Although this year’s Carnaval that took place in June in San Francisco
is just a memory for some, for others who really care, the memories linger
on. Some people feel that, despite its multicultural identity, and even
after 18 years, San Francisco’s Carnaval is still searching for authenticity,
a certain central theme besides inclusiveness. This year the focus was
on the ecology of the Rain Forest—with participants appropriately dressed
to celebrate its flora and fauna—and it is good to have a theme, but, for
sure, it is still the samba that saves Carnaval, giving it its sense of
spectacle, glamour and, yes, sophistication.
By Brazzil Magazine
Plays,
movies &
best-seller books
PLAYS
Rio
Alcovas de Cetim (Satin Alcove) — Rebeca Fonda, an unrecognized
great actress lives in a fantasy world. Written by Regiana Antonini, who won the Sharp
prize as Brazil’s 1996 best playwright. Ignês Vianna does the monologue. Cândido Damm
directs.
Bonifácio Bilhões (Bonifácio Billion) — Comedy by world-renowned
playwright João Bethencourt who also directs. How winning the lottery changes a man’s
life. It premiered in 1975. With Francisco Milani, Rogério Cardoso, and Elizângela.
Bravíssimo (Bravissimo) — Written by Regiana Antonini e Marcelo
Saback, who is also the director, with Edwin Luisi, Luísa Thiré and Fábio Villa Verde.
Fifteen years after leaving the man whom he loves to pursue a successful career, a
maestro, now with AIDS, meets again his former lover. Teatro Villa-Lobos.
Cabaret Brazil – From Getúlio Vargas (1954) to the military
dictatorship’s cruellest year (1968), the history of Brazil on a cabaret stage. Musical
from Wolf Maya and Cininha de Paula directed by Wolf Maya. With Rosa Marya, Serjão
Loroza, Cláudia Lira, Adriana Garambone, and Danielle Winits.
São Paulo
Antônio Mora Recebe Fernando Pessoa (Antônio Mora Receives Fernando
Pessoa) Comic monologue from Marco Antônio Braz and Maurício Marques. A medium trying in
vain to chanel the great Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa who also used the Antônio Mora
pen name. Directed by Marco Antônio Braz. With Maurício Marques.
O Cordão Umbilical (The Umbilical Cord) — Comedy written by Mário
Prata. The `70s’ youth through the eyes of a prostitute, an actress and a student.
Directed by Paolino Raffanti with Camila Raffanti.
As Sereias da Zona Sul (The South Side Mermaids) — Written by Miguel
Falabella and Vicente Pereira. This is the successful ten-year-old besteirol (nonsense)
comedy from Rio with Paulista clothes. Two actresses, Rosi Campos and Zezeh
Barbosa, play 10 characters.
Um Espírito Baixou em Mim (A Spirit Possessed Me) — On the eve of
his wedding, super macho man is possessed by a gay spirit who starts to flirt with the
bride’s brother. Comedy written by Ronaldo Ciambroni. With Walter Carvalho and Vitor
Branco, who also directed.
MOVIES
American films just released: Addicted to Love (A Lente do Amor), Anaconda
(Anaconda), Face Off (A Outra Face), Big Night (A Grande Noite), Box of Moonlight (A Chave
da Liberdade), For Roseanna (Para Roseanna), Gridlock’d (Na Contramão), In Love and War
(No Amor e na Guerra), Kissed (Kissed: Cerimônia de Amor), The Last Supper (O Último
Jantar), Looking for Richard (Ricardo III—Um Ensaio), Men in Black (MIB—Homens
de Preto), Mr. Bean—The Ultimate Disaster Movie (Mister Bean—O Filme), Romy and
Michele’s High School Reunion (Romy e Michele), Speed 2: Cruise Control (Velocidade
Máxima 2), That Old Feeling (Guerra dos Sexos)
Baile Perfumado (Fragrant Ball) — Brazil — 1996 — Directed
by first time directors Paulo Caldas, 33, from Paraíba state and Lírio Ferreira, 32,
from Pernambuco. The story of Lebanese Benjamin Abrahão, the only person who in the ’30s
was able to film bandit Lampião and his band. With Cláudio Mamberti (Benjamin), Luís
Carlos Vasconcelos (Lampião), and Jofre Soares (Padre Cícero).
Ed Mort — Brazil — 1996 — Private eye Ed Mort (his name
plays with the word morte, death in Portuguese) is hired by a suspicious wife to
locate her husband — a master of disguise — when he disappears. Based on the
comical characters created by writer Luís Fernando Veríssimo. Direct by Alain Fresnot.
With Paulo Betti, Cláudia Abreu, Irene Ravache and Otávio Augusto.
Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (Paixão Selvagem) — France — 1976
— Directed by Serge Gainsbourg with Jane Birkin and Joe Dalessandro. Homosexual
truckdriver falls in love with a young waitress.
O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (What’s That, Pal?) — Brazil — 1996
— The story of the young guerrillas from the ALN (Ação Libertadora Nacional) and
MR-8 (Movimento Revolucionário) who on September 4, 1969 kidnapped Charles Elbrick, the
American ambassador in Brazil exchanging him for 15 political prisoners. Loosely based on
Fernando Gabeira’s book of same name. Directed by Bruno Barreto. With Alan Arkin, Pedro
Cardoso, Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, and Fernanda Montenegro.
O Sertão das Memórias (Backlands of Memories) — Brazil — 1996
— Antero Marques Araújo e Maria Emilce Pinto, parents of director José
Araújo, show their social conflict in dealing with the constant drought in Brazil’s
backlands.
O Velho: A História de Luiz Carlos Prestes (The Old Man: The Luiz Carlos
Prestes’s Story) — Brazil — 1995 — Documentary based on a 1985 interview
given by the founder of PCB (Partido Comunista Brasileiro—Brazilian Communist Party),
Luiz Carlos Prestes (1898-1990). By Toni Venturi, narrated by actor Paulo José.
BOOKS
Fiction
1. O Sócio
John Grisham
2. 3001: A Odisséia Final
Arthur C. Clarke
3. Violetas na Janela
Vera L. de Carvalho
4. O Diário de Um Magro
Mário Prata
5. O Mundo de Sofia
Jostein Gaarder
6. Asterix—A Galera de Obelix
Goscinny & Uderzo
7. O Paciente Inglês
Michael Ondaatje
8. O Monte Cinco
Paulo Coelho
9. Legítima Defesa
Jonathan Kellerman
10. O Xangô de Baker Street
Jô Soares
Nonfiction
1. Inteligência Emocional
Daniel Goldman
2. Terra
Sebastião Salgado
3. Viagem pela História do Brasil
Jorge Caldeira
4. Minutos de Sabedoria Simples
C. Torres Pastorino
5. Elegância—Como o Homem Deve Se Vestir
Fernando de Barros
6. Inteligência Emocional: A Arte de Educar Seus Filhos
John Gottman
7. Chic — Um Guia Básico de Moda e Estilo
Glória Kalil
8. O Princípio Dilbert
Scott Adams
9. Che Guevara—Uma Vida em Vermelho
Jorge Castañeda
10. Pequeno Dicionário Amoroso
Torreno Werneck
According to daily newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo
