This is a highly fascinating and highly informative documentary about the Cinema Novo movement from the Brazilian cinema of the 1960's. Directed by Eryk
Rocha, son of Glauber Rocha, one of the key members of the movement inspired by the new influences coming from the European cinema, the project does not present
interviews with the living representants of the group, instead Eryk presents everything through the views of the Cinema Novo directors captured in archive images
and old interviews, along with countless clips from the movies that made history as part of such new cinematic trend that also conquered the world. Movies from
Glauber, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Carlos Diegues, Leon Hirszman, Arnaldo Jabor, Walter Lima Jr., Ruy Guerra, Paulo César Saraceni and many others
appear ranging from the late 1950's up until two key films from early 1980's that definitely close the strong activity from the movement.
Pretty much like the TV German project made in 1967, where some of mentioned names were interviewed in between the projects they were filming, this film captures
several moments from the writers/directors exposing their influences, ideas of cinema and what they wanted to accomplish with such. Very cool stuff to see, specially
along with the classical films that formed a whole generation of filmmakers that are still influenced by them. The clips not only are presented in a certain evolution of
events, but each of them follows a certain theme established by the director (when it's about to show the final years of the Cinema Novo, all we see are images that
reflect the political change, prisons and tortures).
If you're learning or want to learn and know more about those films and directors, this is a must-see to get a glimpse of those artists, their art and how each
composed their movies by wanting to make movies that could reflect the national spirit rather than just being small copies of Hollywood comedies or romances - Cinema
Novo when the old stars movies weren't getting box-office results and they turned their efforts to television, which was big in the 1950's. Cinema Novo goes to show a Brazil hardly seen on the big screen with its social contrasts, economical/political/social problems; a cinema of real people, almost like a documentary most of the times but also revealing new stars and introducing new techniques, both on editing and cinematography, and a cinema that managed to cross other borders around the globe and conquering audiences and adepts (Scorsese is a big fan of the movement).
Yet a warning to newcomers: I'm sorry to disappoint but the film does not include the title of each movie as they are presented, so the key movies you'll know
which is which whenever they are mentioned, but a great deal clips shown are not mentioned (but you can find them at the movie connections section).
To me it was a special moment in seeing a great part of Brazilian cinema history being told in the way it happened, in the way it was done, no more and no less.
Mr. Rocha paid a respectful tribute to those great artists, his father included as well, a genius indeed. Highly recommend! 9/10.
