Question for "Cinema: A Trajectory Within Underdevelopment"

Describe the monumental evolution of Brazilian cinema that occurred in the 1940’s. How did this movement relate to foreign markets within and outside of Brazil? How did this change in Brazilian cinema mark a break from the “colonizer”?

Question for Xavier Introduction

Is Cinema Novo a concomitant of the political environment in 1960s? How does the politics influence the Third Cinema?How does Brazilian National Identity emerge in Cinema Novo?

Question for Rocha, "The Esthetics of Hunger"

As presented in Glauber Rocha’s article, “An Esthetic of Hunger”, how is the plight of the Latin America depicted through Cinema Novo? How is this depiction received by European and foreign audiences? Describe the relationship between these two audiences and how that affects Cinema Novo.

Question for Shaw & Dennison "Cinema Novo"

Under what conditions was Cinema Novo born? How did Brazilian social and cinematic climates come together to form this movement in Brazilian film? What purposes did Cinema Novo serve, and how is it regarded today? Compare and contrast other similar cultural film movements from the same time period (i.e. Italy, France).

O'Ebrio Analysis (Full Paper)

O’ Ébrio is a classic tale of love and betrayal through Brazilian filmmaking. The interesting fact is that in this film, it was not what was to be expected. First we encountered the stereotypes that are linked to not only Brazilian Film, but also the Brazilian culture all in itself. It reflected not Brazilian story, but a story that could be understood by all. This is because certain aspects of Brazil are not depicted or shown as most other Brazilian films will show certain aspects of the country to make sure the viewer is aware they are in Brazil. Here, this was not the case.

In O’ Ébrio we find a man wandering into a church of all places. Obviously this man is a drunk. Here we can say yes, we found a stereotype within this film, but this stereotype is not specific to Brazil, but it’s just a stereotype of where a drunken man would wonder when his life has fallen apart. You can do this throughout the whole film of finding stereotypes of things not specific to Brazil. The interesting thing about this is that this drunk, by the name of Gilberto, comes to meet a priest in this church in which the priest poses a question to Gilberto. Would Gilberto help the priest with a favor? Not knowing what the priest had in store for him with this favor, Gilberto seems to say he will help the priest, because who is not to help a priest with a favor within his own church? That is just another stereotype we fall upon within this film, but of course the priests favor consists of him having a chicken that was just too big for him to eat by himself, so he invites Gilberto, to lonesome man who we have yet to learn anything about, into a church. We come to learn this man has been struggling because his family once owned a farm, but his father let the company go bankrupt because it was poorly managed, and Gilberto tried to go back to school, but it was too late, and he counted on his family members, but they were not there to help so now they all avoid him. This brief explanation of Gilberto’s past allows the viewer to recognize why he is in the position of a lonesome drunk and create a sense of sympathy for Gilberto.

We, the viewer, immediately recognize with the Priest and understand his sympathy for letting the man in, in which why the viewer gets a sense of relaxation because we now understand that this character of Gilberto will have a place to stay with the priest while he looks for jobs. In doing so, he ends up making money singing and becomes a very well known singer, goes back to school, becomes a doctor and meets a nurse who is replacing one of his other nurses for the week. This nurse he meets goes by the name of Marietta, and she states ‘She’s not like the others.’ This statement will stay with the viewer throughout the film. He ends up marrying the girl, and gaining back the love of his relatives (or so he thinks). Really his family members are out to get his money and live off of him essentially, and his cousin is not only doing that, but also trying to steal away his wife, in which he does successfully breaking them apart by tricking Marietta, Gilberto’s wife, that Gilberto is having an affair. The viewer in this instance starts to feel the sympathy for Gilberto, as he has come to work so hard to regain his life only to come and loose it again due to his relatives poor decisions, to only fake his death.

This movie is constantly in reference to money and the power it can have over some people, but aligning with that motif, is the power love and the heart has over people. Just as Gilberto loses his farm and wealth in the beginning of the story, but he also loses the love of his family, which drives him to the drunken state he was in, but his life is reached out to none other than someone who preaches love. Gilberto’s then passionately falls in love with Marietta, but as does his cousin, and so he tries to split them apart. As well as money allows Gilberto to go back to school, which leads him to his love, Marietta, it tears him apart as well when his family members become greedy in asking for money from him constantly.

