Brazzil - Year 9 - Number 147 - March 1998 by Brazzil Magazine

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A mere seven months after the Lumiere brothers made in Paris the historic presentation of their invention, the Cinematographe, some Brazilians in Rio were also able to experience first hand, in a public session, the marvel called moving picture. It was July 8, 1896. The next year Cariocas (Rio's residents) got their first permanent movie theater at Rua do Ouvidor, brought them by two entrepreneurial men: Paschoal Segreto and Jose Roberto Cunha Salles.

One century later, another Salles is giviing a decisive contribution to the Brazilian i cinema. Walter Salles, by winning for the first time for Brazil the Berlin's Film Festival Golden Bear—the best movie award— has reaffirmed the country's reputation aS one of the finest filmmaker nations in th world. It wasn't an empty accolade as somer one might hastily suggest. Disputing the same prize won by Central do Brasil (Central Station) there wer some international heavyweights such French genius Alain Resnais and Holly wood darling duo, the Coen brothers. Th Brazilian cinema got another boost soo after wit,h the nomination ofBruno Barreto' 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro? (Four Days i September) to the Oscar. These international awards come at time ofcreative effervescence. After a golde era in the '70s and '80s when '100 movies

http://www.brazzil.corn were being released a year, the Brazilian movie industry started this decade virtually dead, with an annual output ofno more than five films. Now you can hear a new flurry of activity despite the lasting legacy of a crisis that left many towns without even one movie screen and not more than 1,500 movie theatres for a population of 160 million. More than 150 full-length films are in several stages of development. There is a Brazilian film in your near future. See you at the movies. R.M.

CONTENTS

Memory Silvio Caldas: no more farewell concerts

26 Space The first Brazilian astronaut

Grammy This time Milton Nascimento took it

Short stories Five gems by Murilo Rubiao,Moacyr Scliar, and Wander Piroli

11 Nostalgia 1958. We've never been happier

13 Cover The Brazilian cinema takes on the world

Cover by Aylan Mello

DEPARTMENTS 6

Rapidinhas

Music

Legislation A law for every taste

24 Behavior The Brazilian woman's charm

34 Travel Belem, under the Amazon spell

The Brazilian Sound 2.0 is out

Letters 46 The Cultural

Art Portinari revisited

Pulse 49

Classifieds 50

That's

52 Special Director Neville D'Almeida's turn

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Publisher and Editor: Rodney Mello / Entertainment Editors: Sam & Harriet Robbins Book Review: Bondo Wyszpolski / Music Editor: B •uce Gilman BRAZZIL (ISSN 1091-868X) is published monthly by Brazzil - NOT mailing address: 2039 N. Ave 52, Los Angeles, CA, 90042-1024. Periodicals Postage rate paid at Los Angeles, CA. Single copy sold for $2. One year subscription for 12 issues is $3 (three dollars) in the U.S., $15 in Canada and Mexico, and $18 (surface mail) in all other countries. No back issues sold. Allow 5 to 7 weeks to receive your first issue. You may quote from or reprint any of the contents with proper copyright credit. Editorial submissions are welcome. Include a SASE (self addressed and stamped envelope) if you want your material mailed back. Brazzil assumes no responsibility for any claims made by its advertisers.

POST MASTER : Please, send address changes to: BRAZZIL - P.O. Box 42536 - Los Angeles, CA - 90050-0536 BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

NI II 'LW II 1.1 Not So Wild Those who think Brazilians carry samba and Carnaval in their genes might be in for a surprise. According to a new study released by Ipesp (Institut° de Pesquisas Sociais, Politicas e Economicas—Institute of Social, Political and Economic Research), 44% of Brazilians couldn't care less about Carnaval and 17% hate it with a passion. Those who enjoy the revelries are a mere 37%. Not more than 9% dance the four days the party lasts though, with another 20% playing one or two days. A total of 66% wait anxiously for Carnaval so they can flee from it all and rest.

=I= It Is a Tie A few hours before the announcement of which samba school was the new champion of Rio's Carnaval, Dona Amelia, composer Chico Buarque's mom, called the president of Escola de Samba Mangueira, Elmo Jose dos Santos, to let him know that she was praying for Mangueira's victory. Dona Amelia wasn't acting out of pure selfless generosity. Mangueira had chosen her son to be the theme of their presentation and their samba enredo (plot). The prayers of the dedicated mother worked. After an 11-year fast—poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade was the theme of the last victory in 1987—Rio's most traditional escola de samba won first prize with a perfect score of 270 (getting a maximum score from each mem-

Older and Oldest Ex-slave diminutive Maria do Carmo Geronimo, 126, considered to be the world's oldest person, is back home in Itajuba, state of Minas Gerais, and doing well after a period at the Institut° do Coracao, in Sao Paulo, where she was treated after a stroke, which left her partially paralyzed. Doctors, who were impressed with the general state of her lungs, kidney and heart, say that she still might live for a long time. According to the last census, Brazil has 13,865 people over the age of 100. This is a jump of 40% when compared to 1960 numbers.

