In 1953, in São Paulo, the small time crook Dorival (Waldemar Wey) blackmails the families of recently died persons. He looks for important names in the obituary of the newspapers, then he sends a letter asking for a large amount to the dead person, as if he were not aware that the victim had passed away. The heirs, afraid of being incriminated by the swindler, deposit the money in his bank account. Dorival decides to change his life when he meets Dora (Gilda Nery), a beautiful prisoner, but an ironic situation expects for him. 'Uma Pulga na Balança' ('A Flea on the Scale') is a great naive comedy of a nostalgic non-violent period of Brazilian society. Last month, the Brazilian distributor Cinemagia released a box with three DVDs of the Brazilian Companhia Vera Cruz. This studio originated in 1949 in São Paulo, and they hired foreigner technicians, aiming at great productions instead of the common 'chanchadas'. The great name of Vera Cruz was Amácio Mazzaropi (1912-1981). Unfortunately, the lack of a viable scheme of distribution was considered the major cause of the failure of Vera Cruz. The DVD 'Uma Pulga na Balança' is not restored, but it is mandatory in any movie collection. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): 'Uma Pulga na Balança' ('A Flea on the Scale')