O ébrio

Released in 1946, Gilda de Abreu’s O ébrio is the story of Gilberto Silva and his successes and eventual downfall. A melodrama that is centered on this man and the various facets of his life, Abreu manages to touch upon many subjects that are of interest. The first influence that is seen all throughout the film is that of religion and the church. When we first meet Gilberto, the place where he finally finds solace is in the chapel with Father Julio Simão. Thus, the charity and helpfulness that comes with being a priest is what initially sets Gilberto back on track to straightening out his life. This becomes even more obvious when Gilberto performs a song he composed, Open Door, on the radio for a competition. Heavy with religious symbolism, mentions of Jesus, and openness for religion, Gilberto seems to have come back to religion when he previously stated that he didn’t believe in God anymore. Another important theme that goes along with this is the significance of the radio. By performing in this competition through the radio, Gilberto was able to become wealthy and popular, thus allowing him to return to medical school to become a doctor. This also allowed him to help out Father Simão to fix up the chapel, thus shedding a positive light onto both religion and radio.

A theme to really discuss in the film is the role of women, as a woman directed this film. The main women of the film are Marieta, Gilberto’s wife, Palomé, Gilberto’s servant, and Lola, José’s girlfriend. Two of the women end up betraying Gilberto during the film (Marieta and Lola), while Palomé remained his confidant and friend. By having these two women betray Gilberto, it seems that Abreu is critical of the female character. Yes, there is Palomé and her trustworthiness, but she is a minor character that is overshadowed by Marieta and Lola. So, even though a woman directed the film, Abreu offers no leniency to the female character. Marieta and Lola are just as corrupt and misguided as José, Leão, and Rego.

But the most obvious theme that runs throughout the main part of the film is the corruption that money causes. When Gilberto first tells Father Simão his story, he tells of how his relatives have shunned him because of his poverty. But, when Gilberto becomes famous through the radio, and later rich because he’s a doctor, his family is chomping at the bits to get into his good graces. And with the montage of the courtship between Gilberto and Marieta, the main focus is all the gifts that Gilberto showers upon her, whether it is flowers, chocolates, or jewelry. So, the downfall of Gilberto begins with all of his family scheming against him to somehow get money from him, the main one being José. Because of their greed and selfishness, Gilberto’s marriage is sabotaged, and he reverts back to being a drunkard (o ébrio) just like he was at the beginning of the film, i.e. perfect symmetry.

O ebrio

Genre is an important element in the overall understanding of film. It helps to distinguish individual movies from one another by separating them into unique categories. Also, it provides the audience an early impression of the general mood that they are to expect when viewing the film. The Brazilian cinema work, O ebrio, is an excellent example of the significant role genre plays throughout the course of a film. The specific genre exhibited through this film is that of the melodrama. The use of music and the movement of the narrative are the formal elements that best demonstrate this genre.

From the moment the opening credits are visible, the audience is able to develop a sense of the themes and genre of O ebrio. Perspectives in regard to mood are easily attained due to the slow and melancholy music that accompanies the initial sequence. More often than not, the opening song determines the feel that the film will offer and sets the tone for the events that follow. The music chosen for O ebrio, continues to be soft and minor throughout the scenes that show the main character, Gilberto, struggling to make his life better. Even when Gilberto attends a contest on the radio, the song he competes with is one that effectively embodies the pain he has endured. This song ultimately leads to his success. As the film progresses, so do the accompanying melodies, and even though they slightly improve in mood, there is always the underlying tone of drama.

The narrative movement of O ebrio is the best indicator of the melodrama genre that defines this film. Whether the character, Gilberto’s, situation is good or bad, it is always at extreme levels. When his story begins, the main character is down on his luck. Gilberto is about as low as he can be, with his tattered clothes and not a penny to his name. After his life begins to change and he experiences success, things seem almost too good to be true. Gilberto appears able to do no wrong, as if he has the Midas touch. His life becomes a vision of perfection as he wins a contest, becomes a doctor (his dream career), marries a beautiful woman, and lives in a big house. The melodrama genre presents itself fully soon after Gilberto hits the most successful point in his life. The sequence begins with his cousin flirting with his wife and ends with him giving up his entire life by a forged death. Not only does Gilberto “die”, but he attempts to forget everything about his past by drinking himself into oblivion. As the film ends on a disheartening and discouraging note, the melodrama narrative comes full circle.

Through the use of melodrama, O ebrio captivates the audience and appeals to their emotions as the story unravels the interpersonal conflicts surrounding the main character. Connected to the story through music and narrative movement, Gilberto’s tragic tale of success and failure is a perfect example of how the element of genre creates an expectation in the minds of its audience and leads the viewer to greater understanding of the story.

