O Crime do Zé Bigorna

Writer Lauro César Muniz truly has a fascination with this story since not only he created it but adapted it three times and in many different forms. In 1974, it was part of the many TV episodes of "Caso Especial" (here it's considered as a TV movie); in 1989 was turned into a massive soap opera hit that went by the title "O Salvador da Pátria" (1989); and in between those two there was this cinema movie made by the great Anselmo Duarte. Same story, same basis and same lead actor: Lima Duarte plays the common worker who becomes the smalltown hero after claiming he killed the most corrupt and most vile figure in town. While I can't talk about the TV episode, I certainly can about the film and the TV show since they're almost carbon copy to each other. Almost. The soap opera wins (obviously) and this film is a sad mess undeserving of the talents of everyone involved.

During the 1930 revolution, a poor blacksmith named Zé Bigorna (Duarte) who also works as a conductor for the town's band is accused of murdering his wife (Lady Francisco) and a feared colonel (Joffre Soares) who was her lover. Zé is arrested for the crime, but he didn't do it and at first he claims innocence. But when the town's people begin to praise him for murdering the tough old guy, receiving lots of presents while in jail, Zé takes responsability and becomes a heroic figure in town. But other people are also interested in taking claim to fame as well...the real murderer; and there's a whole political affair going on in town and that crime was just a smokescreen to distract everyone from the big picture.

Muniz idea is one of a classic format and great appeal since he talks about the contradictions of life and we have a charismatic yet problematic underdog who falls for the richness and dangers of the world since he didn't know better, he never got anything better out of his ordinary life. The story has plenty of humor, tension and some small drama yet none of those appealed to me, it's all done in a cheap manner and without a higher purpose. And I need to go back to an unfair comparison and that must be made.

Why "O Salvador da Pátria", the soap opera was the better work of the bunch? I know, it's cowardice to compare a series with more than 100 episodes in its favor but it was better (and I watched it previously. But there's no bias about it). In the show, now changing Zé Bigorna to Sassá Mutema (but it's the same lead actor), we have the crime, the common man who works on the garden and orange fields of a powerful congressman but the crime doesn't go against his boss, it goes against a populist radio host who wants to destroy the congressman. Sassá (ou Zé, if you need to compare in a better way) has a goal in his life instead of just claiming fame: he needs to conquer the love of his life, a beautiful teacher who helps him and the poor locals how to read. In the movie, her character doesn't exist and neither he gets the chance of meeting a companion - whether by love or someone instered in his new acquired fame. As for the political aspects of the movie, it's very below the surface and doesn't say much about the period portrayed; while in the 1989 series the political context between right, left and extremists were put there to show viewers how the political machine works and it came at a time when the first direct elections were conducted in Brazil and the network wanted to take the glow of the rising political figure of the time - and that's why Sassá becomes the nation's savior after the crime, he's the hope of the town despite having little education and not fully understanding things.

As the story was progressing the more ridiculous it got, and very tiresome. The early minutes are quite good, quite funny and it's basically how the TV show would work later on with a quick sucession of events. But I wonder: the pretty girl who got married to Zé through an arrangement from his boss was previously taken by a younger guy and when she's kidnapped, the boss henchmen just act menacing and allow him to leave. Why he hasn't come back and simply disappears from the story? Or worst: why wasn't he killed? Anyway, he never returns to the plot and for the feeling of the story this guy (and the girl) weren't exactly locals so there's no way they could infere what could or not happen with them, unlike the townspeople who fear the old man.

Speaking of him, it's a pity that his role is too reduced, Joffre Soares was truly the best act in the whole movie. Lima Duarte is a highly commendable actor but Zé Bigorna is not one of his best works - but Sassá was a true knockout, definitely one of his greats. Obvious that Muniz improved his own material (of which he admits that it was slightly condensed by the network because he wanted to include more incendiary political material but wasn't allowed) and Duarte shines in hilarious sequences as well as more romantic and dramatic. And it's a pity seeing Anselmo Duarte (no relation with the actor) turning his efforts to such a simplistic cheap B-movie experience unworthy of his credit here. It has some small good moments but overall it's just pathetic because it doesn't much of a purpose, it lacks in bite. 4/10.