Preservation doesn’t get high marks in Brazil. In the last 100 years
or so the country elite has been dominated by a rush for progress. The country has been
mesmerized by modernity and any modern building is considered better than an old one. The
most appropriate image of Brazilian society would not be the historical buildings in Rio
de Janeiro, but a most modern city, Brasília, the built-from-scratch capital, a town with
no past.
By Brazzil Magazine
Plays,
movies &
best-seller books
PLAYS
RIO
A Dona da História (History’s Owner)Comedy by João Falcão with
Marieta Severo and Andréa Beltrão. The actresses live the same character at 50 and 20
years of age respectively. Teatro do Leblon.
Cheque ou Mate (Check or Mate)Comedy. A family gets panicky when
their money mysteriously disappears. A critical view of the arriviste. Written by Ricardo
Semler (entrepreneur and bestseller author, a novice as a playwright), directed by Roberto
Lage with Raul Cortez and Myriam Pérsia. Teatro João Caetano.
Drácula e Dança dos Vampiros (Dracula and the Dance of the
Vampires) Comedy macabre. A vampire researcher goes to Pennsylvania with the
intention of getting rid of the bucktoothed. Written and directed by João Luiz Fiani.
With Marino Jr. and Jota Eme. Teatro da Praia.
O Julgamento (The Trial)The residents of a village can get an
inheritance only if they admit to the murder of a man. Written by Daniel Herz. Directed by
Susanna Kruger and Daniel Herz. With Cia. de Teatro Atores de Laura. Casa de Cultura Laura
Alvim.
O Submarino (The Submarine)By Miguel Falabella, who directs and
interprets the husband in this story about a couple who split, but cannot stop loving each
other. Zezé Polessa is the wife. Teatro Miguel Falabella.
Todas as Mulheres do Mundo (All the Women of the World)Author,
director and actor Cláudio Ramos interprets three housewives fighting against machismo.
He is a submissive woman in Sua Batata Está Assando (Your Potato Is Baking), a socialite
in Odeio Iguabinha (I Hate Iguabinha), and a hick in Rodízio de Chuchu (All You Can Eat
Chayote). Teatro Princesa Isabel.
SÀO PAULO
Antes do Fim (Before the End)Drama by Samir Yazbek, who also
directs. A man tells in a cemetery how he murdered his wife and talks about this obsession
with another woman. With Marcelo Reis and Cláudia Cavalheiro. Teatro Mars.
Catarse Conta Zumbi (Catarse Tells Zumbi)Catarse (Catharsis) is the
name of the ensemble group who play this adaptation of a play by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri
and Augusto Boal. Historical drama telling the story of Zumbi, the rebel slave, who became
the king of Palmares. With Adriana Cristiana and Flávio Guarnieri. Directed by Jeferson
Gomes and Cidinha Peppe. Teatro Paulo Autran.
Confidências de um Espermatozóide Careca (Confidences of a Bald
Spermatozoid)"Memories" before birth, repression, and discovery of sex are
some of the themes. By Carlos Eduardo Novaes. Comic monologue. Actor Vicentini Gomes plays
26 characters. Directed by Antônio do Valle.
Francisco de Assis (Francis of Assisi)Story of Giovanni Francesco
Bernardone (1182-1226) and his conversion from a life of wealth to total poverty.
Gregorian chants, litanies, rock and pop are used. More than 20 actors are involved.
Written, directed and interpreted by Ciro Barcelos, who spent six months with Franciscan
monks in Assisi, Italy before writing the play. Teatro Palace
Divinas Palavras (Divine Words)Drama by Ramón del Valle-Inclán.
It tells the story of handicapped boy exploited by his own mother and forced to beg. With
Ana Paula Bouzas and Cibele de Sá. Directed by Nehle Franke. Teatro Sesc Consolação.
Hilda Furacão (Hilda Hurricane)Musical by Roberto Drummond with
music by Flávio Venturini e Marcus Vianna. Hilda is a pretty middle-class woman who
becomes a famous prostitute. With Mariane Vicentini, Leonardo Vieira, Mateus Rocha and
Duse Naccarati. Marcelo Andrade directs. Teatro Procópio Ferreira.
MOVIES
American films just released: Alien resurrection (Alien, a Ressurreição),
The Boxer (O Lutador), Sphere (Esfera), In the Company of Men (Na Companhia de Homens),
The Long Kiss Goodnight (Despertar de um Pesadelo), Mouse hunt (Um Ratinho Encrenqueiro),
Mrs. Brown (Sua Majestade, Mrs. Brown), The Rain Maker (O Homem Que Fazia Chover), Turbo
Power Rangers Movie (Turbo: Power Rangers 2)
Bocage, o Triunfo Do Amor (Bocage, the Triumph of
Love)Brazil-Portugal/1996By Djalma Limongi Batista. With Victor Wagner,
Francisco Farinelli, and Viétia Rocha. Sonnets and erotic poems of Portuguese author
Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage (1765-1805) are set to film with images from Brazil and
Portugal.
