This was interesting to look at. A short documentary about the Brazilian representation at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival when Arnaldo Jabor was releasing his latest film
"Pindorama". The great newsman Cid Moreira narrates the nation's participation in previous editions with the movies that won awards there such as "O Cangaceiro", "O Pagador de
Promessas" (the first and only Palme D'Or conquered by Brazil as of now) and "Antônio das Mortes", with a couple of nominees in the previous years and following years as well.
It doesn't show much about the glamour of the event - except for some brief images of John Lennon, Yoko and the Rolling Stones walking around - it's more concerned in showing
how Brazilian cinema was making its way to get investors and open its film market around the globe (besides "Pindorama", there was an exhibition of other Brazilian films on
free special sessions ("São Paulo - Sociedade Anônima" by Person was shown in one of those).
Despite the nation situation wasn't much of a favorable one in political terms with a repressive military regime and since federal government is responsible for film
budgets and approval (censorship destroyed many artistic works at the time, before and after 1971), and they were also in charge of selecting which movies could represent
the country in festivals around the world, but our cinema got one of the most interesting periods to get some representation at Cannes in the 1970's - Nelson Pereira dos
Santos sent two movies during that decade, and in the 1960's he won an award for "Vidas Secas" and in 1984 another one for "Memórias do Cárcere". We fared at Cannes than the
Oscars in that decade, and Brazilian cinema always had a special place with them - might not always get on the line-up for the Palme D'Or but there's always retrospective
sessions or every couple of years there is some form of representation.
A few directors from the Cinema Novo share their views about the importance of being there at Cannes but everything's so brief that it's hard to get an insight from them -
and it's a pity that Arnaldo Jabor press junket for the film didn't include the questions by the reporters neither one interview with him, we just watch him on the stage and
that's it. Image quality from the version I've seen is amazing but the sound is awful in a terrible mono. It's worthy of view for curious minds about Brazilian cinema of the
1970's and how important it was back then. I'd really wish to see a similar project being done now and if possible to include other festivals as well like Venice, Berlin and why
not the Oscars, to show that Brazilian cinema is one of the greatest in activity and that we can compete along with the great cinema of the world. 7/10.
