paulao-2

Perhaps it will be impossible for a US citizen to watch "Boleiros" and like it - not only because the action happens all the time in São Paulo, that isn't known as Rio de Janeiro outside Brazil, or because the movie focus on some costumes that are typically brazilian on sport coverage - but also because the film deals with stories and emotions that are typical of a people that loves soccer.

I normally watch soccer at World Cup and Olympics time only, and even for me "Boleiros" has been a funny - sometimes, REALLY funny - and emotive movie, because the director has known to capture the emotions of those that follow their teams, wherever they go, whether they play well or not.

Perhaps the europeans could watch the movie and understand - not only with their brains, but also with their heart - what is portrayed on screen...

The 20 first minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" are among the one of the most dazzling sequences in the history of motion picture. I`ve remembered particularly Sergei Eisentein`s "Potemkin" - perhaps because of the hand-held shaken camera, or because of the reality of the scenes. But... ...unfortunately, Spielberg hasn`t got to - or hasn`t wished to - develop the madness of the war in his movie. The mis-organization of the operations could have been deeply developed. The consequences of the "star wars" between Patton and Montgomery could have been shown implicating both for part of the useless death of thousands of young men. And the disorientation itself of the soldiers could have been better exploited.

Also, an annoying series of cliches runs during all the movie. The soldier that has feelings and gets killed because of them; the coward changed to a hero in the end of the battle; the guy-to-be-saved-that-should-be-a-moron-but-it`s-not; the arrival of the "cavalry" in the very last moment; and, last but not least, the "America brings back home their children" motto. Disgusting.

It`s also annoying to see - or, better speaking, NOT to see - the participation of the French resistance, that gave valious information to the allies and fought the Nazis from inside, with their guerrilla tactics. But who cares? According to Spielberg, the Americans would have won anyway.

Finally, this is the third movie that is released by the director in the 1,85:1 aspect ratio. Probably to be better adapted for the DVD technology coming soon. The screen ends being too small for a movie like this.

If "Saving Private Ryan" was meant to be an anti-war film, it has falled kilometers from this objective. "Apocalypse Now" is far more efficient this way. Spielberg is yet to release a great movie after "Schindler`s List".

Despite their critics - and there aren't few - "Central do Brasil" is a great movie. In it, we can rediscover a Brasil that isn't touched yet by the individualism, the hypocrisy and the solitude of our lives nowadays. A Brasil that is a beautiful place to live, despite the starvation, the violence and the poverty. We see that redemption is what will take us back to Love's path. And, moreover, that this redemption is at hand of everyone of us. Fernanda Montenegro and Marília Pera give a real lesson of the art of acting, in the few moments that they act together.