Central do Brasil (Central Station)Brazil/1998By
Walter Salles. Drama with Fernanda Montenegro, Vinícius de Oliveira and Marília Pêra.
Unscrupulous Dora changes her life when she decides to go looking for the father of a boy
who loses his mother.
Como Ser Solteiro (How to Be a Single Man)Brazil/1997By
Rosane Svartman. With Rosana Garcia, Ernesto Piccolo, Heitor Martinez Mello, and Marcos
Palmeira. Comedy. Four interconnected stories happening in Rio de Janeiro.
For Ever Mozart (Para Sempre Mozart)France-Switzerland/1996By
Jean-Luc Godard. With Madeleine Assas, Ghalia Lacroix and Bérangére Allaux. Four films
in one. A director has a problem with the actors when he starts the shooting.
Shooting Fish (Atirando em Peixes)England/1997Comedy by
Stefan Schwartz. Dylan and Jez have no modest dream. They want to save more than one
million dollars to buy themselves a mansion. With Kathe Beckinsale, Dan Futteman and
Stuart Townsend.
The Full Monty (Ou Tudo ou Nada)England/1996 by Peter
Cattaneo with Robert Carlyle, William Snape, and Steve Hudson. Comedy. Out of work, a
group of men start a strip-tease joint.
Généalogies d’un Crime (Genealogias de um Crime)France/1996By
Raoul Ruiz. With Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, and Melvil Poupaud. Drama. A youngster
is on trial for having killed his aunt who was a child psychoanalyst.
Junk Mail (Junk mail)Norway/1996 By Pal Sletaune. With Robert
Skjürstad, Andrine Sther and Per Egil Aske. Sex, robbery, and murder in a story between a
postman and a woman who forgets the house keys in her P.O. Box.
Ma vie en rose (Minha Vida em Cor de Rosa)
Belgium-France-England/1997by Alain Berliner with Michele Laroque, Georges du
Fresne, and Jean-Philippe Ecoffey. Drama. Parents do not know what to do when their son
starts acting like a girl.
BOOKS
FICTION
1 O Plano Perfeito, Sidney Sheldon. Record, 300 p. R$25.
2 A Senhora de Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Rocco, 504 p. R$28.
3 O Mundo de Sofia, Jostein Gaarder. Companhia das Letras, 555 p. R$
26,50.
4 A Águia e a Galinha, Leonardo Boff. Vozes, 206 p. R$16.
5 Cada um Por Si – Titanic, Beryl Bainbridge. Companhia das Letras, 226
p. R$19.
6 O Homem Que Calculava, Malba Tahan. Record, 218 p. R$19.
7 O Feitiço da Ilha do Pavão, João Ubaldo Ribeiro. Nova Fronteira 324
p. R$24.
8 O Sócio, John Grisham. Rocco, 416 p. R$25.
9 O Pequeno Príncipe, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Agir, 92 p. R$13.
10 Detetive, Arthur Haley. Record, 576 p. R$28.
NONFICTION
1 No Ar Rarefeito, Jon Krakauer. Companhia das Letras, 280 p. R$23
2 Feliz 1958, o Ano Que Não Devia Terminar, Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos.
Record, 192 p. R$20.
3 As Melhores Piadas do Planeta e da Casseta, Casseta E Planeta.
Objetiva, 128 p. R$10.
4 Inteligência Emocional, Daniel Goleman. Objetiva, 376 p. R$34,50.
5 Dossiê Brasil, Geneton Moraes Neto. Objetiva, 250 p. R$19.
6 O Sucesso É Ser Feliz, Roberto Shinyashiki. Gente, 198 p. R$20.
7 Depois Daquela Viagem, Valéria Piassa Polizzi. Ática, 280 p. R$14,90.
8 Violetas na Janela, Vera Lúcia M. de Carvalho. Petit, 139 p. R$9,50.
9 Sanduíches de Realidade, Arnaldo Jabor. Objetiva, 280 p. R$22.
10 Nova York É Aqui, Nelson Motta. Objetiva, 218 p. R$21,80.
BUSINESS
1 O Segredo do Cofre, Ana Paula Padrão and Valderez Caetano. Globo, 136
p. R$17,50.
2 Mercado Financeiro, Eduardo Fortuna. Qualitymark, 399 p. R$38
3 O Horror Econômico, Viviane Forrester. UNESP, 154 p. R$15.
4 Forbes – As Maiores Histórias do Mundo dos Negócios, Daniel Gross.
Companhia das Letras, 387 p. R$28.
5 A Armadilha da Globalização, Hans-Peter Martin and Harald Schumann.
Globo, 352 p. R$30.
According to Jornal do Brasil