Tieta do Brasil

Just as this plot portrays a big city person from San Paulo, revisiting her native small town in the brazilian Nordeste, Tornatore's character in "Star Maker" is a person from Rome visiting rural villages in Sicily. The small village dynamics are not the same as in a big city.

Jorge Amado shows us a common trait in Brazilian psyche. The strong influence of that lush country in its inhabitants. Actress Sonia Braga (born 1950) is a perfect choice; she still represents that role in "Dona Clara" (2016) "Dona Flor e os seus maridos" (1976),"Gabriela,cravo e Canela" (1983) "Tieta do Agreste" aka "Tieta do Brasil" (1996) Nature-based freedom and sensuality stem from the main character; who seems to be a creature born from the wilderness and whose barely tamed natural instincts clash with a social façade. A civilized pose shown as hypocrite, unable to resist its own nature. "A luz de Tieta" is the ideal song by Caetano Veloso that denounces that hypocrisy in a quick rhythm, like a stream that washes away that makeup in an ectasy of joy and freedom.

Sonia Braga has come full circle starring in the Jorge Amado "trilogy"...."Dona Flor", "Gabriela", and now, Tieta".....and she's at her absolute best in this funny and enchanting story of the scorned "prodical daughter" returning to her slightly backwards hometown after an absence of more than 25 years, only to find nothing much has changed.

The movie was filmed in the beautiful coastal province of Bahia, in Brazil, and combined with the rythmatic music of Caetano Veloso, and the heavenly voices of Gal Costa and Zeze Motta,[who is also in the film] it's definitely a "must see"!

Watch the begining of the film for a cameo of the great Amado himself.

After more than 25 years in the big city of Sao Paulo, Tieta (played nicely by Sonia Braga) is coming back to her native village, Sant'Ana do Agreste. Nothing has changed. It seems the time has stop. But in the little while that she spent there, a lot will change! It's a movie about the subject of: love, lust, power, religion and even politics! No, Sant'Ana do Agreste will never be the same... Tieta even brought in the electricity!

Out of 100, I gave it 74. That's good for **½ on a **** stars rating system.

Seen at home, in Welland, on January 28th, 2002.

Entertaining movie, good story, great locations, and at 46, Sonia Braga is charming and looks GREAT! The story is good, with some scenes sticking in my mind: The helicopter dropping gifts and causing a great fight. The contrast between the two sisters. The scene at the beach with Miss Braga au natural. She looks HOT. Not many 46 year old women can look so good with no clothes at all. The prolonged fight over the installation of the factory. The various amorous alliances. This is, after all, a Brazilian movie. :-) All in all, a very entertaining couple of hours. And, yes, great music. Maybe it won't hold the interest of the average American movie goer, but for the rest of us.... we are charmed.