Slip of the Mouse With more than one million copies a week and a 30-year history backing it up, Veja is without any contest the most respected, cited, and mimicked newsmagazine in Brazil. The high-visibility

ber of the 45-judge panel). The fact that the prize was shared with BeijaFlor—it has been 15 years since Beija-Flor won first place for the last time—which also got 270 points, didn't make the mangueirenses less happy. The results brought a few surprises though. Mangueira had appeared as a favorite since its glorious parading on Monday at Avenida Marques de Sapucai, but people didn't care that much about BeijaFlor' s show. Much of the public and pundits were betting that the final result would be a toss-up between Mangueira and Viradouro, led by legendary carnavalesco Joaozinho 30. Viradouro ended up in fourth place. "If the item people was worth anything we would have won for the second year in a row," commented a resigned Joaozinho. Many experts considered the decision unfair and credited it to the inexperience of the judges, all of them novices in the job. DuLoren's homage

to Carnaval BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

position has also made the publication a tad haughty and an easy target for the rest of the national media, since from the top of its excellence the magazine often times is also known for thumbing its nose at publications not belonging to Abril, its publisher. Veja's most common peccadillo has been to unceremoniously appropriate itself of foreign and domestic copyrighted material without attribution of the source. Such cases however can sometimes be tricky due to the nature of the media, which survives on recycling and regurgitating old news and information. More recently though, the holier-than-thou publication has shown at once sloppiness and lack of ethics by publishing a picture that was digitally altered. The magazine didn't warn readers about the alteration, which in this instance wasn't really necessary. The graphic artist who made the mutilation in the picture excised the head and the body of someone on the photo, but forgot to also erase his legs, which are well too visible under the table. The sloppiness was a tootasty plate for the rest of the media to pass up. Society columnist Richard Boechat from Rio's daily 0 Globo was laser-like precise and stinging in his irony suggesting that the magazine take a crash course at the KGB, the infamous USSR's intelligence agency expert on altering images and history. The computer-altered photo, which showed the filmmaking Barreto family, appeared on page 90 of the February 18, 1998 issue, illustrating a cover story on the Oscar nomination of a Brazilian movie. The film by Bruno Barreto is called 0 Que Isso, BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

e avio

No Shirt No Sex Using Carnavalâ€”the five-day revelry party in which everything is allowed and flesh sins are de rigueur as a launching pad, the Brazilian Health Ministry started a new campaign to place a condom in every bed, with plans to dis ribute a total of 250 million rubbers till the end of the year. The government wants to make the camisinha (little shirt, as the condom is popularly known in Brazil) an item of the basic pack of goods offered to the poor. Some private companies have joined the bandwagon including camisinhas for men and women, togeth r with foodstuff, in the free packages. Young soldiers are al eady getting their quota of four condoms a week. Next will b the inmates, even those who don't get female visitors. Ten million camisinhas were handed out du ing the four days of Carnaval, up from the 2.5 million that we e distributed last year. In Salvador, state of Bahia, Bloco da amisinha, a group created three years ago with help from Har ard University, was in charge of distributing 500,000 cond ms. A11250 million camisinhas are coming from verseas. The initial 50 million weife purchased from the British company London International Group aft a cost of 4 cents per unit. In its TV campaign the Health Ministry was more dir ct this year. In 1997, a controversi 1 spot had a character who spoke directly to Braulio, a personific tion of the penis. "In the pre-test , we noticed the positive impact o a direct approach without meta hors," said Pedro Chequer, natio al coordinator for the program Se)cually Transmitted Diseases and 1 IDS. The government as spent $3 million in the initial C rnaval campaign starring musical sensation singer Ivete Sa gab, whose Banda Eva has become a national phenomenon i the last few months. Sings she: "Nesse carnaval, eu sou a sua va/Pra rolar a emocao/So se for de camisinha/Sem camisin a, nao tern Carnaval" (This Carnaval I am your Eve/To roll he emotion/ Only with a condom/Without a condom there is n s Carnaval). In the TV spot, which began airing one eek before Carnaval, a couple is shown dancing and having some heavy petting rocked by the sound of Banda Eva. "Lt's get out" suggests the young man to his partner. "Havc you got a camisinha?," she asks. Moments of tension. Thel music stops and there is total silence while the youngster, ar0ous, digs in his pockets in search of a condom. Happy ending: the camisinha is found, the party restarts and the couple departs for racier adventures. In a parallel effort, the 17 million tourists who annually visit Brazil will be the target of a campaign about syphilis. "Travel with security. Always wear a condom," says a poster showing a suitcase wrapped up in plastic. ' Brazil has more than one million reasons to stress the need for condoms. Every year one million teen-age girls get pregnant and 120,000 people are diagnosed with AIDS. Besides, it 's believed that 500,000 others are HIV positive without knowing it. The largest number of pregnant teens is in the Midwest where there are 182 pregnancies per 1000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19. The national average is 128 cases per one thousand in that same age group.

Companheiro? (What't That, Pal?) and it was released as Four Days in September in the U.S.. isto E, the other Brazilian newsweekly, with about 1/3 of Veja's circulation, didn't miss its chance for a bite at the top dog and even interviewed experts in press ethics, who taught what a serious publication should do in such cases. Lsto found a cleverly naughty title for its article: "0 Que E Isso, Companheiros?" (What's That, Pals?).

Harlem Meets Salvador This year promises to be a better one for Centro Projeto Axe, an NGO (NonGovernmental Organization) that cares for street children in Salvador, state of Bahia, and became the inspiration for similar projects in such places as Angola, Cabo Verde, Italy and Mozambique. Despite the respect it inspires and the fact that the project has already taken more than 4,000 youngster off the streets funds have been drying out and at the end of 1997, Axe had decided to close its doors. Things are looking a lot brighter since the work pointed out as a model by Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) was discovered by American Sandie Poitier Johnson, the principal at Thurgood Marshall Academy in New York. "One of the things that most impressed us," Johnson told weekly newsmagazine Isto E about the experience she and other educators had in Salvador last December, "was the way Axe works with the children with African cultural elements in music, capoeira (a dance-cummartial-art activity), ballet, and even fashion." Another visitor, black leader Pastor Calvin Butts

from the Abissinia Baptist Church, wanted to know how the project was able to maintain the children serene and happy. "It is the pedagogy of the desire," responded Italian educator Cesare de La Rocca, the president of Projeto Axe. "Children are stimulated to always wish for more. They were the ones who suggested and created the ballet group and the fashion atelier." New York will have a taste of this fashion in October when models sporting clothes made by Modaxe will present shows with the help of some notable Baiano (from Bahia) singers Carlinhos Brown, Gilberto Gil and Maria Bethania. Some Harlem children are also going to Salvador to teach English and at the same time learn capoeira, percussion and dance. All these programs should cost $2 million in the long run. The American McCall Foundation has dropped $50,000 in the bucket to jumpstart the partnership.

