Rodrigo_Amaro

Here's a short documentary on a traditional event related to the War of Contestado and made in the state of Santa Catarina, and it's something they celebrate over the decades and stuff. Stuff, I say, as it's just one of those old conflicts between states (SC and Paraná) that only reflect in one side winning a bigger portion to itself. Not the point here, though. Point is that the director of "O Bandido da Luz Vermelha" (one of the most overrated films of all time) went there to film the event, the parties and stuff, and it's just such a festival of ridicule and bore, except when he keeps filming the pretty girl on the horse, and the sword thing go on. There's something slightly magical about those moments, memories of a long-by time that people find ways to preseve it and it becomes slightly beautiful.

And then there's a guy who keeps comparing traditions (with Rio de Janeiro) and asking how the state of Santa Catarina could be remembered or something along those lines. Well, it should be remembered for anything but this old 19-century stuff. 3/10.

It cannot be denied that the great Rogério Sganzerla had one of the most incredible access to historical archive images of the 20th century while composing "A Cidade do Salvador (Petróleo Jorrou na Bahia)", which covers the early days when oil was found in Salvador and the whole issues pertaining how the oil industry would serve the interests of Bahia state and population, and the whole controversy on how to get such oil. The film establishes the many quarrels and obstacles just fine. But it's a quite tiring documentary despite its limited time due to a bored narrator - same thing happened when Sganzerla made a short doc on Noel Rosa, and after a while you don't care about anything despite the interesting yet unfamiliar topic discussed. Yet there are relics of Brazilian images of the early 20th century that makes you in awe for its quality and historical content. Pity those cannot be a point of judgment in qualifying this film's greatness. There has to be more. 5/10.

Rogério Sganzerla and his tribute to short-lived but prominent singer/composer Noel Rosa (1910-1937) fails to cause an impression and to either introduce new audiences to the man as it is a blurred and chaotic presentation of facts and events that doesn't offer anything to the viewer.

But I tried really hard to follow Sganzerla's ideas and portrayal of the samba author of more than 200 songs, including "Com Que Roupa?" and "Conversa de Botequim". It consists of mostly an impassionate narrator stating some facts here and there, as if being Noel Rosa himself, then cuts to several archive images of the early 20th century but there's a fade to black cut interrupting time and again and it becomes a bore after all. Of course, there's the songs too and that might seduce the viewer in getting to know the man and his time, abruptly cut short at age of 26, due to a tuberculosis brought on by his wild bohemian days. This isn't a strong compelling piece to understand Noel Rosa's geniality neither why he's considered one of the greatest music talents of Brazil; here it's a reduced and splintered view about an artist, and it's not a curious view. 5/10.