O Ebrio

The 1946 film O Ebrio directed by Gilda de Abreu is a tale of despair and salvation in Christ. The main character, Gilberto, begins the film a homeless man straying around a city after being shunned by his relatives. He soon finds himself stumbling in to a church where the priest offers Gilberto some much needed assistance in the form of a meal and a room to stay in. This action is the beginning of a chain of events that lead to Gilberto obtaining great success in his life. While living with the reverend, Gilberto begins to write music and even gains some aspirations for his own life as well as to help the priest. He notices that the church does not seem to have much money after Gilberto witnesses the reverend attempting to fix a broken window with some paper. He then feels compelled to give back to the church and has an internal struggle with his conscience in the mirror, who warns him of women bringing him havoc.

Gilberto then over hears on the radio an announcer describe a contest for talented singers, thus he decides to go down to the location and perform the song he has recently written while living in the church. The audience and listens love the spiritual song about his journey from the streets to his now safe haven and he becomes very popular on the circuit, making enough money to have the window at the church fixed. Pretty soon Gilberto has finished his medical degree and is now a practicing doctor. Gilberto falls in love with a nurse at the hospital, Marieta, and then soon marries her. It does not take long for his relatives to find out about Gilberto’s success and they begin to try to create a relationship with him out of desperation some of his money.Surely his relatives do not have his best interest at heart, which we later see when his cousin Jose runs off with Marieta. Leaving Gilberto to fake his own death only to escape the superficial and unfulfilling life he was leading.

A lot of the film centered on religion and faith, which can be seen in the fact that Gilberto sought help in the church and then began to lead a prosperous life and in that the music that uplifted our main character out of poverty was all religious music. The songs he sang on the radio told his tales of regaining his faith. We also saw that as Gilberto strayed away from the church and singing the songs by becoming enthralled in his work and then marrying and moving into his own house, things began to get worse for him; beginning with his wife’s peculiar relationship with Jose.

Women are presented in this film in particularly negative light: as servants, conniving, untrustworthy, or simply unable to have an opinion of their own (as was the case with his cousin’s wife). The scene with Gilberto’s conscience talking to him in the mirror and mentioning how women will not bring good fortune to him was a precursor to the situation of his wife leaving him and Lola tricking Marieta. Another motif in the film is Gilberto’s desire to fix things: left medical school to fix the issue with the family farm, fixed the window in the church, became a doctor to fix the girl’s legs. Until finally towards the end of the film when he has discovered his wife left him with Jose, he no longer wants to fix things. He just wants to forget. Thus he opts to become a drunkard.

O Ebrio

Gilda de Abreu’s 1946 film O Ebrio is an emotional drama about one man’s triumphs and tragedies under the influence of those around him. The film focuses on Gilberto Silvia, a man whose life journey is used as a metaphor for the evils of material wealth and greed versus the infallible goodness of the church.

The film begins with Silvia as an impoverished man looking for help. Down on his luck, he seeks aid in his distant family who simply avoids him, citing the financial cost of supporting another family member. Silvia next seeks refuge in a church, where he is fed and housed by a kind and generous priest, helping him get back on his feet. These first two encounters provide the initial commentary for the film on the value of religion versus money. Refused aid by his own family under their greed-driven reasoning, it is only through the charity of the church that he is able to get back on his feet. After befriending the priest and beginning to get his life together, Silvia enters a local singing contest. Despite his impoverished appearance in comparison to his fellow competitors, Silvia uses his god-given gift of vocal talent and wins the singing contest, leaving him large sums of money. Our protagonist then uses this money to put himself through medical school, becoming one of the most caring doctors in his hospital. It is here where Silvia meets his wife, Marieta. An announcement is released in the local paper giving details about the upcoming wedding of the renowned radio singer and doctor. Silvia’s greedy family gets wind of the ceremony and plans to attend the wedding unannounced, in hopes of getting on Silvia’s good side and getting a portion of his riches. In the church, the cousins trick Marieta into believing their relationship with Silvia is solid. The church serves as an ironic location choice for this toxic reunion, as it is from this point forward that Silvia’s family begins to work their way into his life, eventually ruining it. After mooching a substantial amount of money from the generous Silvia, his family’s greed causes them to plot against him. In a plan designed to destroy his marriage and take all of his money, his cousins stage a love affair that causes his wife to leave him. Consequently, Silvia sees no point in living anymore and fakes his own death. His relatives hope to inherit his fortune, but are left with nothing. Instead, Silvia leaves most of his money to the church and the priest, noting that it should be given to charity. Silvia leads the rest of his life as a bum, remarking that in death his suffering will be over.