Oranges of Wrath There is a growing movement in the U.S. to bar the entrance of Brazilian orange juice in the country. The reason presented for such a boycott is the use of child labor in the picking of oranges in Brazil. Though apparently a case of orange industry workers grown sour about the cheaper Brazilian fruit, slave-like child work in Brazil is something vastly documented. Last December, Pharis Harvey, executive director of ILRF (International Labor Rights Fund) observed in loco how children are used in the orange groves. Now he is threatening: "Unless the abuses stop, new American laws will prevent the import of orange juice from Brazil."

Bye-Bye, Song Bird Born on May 23, 1908 (some experts say it was in 1902), in Sao Cristovao, Rio de Janeiro, Silvio Antonio Narciso de Figueiredo Caldas could never make good on his repeated promises of abandoning music. Afflicted with heart problems he died on February 2. He was living in Atibaia, in the interior of Sao Paulo, with his wife Miriam, 50, son Roberto, 21, daughter Camila, 20, and grandson Vinicius, 2. For the last 30 years Silvio Caldas' constant farewell concerts became a running gag in the Brazilian entertainment world. His weepy goodbye shows were so many that even his most faithful fans lost track of them. Friends, still lulled by his soothing music, still don't believe that he has left for good. Said Nelson Rodrigues, another idol of his generation: "The people want him to always come back. And that 200 years from now he will come again for another farewell show." At age six, Caldas was already singing at Casa dos Bigodinhos (House of the Little Moustaches), a club in Minas Gerais state. Soon after he joined the Familia Ideal, a Carnaval band. From this time came the nickname Rouxinol (Nightingale). He would get several other epithets during his seven-decade career, including : 0 Caboclinho Querido (The Dear Little Peasant), A Voz Morena que a Cidade Adora (The Brunet Voice that the City Adores), and 0 Seresteiro das MultidOes (The Crowds' Serenader). The singer was not ashamed of calling himself illiterate. Caldas abandoned school very early. At age 9 he was already an apprentice car mechanic, a mĂŠtier in which he became an expert, moving in 1924 to Sao Paulo where he made a living fixing cars. He had plenty of odd jobs that would make him garimpeiro (gold prospector), milkman, truck driver, cook, and restaurant owner. In 1927 when he went for a test as a singer for Radio Mayrink Veiga, in Rio de Janeiro, he met tango crooner Antonio Gomez, better known as Milonguita, a singer who would greatly influence Caldas's singing technique. According to music researcher Mario Le6nidas Casanova, Caldas's first recordingâ€”"Alo, Meu Bern" (Hello, My Darling) by Carlos de Almeida and "Amoroso" (Filled With Love) by the singer in partnership with Quincas Freire, happened on February 19, 1930. Both tunes were sambas. He would record 500 others songs. "I was born singing," he used to say. Accustomed to being adulated the singer became very despondent when the country turned to other idols all but forgetting him. He moved in 1965 to his Atibaia ranch, which he called exile. The singer appeared also in movies like Humberto Mauro's Favela dos Meus Amores" (My Beloved Favela) from 1935, Luis de Barros's Carioca Maravilhosa (Marvelous Rio Girl) from 1936, and Jose Carlos Burle's Luz dos Meus Olhos (Light of My Eyes) from 1947. Endowed with a deep, husky voice, Caldas became famous for the romantic ballads he sang. He also recorded duets with Carmen Miranda and Elizeth Cardoso. All the Hits For almost 20 years, starting at the beginning of the '30s till the end of the '40s, Caldas kept his songs on the hit parades. In 1935 he had "Minha Palhoca" (My Thatched Hut) by J. Cascata and "0 Telefone do Amor" (The Love Telephone) by Benedito Lacerda and Jorge Faraj. In 1936, there were "Um Caboclo Abandonado" (An Abandoned Peasant), "Madrugada" (Dawn) both by Benedito Lacerda and Herivelto Martins and "0 Nome Dela Nao Digo" (Her Name I Won't Say) by Silvio Caldas and Orestes Barbosa. In 1937 he brought "Saudade Dela" (Missing Her) by Ataulfo Alves, "An-anha-ceu" (Skyscraper) and "Chao de Estrelas" (Floor of Stars), both by Silvio Caldas and Orestes Barbosa. 1938 was the year of "Professora" (Schoolmistress) by Benedito Lacerda and Jorge Faraj, "Sorria da Minha Dor" (Smile at My Pain) by Paulo Medeiros, and "Suburbana" (Suburban Lady) by Silvio Caldas and Orestes Barbosa. In 1939 he had, "Da Cor do Pecado" (Color or Sin) by Boror6, "Deusa da Minha Rua" (My Street's Goddess) by Newton Teixeira and Jorge Faraj and in 1940, "Mulher" (Woman) by Custodio Mesquita and Sadi Cabral and "Preto Velho" (Black Old Man) by Cust6dio Mesquita and Jorge Faraj. Hits from 1941 were "Caixinha de Miisica" (Little Music Box) by CustOdio Mesquita, "0 Piao" (The Top) by Custodio Mesquita and Sadi Cabral). In 1942 we had "Duas Janelas" (Two Windows) by Wilson Batista and Jorge Faraj), in 1943, "Meus 20 Anos" (My 20 Years) by Wilson Batista and Silvio Caldas, "Promessa" (Promise) by Custodio Mesquita and

