Memória do Cangaço

Memória do Cangaço is a remarkable Brazilian short documentary, which belonged to the Cinema Novo movement, directed by Paulo Gil Soares (it is his directing debut, two years before his first feature movie, also very good Proêzas de Satanás na Vila de Leva-e-Traz) and produced by Thomaz Farkas. Its beginning does not seem promising, as it looks old-school, sluggish and naive in the way it initially idealizes Cangaço, Brazilian Northeastern banditism, in a not actual Robin Hood-like narrative. However, it soon becomes very interesting. Firstly, in showing the absurd analysis by Estácio de Lima, professor of Legal Medicine in the University of Bahia and director of the Antropology Museum (where the heads of the cangaceiros which had been cut-off were exposed). He is a perfect example of how the worst could be defended in the name of science, with pseudo-scientific biologization of society in an eugenics projetc. Secondly, in the contrast made bu the documentary (in the spirit of the best movies in Cinema and without its not unsusual formal drawbacks) in the interview of a countryman, mister Gregório, who has always been explored in work, without rights or life project. Thirdly and deffinitely, in the way the film combines footage of Lampião's band made by Benjamin Abrahão in 1936, traditional Northeastern music, and Lampião's personal writings, with historically important interviews with both former cangaceiros and former volantes (policemen who were specially recruited to fight cangaceiros): Bênicio Alves dos Santos "Saracura", Ângelo Roque "Labareda", and in a glimpse remarkable Dadá (don't do this, otherwise I will kill one!"), in the Cangaço side, and, in the police side, colonel Zé Rufino (who killed several cangaceiros, among them famous Corisco) and his minions tracker Benevides "Bem-te-vi", Isidoro and Dionísio, besides Leonídio (another trecker, who beheaded Lampião and his followers). The testumonies highlight how both sides were extremely violent, and many men entered either Cangaço or the police Volante ir order to seek revenge against the other one. To resume, it is a remarkable film both in the quality of his interviews and in the skilful usage of various sources in a good edition.

This documentary presents the life and death of Lampião, his wife Maria Bonita and his group of hit men called "Cangaceiros", with footages, pictures and testimonies of persons that have had some sort of contact with him, including the man who killed Lampião.

Paulo Gil Soares released this short using footages from "Lampião, o Rei do Cangaço"of Benjamin Abrahão. The intention of Benjamin was to make a documentary about Lampião, as a symbol of a problem in the Brazilian society and a challenge to the State. He followed Lampião and his group, but when the 100 minutes running time movie was ready (1936), the D.I.P. – censorship of the Brazilian Estado Novo (New State) – destroyed the film. However, many negatives survived. In the 50s, a former employee of D.I.P. sold these negatives to the production of "Comendo de Colher"(1959). Paulo Gil Soares retrieved these negatives and prepared a 10 minutes cut about Lampião. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Memória do Cangaço" ("Memories of the Cangaço")