Vidas Secas (1963)

Director:

Nelson Pereira dos Santos

Writers:

Nelson Pereira dos Santos (writer)
Graciliano Ramos (novel)

Release Date:

11 December 1967 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A poor family in the Northeast of Brazil (Fabiano, the father; Sinhá Vitória, the mother; their 2 children...

Plot Keywords:

Brazil | Countryside | New Latin American Cinema | Poverty | Cinema Novo

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Átila Iório	...	Fabiano
Maria Ribeiro	...	Sinhá Vitória (Mother)
Orlando Macedo	...	Soldado Amarelo (Soldier)
Joffre Soares	...	Fazendeiro (Farmer)
Gilvan Lima	...	Boy (as Gilvan)
Genivaldo Lima	...	Boy (as Genivaldo)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Orlando Chagas
Ignacio Costa
Nabor Costa
Oscar de Souza
José Leite
Vanuterio Maia
Manuel Ordonio
Maria Rosa
Antonio Soarez

Also Known As:

Barren Lives (USA)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15

Company:

Luiz Carlos Barreto Produções Cinematográficas

Movie Connections:

Featured in Panorama do Cinema Brasileiro (1968)

Adaptated from a book.

I rented this movie just because I had read the good book by Graciliano Ramos, back in 1992 in high school. When I played the video tape I really enjoyed what I saw. The slow rhythm is not an obstacle for us who want to have a great time watching a movie. It's the other way around, we just can't leave it once we realise "Vidas Secas" is an impressive narration of the difficulties poor people have when they try to move from their dying land in order to start a new life in the city. It's really time to press "play" and sit back.

My rate 7/10