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Evaldo Rui, "Modinha" (Modinha Tune) by Jaime Ovale and Manuel Bandeira. In 1944 Caldas brought "Como os Rios Correm para o Mar" (How Rivers Run to the Sea) by Cust6dio Mesquita and Evaldo Rui and "Valsa do Meu Subnrbio" (My Suburb's Waltz) by CustOdio Mesquita and Evaldo Rui. A heavy drinker all his life, it seems fit that Caldas met his greatest partner, Orestes Barbosa, in a bar. Caldas had an operatic voice. During the '30s and '40s he was part of the quartet of the great crooners of the time, which also included the King of Voice, Francisco Alves; the Singer of the Crowds, Orlando Silva; and Carlos Galhardo. As a composer he was partner of Cartola, Wilson Batista, Billy Blanco and Ary Barroso. What was the secret of his vitality? "I disobey all the rules recommended to those who are 50 and older. I talk too much, I drink too much, I sleep too little, I work too hard, and smoke like a desperate man," he once said. Nothing was left from the fortune he amassed during his golden years. Caldas died poor. He was getting a $700 monthly check as pension, but royalties from his songs had dwindled so that in a recent month he got a ridiculous $5 check as his share. His only possession, the modest ranch in Atibaia in which he lived, was on the brink of foreclosure. Caixa Economica federal had threatened many times to auction the property in order to collect on a $150,000 debt. It is not for his honesty that Brazil's serenaders will be remembered. He is knOwn to have bought songs which then he appropriated as being his own. Even "Chao de Estrelas" (Floor of Stars), his most memorable work, in partnership with Orestes Barbosa wasn't really his, according to some experts. As a singer though his talent is undisputed. He recorded the best of Ary Barroso, including "Faceira," "Inquietacao", "Maria," "Morena Boneca de Ouro", "Quando Eu Penso na Bahia" with Carmen Miranda, "Por Causa Dessa Cabrocha", "Rancho Fundo," and "Tu." For the last 18 years he hadn't recorded anything and he used to complain that the studios didn't want him anymore. "All they want are songs that last two to three years, but I am here for eternity," he said in a 1996 interview with Folha de Sao Paulo.

Chao de Estrelas

Floor of Stars

Silvio Caldas and Orestes Barbosa Minha vida era urn palco iluminado E eu vivia vestido de dourado Palhaco das perdidas ilusOes Cheio dos guizos falsos da alegria Andei cantando minha fantasia Entre as palmas febris dos coracoes

My life was a lighted-up stage And I lived dressed in gold A clown of lost illusions Full of joy's false rattles I've been singing my fantasy Among hearts' feverish palms

Meu barracao la no morro do Salgueiro Tinha o cantar alegre de urn viveiro Foste a sonoridade que acabou E hoje, quando do Sol a claridade Forra o meu barracan, sinto saudade Da mulher, pomba-rola que voou

My shack up on the Salgueiro hill Had the joyful singing of a aviary You were the sonority that ended And today, when the sunlight Lines my shack, I miss The woman, turtle-dove who has flown

Nossas roupas comuns dependuradas Na corda qual bandeiras agitadas Pareciam um estranho festival Festa dos nossos trapos coloridos A mostrar que nos morros mal vestidos E sempre feriado nacional.

Our common clothes hung On the line as waving flags Seemed like an odd festival Feast of our colored rags Showing that on the ill-dressed hills It's always national holiday

A porta do barraco era sem trinco Mas a lua furando nosso zincÂ° Salpicava de estrelas nosso chdo E tu pisavas nos astros distraida Sem ,saber que a ventura desta vida E a cabrocha, o luar e o violao

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

The shack's door had no latch But the moon piercing our zinc Sprinkled our floor with stars And you absentmindedly stepped on the stars Without knowing that happiness in this life Is a mulatto girl, the moon and a guitar

A U.S. Labor Department study in 1995 showed that 15% of the 70,0000 workers in orange groves in the area of Tabatinga, state of Sao Paulo, were 13 years old or younger. Most had dropped out from school and their salaries were $3 for 14 hours of work.

Superpower Apprentice For the Brazilian military, which muzzled Brazil from 1964 to 1985, smothering internal dissent with censorship, intimidation, prison, torture, and killings wasn't enough. In their delirium-like desire of emulating the U.S. as the world's sheriff, they also planned the invasion of countries. A just-release book reveals that the Medici administration (general Emilio Garrastazu Medici was president from 1969 to 1974) had plans to invade neighboring Uruguay in the event the leftist Tupac Amaru guerrillas prevented President Juan Maria Bordaberry from being inaugurated after his election. The revelation is made in the book Militares: ConfissOesâ€”Historias Secretas do Brasil (The Military: Confessionsâ€” Brazil's Secret Stories) by journalist Helio Contreiras. The work is a confiteor by 40 generals, colonels and other military who took part in the 1964 coup d'etat. They condemn the arbitrariness of the regime and the two decades and a half it took them to step out of government.

Under Christ's Nose As the infamous train robbers of the past they made the train stop by placing a barrier on the tracks. They weren't in the Wild West though, but in Brazil's most famous

postcard: the Corcovado, the mountain topped by Christ the Redeemer. The whole scene seemed so improbable that some of the tourists on the tram—all foreign exchange students— thought at first that the price of the assault was included in the general admission like a thrilling Universal Tours attraction. The story made history. It was the first time in its 113 years that the minuscule Estrada de Ferro do Corcovado (Corcovado's Railway) was robbed. The students hadn't recuperated from the scare yet when their bus was broken into during the night. Again, some items were stolen, most of it equipment belonging to the bus. Contrite and trying to buy good will, Rio's mayor Luiz Paulo Conde invited those robbed to his cabinet for a meeting and offered to pay for the $8,000 in losses of cameras and other stolen objects. After the cordial tetea-tete Conde sent the pleased students to Pored° (Big Hog) for lunch. The restaurant is a fancy churrascaria in the upper-class neighborhood of Ipanema.

