The Immortal Story

The Immortal Story

Year: 1968

Runtime: 58 mins

Language: English

RomanceDramaTV MovieHumanity and the world around usSurreal and thought-provoking visions of life and death

An aged, wealthy trader plots with his servant to recreate a maritime tall tale, using a local woman and an unknown sailor as actors.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen The Immortal Story yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – The Immortal Story (1968)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Immortal Story (1968). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

19th century

The events unfold in the late 1800s, a period of global maritime trade and colonial influence in East Asia. Wealth and influence shape social hierarchies as a prosperous merchant bids to turn a legend into reality. Prophecy and storytelling blur with reality, turning a simple tale into a dangerous plan. The mood blends opulence with risk, matching the era's appetite for power and intrigue.

Location

Macau (Macao)

Set in nineteenth-century Macau, a bustling port city on the Pearl River Delta where East meets West. The action centers on a grand villa belonging to the aging merchant, with scenes that move to docks and ships connecting Macau to distant shores. A desert island backstory adds a remote, windswept space to the tale, enriching the sense of travel and commerce that defines the setting.

🗺️ Port city 🧭 East meets West 🚢 Docks and ships

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:47

Main Characters – The Immortal Story (1968)

Meet the key characters of The Immortal Story (1968), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Charles Clay (Orson Welles)

An aging, powerful merchant whose wealth fuels his desire to see a myth become real. He treats prophecy as a challenge to control his fate and uses others to enact his will. His ruthlessness masks vulnerability and a fear of insignificance in his final days. He remains the driving force behind the elaborate ruse.

💼 Wealthy 🧠 Manipulative ⏳ Obsessive 🗺️ Aging

Virginie Ducrot (Jeanne Moreau)

Daughter of Clay's former business partner, driven by betrayal and a hunger for revenge. She joins the scheme to topple Clay's power and uses a complicated bond with Paul to pursue her goals. Her bitterness is tempered by strategic thinking and risk-taking as she navigates the mercantile world.

💔 Revenge 🎭 Scheming 💪 Resilient

Elishama Levinsky (Roger Coggio)

Clay's Polish-Jewish book-keeper who knows the prophecy and becomes the agent arranging the sailor and the woman for the tale. He remains calm, calculating, and loyal, serving as the thread that binds the different players together. His narration anchors the plot’s shifting moral ground.

🧭 Loyal 🧠 Calculating 🗝️ Keeper

Paul, the Sailor (Norman Eshley)

A destitute Dane rescued from a desert island who is recruited to play the husband in the staged tale. He is initially reluctant but agrees for money, and his evolving bond with Virginie adds emotional tension to the scheme. His participation reveals the human cost behind grand plans.

🏝️ Desert Island Survivor 💰 Money-driven 🤝 Bond

Merchant (Fernando Rey)

An aging, powerful trader whose wealth drives the scheme; he embodies mercantile ambition and willingness to manipulate reality for personal gain. He uses his influence to propel the plan forward, illustrating how money can steer fate.

💼 Wealth 🧠 Manipulative ⚖️ Control

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:47

Major Themes – The Immortal Story (1968)

Explore the central themes of The Immortal Story (1968), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

📜 Story Power

Clay's obsession with turning a legendary tale into reality shows how a single story can steer choices and justify immoral acts. Levinsky acts as the conduit between tale and execution, exposing how memory and narrative can be manipulated. The film questions whether stories create reality or merely reflect it, and whether some tales are too dangerous to enact. Ultimately, it probes the ethical cost of letting fiction drive real lives.

💰 Greed & Control

Money fuels the scheme, enabling Clay to orchestrate others and demand obedience. Wealth corrupts loyalties, turning affection and revenge into calculated instruments. Virginie’s participation shows how financial motive intertwines with personal vendetta. The plot condemns mercantile hunger that uses people as instruments to bend fate.

🕯️ Mortality

The old man's approaching death frames the urgency of the plan and exposes life's fragility. Levinsky's discovery of Clay's death before the plan completes underscores the fragile boundary between myth and life. Age and loneliness drive the characters, turning the tale into a meditation on memory, oblivion, and what endures after death. The ending suggests that mortality outlasts even the grandest schemes.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:47

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Unlock the Full Story of The Immortal Story

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Immortal Story in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Immortal Story is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Immortal Story Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Immortal Story, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Immortal Story Summary

The Immortal Story Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Immortal Story with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Immortal Story Timeline

More About The Immortal Story

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Immortal Story: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The Immortal Story

Similar Movies to The Immortal Story

Discover movies like The Immortal Story that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.