Capitães da Areia (2011)

About the life and adventures of a gang of abandoned street kids known as "Capitães da Areia" (Captains of the Sands), in Salvador, Bahia, during the 1950s.

Directors:

Cecília Amado, Guy Gonçalves

Writers:

Cecília Amado (screenplay), Jorge Amado (novel),

Stars:

Jean Luis Amorim, Ana Graciela, Roberio Lima

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jean Luis Amorim	...	Pedro Bala
Ana Graciela	...	Dora
Roberio Lima	...	Professor
Israel Gouvea	...	Sem Pernas
Paulo Abade	...	Gato
Marinho Gonçalves	...	Querido de Deus
Ana Cecília	...	Dalva
Jussilene Santana	...	Dona Esther
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Zéu Britto	...	Aurélio dos Santos
Elielson Conceição	...	João Grande
Edelvan de Deus	...	Ezequiel
Felipe Duarte	...	Zé Fuinha
Diogo Lopes Filho	...	Padre José Pedro
Elcian Gabriel	...	Almiro
Jordan Mateus	...	Boa Vida

Storyline

Salvador, Bahia - Brazil, alive with the charm of the 1950s, A gang of street kids known as "Capitães da Areia" (Captains of the Sands) are hunted like common criminals. As we draw closer, we see that they are just children, almost a hundred of them, completely abandoned. But they won't be children for long: by the end of this odyssey, many will have become men. A year in the lives of these boys, in which they have incredible adventures, the most wonderful dreams, visit hell, discover sex, death, freedom!

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Brazil]

Country:

Brazil Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

7 October 2011 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Capitaines des sables

Filming Locations:

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

BRL 9,238,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lagoa Cultural & Esportiva, Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual (ICA), MGN Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 96 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color (35 mm version)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Capitães da Areia (1989)

User Reviews

It's an effort, but it lacks magic.

I'm not going to say it's an awful terrible film, because it isn't. It lacks the magic of the book, the spirit, the joy and innocence of what being a child is, the beautifully sad way in which the children of the book lived, that Amado described so very skilfully. The film is terribly fragmented, doesn't show us the soul of most characters, their backgrounds, their stories. It doesn't convey the feeling that the capitães de areia are a very tight family. It decides to focus on some parts of the book, and leave others aside completely, and in my opinion, some of the choices are trivial at best. The actors are amateurish, and the dialogue is always done in a very theatrical fake way. Some of the shots, plans and camera tricks are unnecessary and don't add anything to the film. It gives too much importance to Brazilian folklore (candomblé, capoeira and such) while it should focus on much more important aspects. I understand it is hard to convey the power and feeling of such an intense book, but i believe it is possible. That being said, I did enjoy the photography, the beautiful shots of the scenery, and the way that some scenes were explored. It was an effort, but it falls much much much short of the book.