A Friendlier Land Despite its natural vocation for tourism Brazil has been too slow in developing any serious strategy to lure tourists to its myriad of attractions. There is still a serious problem of lack of infrastructure and the country inability to promote itself overseas. This might change though with new plans by the government to spend $3.5 billion in tourism in the next two years in order to draw 4 million foreigners a year to the country starting in 1999. In 1997, there were 2.6 millions foreign tourists in Brazil. While tourists brought $2.2 billion to the economy last year, the idea is to have this increased to $4 billion by the end of next year. That would mean that participation of tourism in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would raise to 10%. Francisco Dornelles, the

The Fifth, a Charm In 1995 when he was nominated for a Grammy in World Music for his album Angelus, Brazilian composer and singer, Milton Nascimento, was competing against the Gipsy Kings among others. He lost. The flamenco loving French band was again the one to beat in the latest version of the Oscar of the music industry. It was Milton's turn this time. The Rio born, but Minas Gerais raised singercomposer won with Nascimento, a CD released in 1997. The other singers nominated in the category were Cesaria Evora from Cabo Verde, Nigerian Babatunde Olatunji, and Ali Akbar Khan born in Bangladesh. Brazilian Banda Mantiqueira was also running in the Latin jazz category. American trumpetist Roy Hargrove was the winner though. For Milton it was a very special victory coming at a moment in which he has been recuperating from serious health problems. At the end of last year he was forced to cancel several concerts in the U.S.. Due to his dramatic loss of weight the Brazilian press rumored that the singer-composer had AIDS, which made Nascimento hurt and angry. His doctor in the United States declared though that he was suffering from an acute case of diabetes. It was the fifth time Milton was nominated for a Grammy and the first one he snubbed it, ignoring the New York ceremony and choosing instead to go partying with friends in the Salvador (state of Bahia) Carnaval. With this victory Nascimento joined, among others, Joao Gilberto, who with Stan Getz won in 1964 for The Girl from Ipanema as best album. That same year the Grammy for best record went to Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto also for "The Girl from Ipanema." In 1973, Eumir Deodato with his version of Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zaratustra" was considered best pop instrumental interpreter. Roberto Carlos was chosen in 1988 as best Latin pop singer and Sergio Mendes was the winner of the world music best record in 1993 for Brasileiro. In 1996, Tom Jobim won a posthumous prize for Antonio Brasileiro in the Latin jazz category. Brazil has won a total of 12 Grammys so far. Laurindo de Almeida alone he is a Sao Paulo musician who moved to the U.S. in 1947 has won five of the awards, starting in 1960, when he got it twice for Conversations With the Guitar (best instrumental classic music) and for TheSpanishGuitarsofLaurindo de Almeida (instrumental solo). In 1961, with Discantus, he shared the prize of best contemporary jazz composition with Igor Stravinsky. Three years later, Guitarfrom Ipanema would give him a Grammy as the best jazz performer.

Industry, Commerce and Tourism minister is betting that Brazil "will make lots of money with tourism". A stable currency and changes in legislation have already increased the influx of foreigners, he says. Among his plans is a price reduction of domestic air tickets. There also are special plans to develop the Northeast into the Brazilian Acapulco. More than $800 million are being invested in the region and six first-class new hotels are being built. In another front, the Inter-American Development Bank is helping to finance basic infrastructure for ecotourism projects in the Amazon and the Pantanal areas.

Gold Divers Conservative estimates put the number of shipwrecks along the 8,500 km (4.600 miles) Brazilian coast at 1,000 since Brazil's discovery in 1500. Some experts however believe that 3,000 would be a more realistic number. Until now, by law, all the buried treasure—estimated at $80 billion to $150 billion—belongs to the Union and whoever finds it is not entitled to even a penny. This has created a situation in which all these riches lay there untouched or are pillaged by pirates, a task made easy by the lack of law enforcement by the Navy, which is in charge of protecting Brazilian seas. Enter a new law, Project 4,285, which has the Navy's backing and it is on its final phase to be approved in Congress. The legislation has produced an odd alliance among leftists and rightists, conservatives and liberals, government and opposition, all in concert with the military. The main controversy has been the size of the share to give foreign companies participating in any jointventure to dig theses treasures. Some propose that they should get 50% of everything found, others believe that 40% should be the maximum.

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

osta g la

The Year We Were So Happy Brazilians have been hit by a serious nostalgia affliction since the recent release of Fe/ft 1958-0 Ano Que Neio Devia Terminar (Happy 1958—The Year That Shouldn't End) by Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos, Editora Record, 192 pp $22. _ The book written by journalist Joaquirn Ferreira dos Santos, who was only eight in 1958, show why that was one heck of a year. These were, according to the book, more innocent times in which the bambole (hoola-hoop) was king, people listened to bossa nova on the transistor radio and were interested in the Certinhas do Lalau (full-figured guitar-shaped pinup girls chosen by irreverent Rio's journalist Sergio Porto, better known as Stanislaw Ponte Preta). The queen of gossip was Candinha and the funniest guys on TV were called Ze Fidelis, a somewhat foul mouthed joker and Ze Bonhinho, an incorrigible don Juan interpreted by actor Jorge Loredo When called gorgeous he would say: "Gorgeous it is to see me washing my armpit while I sing "Tico-Tico no Fuba." 1958 also saw Maria Ester Bueno winning Wimbledon and Cacareco, a zoo rhinoceros from sao Paulo, getting a seat at the City Council with 100,000 votes. It was also in 1958 that Brazil won soccer's World Cup for the first time. That year, Miss Brazil—then a cared for institution—was Adalgisa Colombo. With popular civilian President Juscelino Kubitschek, Brazil was the country of tolerance with a growing feeling that every dream could be fulfilled. That was the year architect Oscar Niemeyer was busy inventing Brasilia, the town created in the backlands that in two years would become Brazil's futuristic capital. That was also the year that the first almost-national car was introduced: it was the DKWV.emag, whose rate of nationalization was 78 percent. Even crimes seemed more cinematographic: 1958 saw one of the most infamous crimes of Brazilian history, the murder of Aida Curi. The 23-year-old virgin was thrown from a building's terrace at fancy Avenida Atlantica by Cassio Murilo Ferreira da Silva, 17, and Ronaldo de Souza Castro, 19, who were trying to rape her. It was in 1958 too that avant-garde artist Flavio de Carvalho, who advocated skirts for men in the tropics,

