O Palácio dos Anjos

In São Paulo, the greedy Bárbara (Geneviève Grad) is not happy with her work in a loan and investment company. When her boss Ricardo (Luc Merenda) invites Bárbara for a meeting at his apartment, he harasses her first and then he fires her. When Bárbara is walking on the sidewalk, a stranger offers a ride to downtown for her. While driving, the driver Rose (Joana Fomm) offers a job in a brothel to Bárbara promising a very high income to her.

When Bárbara arrives home, she tells the offer she had to her friends Mariazinha (Rossana Ghessa) and Ana Lúcia (Adriana Prieto). The trio decides to visit the place but they do not like the situation of being treated like objects. They decide to steal the database of the wealthy clients of Ricardo and offer their services in the own apartment. Sooner Bárbara invests a large amount improving the location that is known as "The Palace of the Angels". Along the days they raise lots of money satisfying the fantasies of their clients but Mariazinha can't stand the situation and returns to her hometown. Now Mariazinha and Ana Lúcia have to decide what to do.

"O Palácio dos Anjos" is another great film by Walter Hugo Khouri that explores again the women's universe through the oldest profession of the world. Three women decide to increase their income through prostitution: the leader, Bárbara, is cynical and very sure of her objectives; her mate that shares her apartment is reluctant and quite naive and can not bite the bullet; and the third that had a problem with her family and moved to their apartment does not have any moral problem to prostitute herself. In 1970, "O Palácio dos Anjos" participated in the Cannes film Festival. The beauty of the actresses associated to great performances and a wonderful soundtrack of Rogério Duprat make this movie very pleasant. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Palácio dos Anjos" ("The Palace of the Angels")

3 female friends work in an enterprise. Two of them (Barbara and Maria) share the same apartment. Ana (Adriana Prieto) lives with her parents. They are not satisfied with their lives and dream about a better job, but job offers are scarce and not that good. It seems as if they will have to work all life long in a small enterprise (or something like that) just to have a roof over the head and enough money for clothes and food, till old age comes…Certainly not a pleasant prospect.

Barbara (Genevieve Grad) is fired from her job, and Ana has a fight with her family and goes to live with Barbara and Maria (Rossana Ghessa).

Now the three of them live in the same apartment and they think it's time to try for something new. They are pretty and decide to capitalize on their beauty. They decide to become call girls. They had known in the enterprise many wealthy entrepreneurs – these will be their first springboards to a new life.

3 women:

Barbara (Genevieve Grad) is, so to say, the leader. She knows what she wants and she'll surely fight for it. She'll be the one who will lead the way, but she has her dreams too. She has dreams about herself and her friends. She had been a good student in the school – arts, interior decoration – all this to no avail! The symbol of her dreams is the cruise ship Eugenio C. leaving for Europe – this scene will be a recurring leitmotif image throughout the film. Far away dreams?

Ana (Adriana Prieto), because of family and upbringing, hesitates at first in taking this new road, but she's a practical girl who knows that two and two makes four. She has a mind of her own and whenever necessary will defend her interests.

Maria (Rossana Ghessa), born in a small town, (her parents are simple people with a simple morality) will be very reluctant about this new life. She'll end up joining her friends, though not without a great inner struggle.

The title "O Palácio dos Anjos" refers to the changes that occur in their apartment when, little by little, they become successful and prestigious call girls. New pictures of the best painters are brought in to decorate the walls… luxurious carpets… and voilà! The 3 girls look like fairy-tale princesses, and their apartment resembles an enchanted palace - it almost feels like a tale of "One Thousand and One Nights". "O Palácio dos Anjos" (The Palace of Angels) describes the struggles of these 3 girls to succeed, their difficulties, joys and anxiety, till their ways must part - three different roads, born out of disillusion and suffering, lie ahead of them. Rogério Duprat's rich and multi-layered soundtrack enhances the beauty and poetry of Khouri's images.

"O Palácio dos Anjos" is another beautiful portrait of the feminine universe drawn by Walter Hugo Khouri.

Apart few pictures the large majority of Walter Hugo Khouri's movies always is about sexploitation, therefore "Palácio dos Anjos" no exception that rule, it was made during the dictatorship carried out by Brazilian Army against the Red menacing on sixties and seventies, Khouri wisely deceived the harsh censorship at its time on cynical way upon the claim of the approach of the evils of prosti.tution that clearly pleased the system, thus Khouri fooled and mocking the them without noticed on purpose.

The spicy story of a beauty girl Barbara (Genevieve Grad) without any expectancy to have a better life at your boring job, figure out and warning for some that the profitable oldest profession should be an answer to raise enough money for the future, together with two girls (Rossana Ghessa-Adriana Pietro) who shares the apartment they starting thinking about, dismissed of the loan company, Barbara upon his Boss's secret files about wealthy men sneakily stolen from there, the next step she gets in touch with those richest man to sell to them the joys of the flesh that the money can afford.

Well this a summarized story, however Khouri also exposes the collateral damages coming from this neuralgic issue as psychological disorders on those girls, this quite sure is really true, he has a nerve to expose some non-orthodox relationship on Barbara and Dorothy (Norman Bengell) such thing wasn't accept this period of time, all remaining is a blatant and cynical offering did by Khouri, his goal is draw attention to this matter using the sexploitation as always he does, for commercial reasons only, then he display the matter aiming for a huge box office, he's not fooling me.

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First watch: 1983 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-You tube / Rating: 5.5.