During a discussion about the Brazilian New Wave (BNW) title Barren Lives (1963-also reviewed) fellow IMDber manfromplanetx mentioned another BNW title by auteur film maker Glauber Rocha. Planning a "Auteurs in '64" week of viewing,I got set to surf the wave of Brazil for a second time.
View on the film:
Loading up the first of two adventures for outlaw cowboy Antonio das Mortes, writer/directing auteur Glauber Rocha & cinematographer Waldemar Lima bring the Western to the BNW in a utterly startling, surreal fashion. Hunching the camera on the ground, Rocha grounds the viewer in the middle of masses covering the entire mountain side surrounding self-proclaimed saints with a religious fever.
Backed by the earthy score by Sergio Ricardo, Rocha brings out the Neo-Realism of the BNW in pulling back the soundtrack to a stark, silent form during the most viciously violent sequences, which are finely balanced by a rousing score and refined wide-shot whip-pans hitting each grubby shoot-out.
Dissecting the myth of the Wild West outlaw, the screenplay by Rocha displays a masterful precision in taking the hat off of the holy aura Mortes has wrapped himself. Filling the film with austere dialogue on religion and the merciless drought engulfing the locals looking for hope ,Rocha lassos the myth of Mortes, (played by a outstanding Mauricio do Valle)with the unrelenting fall of rural worker Manuel getting involved in crime and becoming entangled with Mortes arch rival outlaw Corisco the Blond Devil, setting a Brazil New wave stand-off.
View on the film:
Loading up the first of two adventures for outlaw cowboy Antonio das Mortes, writer/directing auteur Glauber Rocha & cinematographer Waldemar Lima bring the Western to the BNW in a utterly startling, surreal fashion. Hunching the camera on the ground, Rocha grounds the viewer in the middle of masses covering the entire mountain side surrounding self-proclaimed saints with a religious fever.
Backed by the earthy score by Sergio Ricardo, Rocha brings out the Neo-Realism of the BNW in pulling back the soundtrack to a stark, silent form during the most viciously violent sequences, which are finely balanced by a rousing score and refined wide-shot whip-pans hitting each grubby shoot-out.
Dissecting the myth of the Wild West outlaw, the screenplay by Rocha displays a masterful precision in taking the hat off of the holy aura Mortes has wrapped himself. Filling the film with austere dialogue on religion and the merciless drought engulfing the locals looking for hope ,Rocha lassos the myth of Mortes, (played by a outstanding Mauricio do Valle)with the unrelenting fall of rural worker Manuel getting involved in crime and becoming entangled with Mortes arch rival outlaw Corisco the Blond Devil, setting a Brazil New wave stand-off.