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Barren Lives (1963)

Vidas Secas (original title)
Not Rated | | Drama | 11 December 1967 (Sweden)
Barren Lives Poster
A poor family in the Northeast of Brazil (Fabiano, the father; Sinhá Vitória, the mother; their 2 children and a dog called Baleia) wander about the barren land searching for a better place... See full summary »

Director:

Nelson Pereira dos Santos

Writers:

Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Graciliano Ramos (novel)

Stars:

Átila Iório, Maria Ribeiro, Orlando Macedo | See full cast & crew »
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1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Edit

Cast

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

Storyline

A poor family in the Northeast of Brazil (Fabiano, the father; Sinhá Vitória, the mother; their 2 children and a dog called Baleia) wander about the barren land searching for a better place to live, with food and work. But the drought and misery destroy their hopes. Written by lukejoplin@infolink.com.br

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

dog | brazil | third cinema | poverty | countryside | See All (8) »

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

11 December 1967 (Sweden) See more »

Also Known As:

Barren Lives See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Luiz Carlos Barreto Produções Cinematográficas,Sino Filmes See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider. See more »

Connections

Referenced in O Cinema Falado (1986) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Brazilian cinema's jewel
8 November 2001 | by Jugu Abraham – See all my reviews

This film of Nelson Pereira dos Santos and another one called "Oz fuzis" or 'The guns' by Ruy Guerra are my favourite Brazilian movies. These films have mirrored the films of Mrinal Sen and Adoor Gopalakrishnan made in India at about the same time. The realism they offer and the rather unconventional use of the soundtrack affects the viewer, though seriously lacking in production quality. I know that most critics tend to classify these two Brazilian films as representative of the Cinema Nouvo, but I prefer to see the two as unusually impressive cinema, little affected by Hollywood. Vidas Secas in a way brings back memories of neo-realism in de Sica's "Bicycle Thief."

The later work of dos Santos failed to impress me. He seems to have burned out--improving in technical qualities but losing out on artistic vision.
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