Otto Lara Rezende ou... Bonitinha, Mas Ordinária

It is a good adaptation of famous play by Nelson Rodrigues, released just two years after it was written, and better than the two adaptations to cinema that have been made afterwards. It is very well filmed, with interesting takes and cinematography. The best parts in the film are the ones involving Heitor Werneck and Peixoto, often funny and the most remarkable. Fregolente is the best playing a symbol of hateful millionaire rascals who believe they may buy anything with no limits. André Villon also goes very well as Peixoto, despite not having much time on screen. The parts involving Rita's family are mostly annoyingly noisy and disgusting, and so is the car ride of Edgar with Rita, despite competent performance by Odete Lara. Jece Valadão, the writer and producer, also acts, in the role of Edgar, as the connection between all other stories, both the good and the bad ones. Nelson Rodrigues was both skillful in exploring human villainy, but also a racist and sadist misogynist. He did not believe in humankind particularly because he was guided my his own image on the mirror, which was not one to be admired. From that both the ups and downs of his stories are derived, and it reflects in this movie.

This review is of the dubbed US version of the film, entitled PRETTY BUT WICKED, which contains a few minutes of nude inserts. Overall, this B&W Brazilian film from 1963 is a melodramatic soap opera (in fact, it reminds me somewhat of a plot taken from a telenovela)where most all the female characters are raped and/or become prostitutes, and all the male characters are rapists or sleazes of one sort or another. Supposedly based on a play, it might have been interesting to see performed live on stage, but the film isn't very interesting and what does stand out from the tedium is unpleasant. To me at least, there's nothing really erotic about the (minimal) sex content. Try THE UNSATISFIED or THE PINK PUSSY or LOVE HUNGER or GAMES MEN PLAY if you're looking for a Latin American or Spanish sex melodrama.