' shocked the nation by going out through the streets of downtown SA&Paulo wearing a skirt. That same year vaudeville star Nelia Paula was the protagonist of her own scandal becoming the first Brazilian woman to wear a bikini, choosing Copacaban a beach as her stage. The hits of the year: "Apito no Samba" (Marlene), "Cabecinha no Ombro" (Trio Nage), "Cachito" (Nat King Cole), "Castigo" (Dolores Duran), "Chega de Sauclade" (Jodo Gilberto), "EuNAo Existo Sem Voce" (Silvinha Telles), "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley), "Meu Mundo Caiu" (Maysa), "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu" (Domenico Modugno), "Serenata do Adeus"(Elizete Cardoso), "Vitrine e Escultura" (Nelson Gong alves), and "You Are My Destiny" (Paul Anka). That's also the year Jorge Amado released his international bestseller Gabriela Cravo e Canela (Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon). Other important books published at that time were: 0 Ventre (The Stomach) by Carlos Heitor Cony, 0 Homem ao Lado (The Man Beside) by Sergio Porto, Maria Beata do Egi o (Blessed Mary of Egypt) by Rachel de Queiroz, A Cia'ade Vazia (The Empty City) by Fernando Sabino, and Hist&

rias de Desencontros (Mismatches

'58 Slang

Stories) by Lygia ! Then it was cool to say: Fagundes Telles. Arigo—stupid I Bagulho, canheio, facet°, estrupicio—offensive names to call a woman I Barnabe—public worker

13orogodo—charm Botar prajambrar—to be a troublemaker

Broto, certinha, estouro, gostosurct, pedavo, pancadeio, uva—all corn-

' plirnents to a woman Charlar—to show off

Da fuzarca—party animal Dar o beico—(lit. to give the lip) to

stiff someone

da pontinha—it's great de chuci—it' s great fogo na jaca—It's a bummer Eu quero é rosetar—I want to chase skirts

Ficar a bangu—empty handed Ficar a nenem—empty handed Foi pro beleleu—it finished, it died Fuinha—tightwad

Garota do barulho—su per girl Ji/6—(lit. a very bitter vegetable) gay

Mandrake—gay Matusquela—crazy Me clet o meu bone—(lit. give me my hat) I am gone

Mocorongo—worthless person No major vai-da-valsa—by hoek or by crook Lalau s Certmhas

Parangole—bash Que mocoto! —what a thigh! Roxinha—prety black girl Xaveco—problem Ximbica—clunker 11

BRA7_ZIL - MARCH 1998

At least one famous treasure hunter has already shown interest in digging Brazil's undersea riches. He is American Robert Ballard from the Massachusetts Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the same guy who found the carcass and the treasures of the Titanic.

Panning Bill Bombril, a traditional finesteel scouring pad and one of the most recognizable brand names in Brazil, is having a field season with President Clinton's misadventures. In a new TV spot created by W Brazil ad agency, the potsand-pans best friend brings Carlinhos Moreno, 42, its spokesperson for 20 years, in a one-man show in which he interprets three of the main characters of Zipergate: Bill, Hillary, and Monica Lewin sky. While the versatile comedian changes clothes and personalities on screen the text of the ad goes: "Bombril cleans any dirt even international ones." As Hillary Carlinhos says, "your house will get real white" and concludes already transmuted into Monica: "Oh, Bill, born Bill," In Portuguese tj,om means good.

Garden Ice Cream Flower-flavored ice cream is not a novelty in Brazil. The curiosity existed for decades but it had been restricted to some specialized ice-cream parlors and bought more as an occasional extravagance. This summer however, rose petal ice cream has caught on and has become a craZe. It is being consumed as f4st as it is prepared and being taken in big quantities to weddings, birthdays, and all kinds of parties. In some Rio ice-cream parlor, the rose flavor is among the three most sought after by the customers. The product uses milk and rose petals and pulp.

jam-Lai. da tarde

MOO Un(be)liveable Rio

ERA UMA vE7. 0 SANTOS DUMONT...

The so-called Marvelous City has just undergone its anZ nual test to prove its livability and has flunked miserably. In the short period of one week in February, Rio had interruptions of water and electricity, sometimes both at the same time; not-too-heavy rains showed how clogged and ill-kept the drainage systems were, which StIkUr: provoked floods and stranded people for hours; nobody was having extra complaints about the phone lines since telephone services have always been dreary. In some cases blackouts lasted a whole day. Firefighters had to assume the role of spectators when on February 13 a fire broke out at Santos Dumont airport close to downtown. First they were called only after the fire had burned for hours, then they came fast and gave a sad show of inadequacy: the hydrants didn't have water, many hoses had holes on them, and Magyrus ladders didn't work. The fire that started at 2 AM was still smoldering at midday. The same day Light, the recently privatized company in charge of electricity, opened its 800 number for complaints and it was inundated by 10,000 calls. Light blamed the blackouts on the heat that made more people than usual stay home and turn on their air conditioners. C.D..

