La parole donnée

It's really a shame that this masterpiece is constantly overlooked by All-Time Greatest Lists, even though it won the prestigious Palm d'Or at Cannes.

"The Bicycle Thieves" is frequently cited as the greatest entry into Social Cinema, yet unfortunately the public and the critics seem to forget the sheer beauty that "The Payer of Promises" is. While "Bicycle"'s influence is undeniable, "Payer" goes beyond that.

Honest, multi-layered and amazingly contemporary, this is one of those movies that have admirably stood the test of time - specially if one considers the difficulty it is making Films in Brazil.

Featuring incredibly believable and dramatic performances, a rich, vivid setting and neo-realist technique employed in an elegant and sincere manner, this movie should not be missed. I found impressive how well the film flows - nothing is there gratuitously and the pacing is pitch perfect.

The amazing strength, courage and valor of Brazilian Cinema is a force to be reckoned with, as we take a look at the works of Film Makers such as Peixoto, Duarte, Rocha, Candeias, Bressane, Khouri, Salles and most recently, Meirelles. To list a very short list.

In fact, I can say without fear that it is a better Film than The Bicycle Thieves. It is easily one of the Best Brazilian Films in History - if not one of the Best in Film History. Period.

I love to watch old black and white movies and if you look for the history of foreign films up for an Oskar you find some gems like this movie. Such a real Brazilian movie and especially from Salvador de Bahia, the old capital where the cultural history of Brazil (except for the original people) is present. Colonial white oppression, the corrupt white middle class, the African people with their religious cultures and capoeira, the Catholic Church between them but like always only saving it's own position and then simple campesino who embodies the true values of human kind. In a collusion of them all, feasts, religion and fights occur and turn into a spiritual happening, a cruxifiction in which human dignity prevails. A wonderful movie from times when things seems to be clear.

This film is great! One of the best movies I have ever seen. About faith, religion, poverty...well, about life and all that surrounds us

Could have been just another sentimental and dishonest movie about human condition but no! It is beautiful and trully rewarding... A Masterpiece, do yourselves a favor and watch this movie!

The only old thing about this movie is its release date. It's very contemporary and universal. O Pagador de Promessas (1962) is based on a play written by Dias Gomes and performed for the first time in 1960.

(About the first scene so not really a spoiler) Zé and his wife, Rosa, left their land, in the country, and went to the city so Zé could pay a promise he made for a saint called Santa Bárbara. He promised to carry a wooden cross all the way to the city and enter Santa Bárbara church with it if his best friend was healed by the saint. (Paying promisses is still common in Brazil ).

I won't say why exactly but the priest doesn't let he enters the church.

It might seem a minor conflict, but it's not and it escalates through the narrative in a chocking way to Zé, Rosa and audience.

Through the obstacles, Gomes criticizes many social institutions and Brazilian society as a whole in a brilliant way, mixing comedy with drama, what was totally brought to light in Anselmo's adaptation.

In this path, the acting is really important and it's fantastic.

Leonardo Villar portrays perfectly Zé certainty and naivety; Glória Menezes thought of everything, from the accent to the way of moving and the confusion Rosa shows; Dionísio Azevedo made a perfect traditional priest and everybody else were great in their respective roles, an awesome cast.

The technical features are amazing, the sets, the costume design, Duarte's shots, Chock Fowle cinematography and Gabriel Migliori scores.

What stands out in the movie is the representation of Brazilian Culture, which is what the film defends, the beautiful mix Brazil is, of European, Indian, African and many other cultures.

It is not a surprise that this movie won the golden palm in Cannes. The story of the man that carry a big and heavy cross as a promise for the healing of his donkey is the simpliest and the most beautiful. The poetic way as it is shown became the film an unforgettable classic, with Zé as the protagonist. For sure, technically it is a pre-historic film, the sound quality and editing is really bad, but it even help the audience to focus what really cares. That is not only about poverty, but about humanity. If you liked Central Station, you can't miss.