Despite the variety of messages presented in the film (i.e. the incompetence of women, the evils of alcohol), it is truly in the ideology of the church that the film’s overall moral is based. The film presents the happiest times in Silvia’s life as a direct result of the charity of the priest and church. Likewise, the film seems to equate the most difficult times as a consequence of money; his hardships in the beginning, the betrayal of his family, and finally the failure of his marriage, all direct results of the greed of others. It is with the complexity of material wealth that Silvia’s happiness is destroyed, a stark contrast to the happy simplicity of his life at the church. It is through these messages that Abreu conveys the religious climate of Brazil at this time; presented similarly to some of the other films we’ve seen thus far. Abreu uses the typical cinematic tactics (singing, romance, love scandals, alcohol, etc) to draw audiences in, only to provide a religious message that rejects these ideals.

O Ebrio

The drunkard, Gilberto Silva, was a man out of luck. He was a man who had done everything he was supposed to do. He made it through school and was well on his way to becoming a doctor (just like what most of our parents wish us to be). He relocated to the city hoping to find a little compassion from his relatives, but none was found.

Things very rapidly get better. Within about 10 minutes of the film, Gilberto went from being the beggar at the church steps to singing for an adoring audience. He becomes instantly famous. He finishes his degree and finds a beautiful wife, Marieta, and all of a sudden, his life seems too perfect. Now that the drunkard is full of cash those relatives that once ignored him take a special interest in him. His cousin, Jose, takes a particular interest in his wife. The very next scene after the newlyweds dash from the chapel portrays Jose flirting with Marieta, and she reciprocates the flirtation.

Gilberto works hard for his wife. He loves her and expresses his love through compassion and lovely gifts; however, her love is limited. She receives a very pricey birthday gift, but it is not enough; she wants more, and he gives her more, a large check. One may begin to wonder why Marieta really fell for Gilberto. Was it a love for the man or a love for his fame and wealth? Her little affair with Jose never ceases by the way.

Gilberto had to dash from his fifth year wedding anniversary to visit his dying father. Upon his return from the house of his now deceased father, he discovered that his wife had run off with Jose. Her allegiance to Gilberto was easily swayed by one of Jose’s ploys. Gilberto realized that he had nothing and perhaps never had anything. His wife wanted the fame, his family wanted the fortune. The compassion that Gilberto thought he had finally found was weak and shallow. The only true compassion Gilberto received was from the priest, a man of God. Gilberto without hope took to the streets and faked his own death. Compassion in this world was not to be found; therefore, Gilberto will drink away his remaining miserable days until he finds his compassion in the next life.

Questions for Lopez, "The São Paulo Connection"

1. Why was nationalism so important to the Companhia Cinematográfica Vera Cruz? How did foreign involvement affect the films that were released by Vera Cruz? How does the concept of cosmopolitanism relate to the Brazilian nationalism the company was trying to represent?

2. How does the film O Cangaceiro relate to the idea of Brazilianness as promoted by Vera Cruz? Did its international reception contribute to its national popularity? Discuss the relationship between regional and national identities in the film.

Question #2 - Hijort's "Themes of Nation"

What is meant by "banal nationalism" and how does it compare to "banal aboutness"? Give examples of how both manifest in Danish Cinema and how a filmmaker indicates which of the two approaches he assumes.

Question #1 for Hjort " Themes of Nation"

1. Hjort presents two distinct objections to the notion of classifying nation as a topical theme. What are they? And in what ways do the two different objections differ from each other?

Questions for Shaw "The Chanchada and Celluloid Visions of Brazilian Identity in the Vargas Era"

1) Even though the chanchada was formed as "pale imitations of big-budget Hollywood musicals," they still had a sense of Brazilian culture and ideas. How were these aspects captured by the chanchada?

2) As Carmen Miranda's popularity grew in the United States, views on her persona and what she represented varied greatly. Compare/contrast how she was viewed in Brazil versus the United States.

Questions for Shaw "Samba and Brasilidade: Nations of National Identity in the Lyrics of Noel Rosa"

1) Explain Noel Rosa's use of the samba genre and discuss its relationship to brasilidade. What are Rosa's views on nationhood in Brazil?

2) In the 1930s the ideas surrounding race in Brazil shifted. What was Rosa's opinion on race and how did it influence his sambas?