nat MY., Pk: L

1 8

032=1 Close Up Close Roberta Close, Brazil's most renowned transsexual is only 33, but she is busy putting the finishing touches on her tell-all, name-names, racy autobiography. She will be talking about her conflict of a woman trapped in a male body (she was born with a penis but not testicles) and the suffering to be accepted by society. Afraid of lawsuits, La Close for now has given up naming her Brazilian lovers. NonBrazilians, however, are fair game. Born Luis Roberto Gambini, Roberta revealed recently that she will be talking, for example, of her romance with American comedian Eddie Murphy, who is not making any comment. "Eddie saw me in New York and he liked my type," Close said. "He used to send me flowers and letters." Close had a sex-change operation in London at the Charing Cross clinic. This was in 1989. Since then she has been trying to change her name on her Brazilian passport. The case went up to the Supreme Court, which last year denied her wish arguing that natural sex prevail over psychological sex. She was able to change her name to Luiza Gambini though in Switzerland where she is living, "superhappy" according to her, with Swiss husband Roland Granacher, product manager of an airplane turbines company. Ever so proud of his wife, Granacher, in Rio with Close for the Carnaval, told Rio's magazine Manchete: "Roberta is a woman in every sense. She is beautiful, sensual, feminine, intelligent, and also a great cook. Brazil needs to grow up and stop being so old fashioned on sexual matters."

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You Brazil is the 6th largest fil market in the world. Still to be a filmmaker in Brazil today is a heroic adventure. By 1990 the share of domestic movie in the country's box-offic total had fallen to zero wit no more than five films being produced each yea This after a golden perm in the '70s and '80s, whe Brazilian films were sellin up to 50% of all tickets an . filmmakers were crankin kip 100 new films a year. A Finally the national- film -1 industry seems to be_goin through a revival. The share has grown to 5% an several international priz s are giving new momentu to an industry that in almost 100 years has mor than 2,000 films to show for. ALESSANDRA DALEVI

Scenes from

entral do Brasil

I. BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Just seven years after being left dead the Brazilian movie industry h s become the talk of the world. Two int rnational accoladesâ€”the Golden Bear (tie highest prize at the Berlin Film Festiv 1) and an Oscar nomination for best foreign movieâ€”has given notice that the on e celebrated national cinematography is alive and kicking once again. The Berl' n award, a highlight of one of Europ 's three most prestigious film festivals t gether with Cannes and Venice, was giv n to the movie Central do Brasil (call d Central Station in the U.S.), by Brazili director Walter Salles. The same wo k rewarded Brazilian veteran Fernan i a Montenegro as best actress with the S 1-

Scenes from 0 que E isso,Companheiro7

I. 13

ver Bear prize. The last time Brazil won a best-film award in one of the three major festivals was in 1962 when Anselmo Duarte's 0 Pagador de Promessas (The Promise Keeper) got the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Salles's victory was even more impressive when we consider the heavyweights he competed against in the German Festival. Among them were the much-acclaimed Coen brothers, veteran Robert Altman and legendary French director Alain Resnais. There were also Quentin Tarantino and Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting, which has been nominated for 9 Oscars, including best picture. Fernanda Montenegro also had tough competition, defeating among others Isabella Rossellini and Anne Bancroft. Central do Brasilwas also a huge success with the public. There was a 10-minute standing ovation for the Brazilian movie the first time it was shown in an open screening to 800 people during the festival. The reaction might even have led some jurors to rethink their votes if had not already been intent on selecting the Salles film. The Brazilian Oscar nomination went to 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro? (What's Up, Comrade?), released in the United States as Four Days in September. Based on guerrilla-turned-congressman Fernando Gabeira's semi-autobiographical book of the same name, 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro?, is a loose adaptation of the 1969 kidnapping of American ambassador to Brazil Charles Elbrick (played in the film by Alan Arkin) by a group of leftist guerrillas. Elbrick was in captivity for four days while the kidnappers

Walter Belles and â€˘ Fernanda Montenegro '

Just the vanguard of a larger contingent of fresh Brazilian films being produced right now. In the first week of March, nearly 150 films were in various stages of completion. Although about 100 projects were still trying to raise funds, 54 others were already in pre-production and production phases or already in the can ready to be released (see box). A variety of styles and themes have been allowed to flourish in the Brazilian film revival. "A good thing we've got today is the plurality both in the origin as in the styles of the movies," said Jose Carlos Avellar, president of distributor Riofilme in a interview with Rio's daily Jornal do Brasil. "There is no longer just one center like Sao Paulo or Rio, or Just a handful of filmmakers as it was during the Cinema Novo (Brazilian New Wave) phase. The overseas market is surprised at the variety." Sal les is of the same opinion. After saying that Brazil has no unifying axis as the Iranian or Chinese film industries have nowadays, he offers: "If there is a unifying factor in the new national cinematography, it resides in the desire of talking about a country called Brazil. The more intrinsically' Brazilian our movies are, the greater their chances to become universal and reach a public beyond our borders." For All Tastes Among the new offerings are dramas and melodramas, comedies and farces, historical pieces and kid stuff, thrillers and experimental works. What has happened? Why sud-

Lucy and Luiz Carlos Barreto celebrating Oscar nomination k,

I. negotiated with the Brazilian government to exchange him for 15 of their jailed comrades that they were able to liberate and send by plane to Mexico. Yankee movie critics have given director Bruno Barreto's story mostly warm and even enthusiastic reviews. Miramax, an arm of Disney, the distributor of the film, believes in its popular appeal and had it booked in 70 screens across the U.S. by mid-February. (At the same time, in an ironic statement, Brazilian distributors were able to find only three theatres across the country to re-release the film in Brazil.) Central do Brasil and 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro? are

denly has this apparent new boom in filmmaking emerged? Why this let's-make-a-movie fever among filmmakers, this surge of new talent and the return of veteran directors who seemed content with early retirement? (Three monsters of Brazilian cinematography, Ruy Guerra, Carlos [Cud] Diegues, and Nelson Pereira dos Santos are busy shooting their own films.) Among those who have recently made their debut in the director's chair are some very promising talents, such as Sandra Werneck (Pequeno Dicioncirio Amorosoâ€”Little Love Dictionary), Beto Brant (Os Matadoresâ€”The Killers), and

