buy it from DocAlliance Films. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The 15th Stone page.

If you liked it. Fans of The 15th Stone tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.