14 BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

the Northeastern duo Paulo Caldas and Lirio Ferreira. Others have yet to release a film, but word of mouth in the industry has already feature as upstarts of promise„ One is star TV reporter Pedro Bial who is making his debut with Primeiras Estorias, an adaptation of several short stories by Guimaraes Rosa, Brazil's James Joyce. Luiz Fernando Carvalho, with Lavoura Arcaica (Archaic Fieldwork) is another name to watch. Promising too are Eliane Caffe with Kenoma and Karim Ainouz whose script for Madame Sata(Madam Satan) won a prize from the French government (which had previously given the same award to Central do Brasil). A source of inspiration for the new crop of films have been book, both recently published and older classics. Among literary works being adapted to the big screen are Policarpo Quaresma, Amor & Cia., Lavoura Arcaica, 0 Viajante, and Xango de Baker Street. This last book, by multitalented TV talk-show host Jo Soares, has just been released in the U.S. under the title A Samba for Sherlock. Learning the Trade At 41, Walter Salles (he used a Jr. at the end of his name until 1994), the director of Central do Brasil, is not your runof-the-mill Third-World-country director. He has lived in Washington, D.C., and studied in Paris between the ages of 6 and 13. The son of Walter Moreira Salles—owner of Unibanco (the third-largest privately owned bank in Brazil) and one of Brazil' s wealthiest men—the director preferred to follow his own call instead of managing the family fortune. "I am glad I was never compelled to work at the family business," the economics graduate once said. "My lack of talent in the financial area is so big that no structure would resist more than two days of my managerial skills." In 1986 he created VideoFilmes, a documentary and ad agency, which served as a fertile ground for his blooming as a filmmaker. Waltinho, as he is called among his peers, has made two previous full-length movies. He made his debut in 1991 with A Grande Arte(The Great Art), a film with artistically portrayed action scenes featuring knife fights, but little popular appeal. The English-language film cost $5 million, a fortune by Brazilian standards. But it was his 1995 release, Terra Estrangeira (Foreign Land), a $600,000 black-and-white allegory, that made people pay attention to his talent. The film about a couple who flees Brazil and goes to Portugal after having their savings wiped out by President Fernando Collor de Mello's futile confiscatory measures to freeze prices and eliminate inflation, was featured at a dozen international film festivals, winning the great prize of the Paris's International Film Forum. Central do Brasil, a movie that cost $2.9 million (with a $300,000 contribution from the Sundance Institute, which in 1996 gave an award to the Marcos Bernstein and Joao Emanuel screenplay), shows a Brazil little known even to Brazilians. It tells the story of Dora (interpreted by 68-yearold Fernanda Montenegro), a retired teacher who makes a living writing letters that she never sends for illiterate people whose relatives, friends and lovers are in faraway states. Dora's workplace is the Central do Brasil railway station BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

in downtown o, a train terminal for the poor suburbs. The action starts w en Dora gets stuck with Josue, the son of a woman for wh an she wrote a letter, after a bus accident kills the boy's mot er. After some time, Dora decides to seek Josue's father. Vinicius de Oliveira, 11, whom Salles found shining shoes - t Rio's Santos Dumont Airport, play the role of Josue. Braz lians have not yet seen the movie, which is scheduled to h we its Brazilian opening on April 3. The screen ng of Central do Brasil at the Sundance Film Festival was a ig success. So much so that that it provoked a bidding war among several American distributors. The impasse was s lved by giving the distribution to two compaflies: Sony Cla sics paid $500,000 to get the American and Canadian terri ories while Miramax put up $1.2 million to distribute it in Asia, Africa and Latin America, excluding Brazil. Next stop: e Oscar. Using 0 Que Isso, Companheiro? as inspiration the movie screened at the Berlin Film Festival without gr at repercussion last year—Salles is already thinking about his film being chosen by Brazil to represent the country at next year's Oscar. "We need to wait, however," he sa s. "First let's root for 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro. With an e e at the future and the backing of Swiss producer Arth r Cohn (who was also behind Central do Brash) Walter Salles has four other projects in the preproduction sta e. There is Wait for Me, an original screenplay about a M xican immigrant to the U.S.. The film will be shot in Santa F ,New Mexico. There is also Ultimos Dialogos (Last Dialogu s) by cartoonist-writer Miller Fernandes, the tale of a pianis who decides to leave Brazil and then returns to her country 0 years later when she becomes ill. 0 Sorriso Etrusco (The truscan Smile) is still another project. Based on a book by S anish author Jose Luis Sampedro, it also tells a homecomin story, in this case of a 70-year-old man who believes that h has cancer. A girl who dreams about escaping from the ircus where she was born is Salles' fourth movie project It is based on a book by French author Christian Bobi Salles has een as active as ever. In partnership with Daniela Thom s, Salles is in the post-production phase of Contagem Re ressiva (Countdown), a movie that will be released at the end of this year. Again with Thomas, he has been putting t e final touches in 0 Primeiro Dia (The First Day), even t ugh the film is scheduled for release in September 19 9. ff

The Oscar Connection Director B no Barreto got the good news about his Oscar nomina on while editing One Tough Cop, his latest American effo With Barreto's nomination, a Brazilian got the coveted n d from the Academy of Hollywood for the fourth time. I erestingly enough, when it last occurred in 1996, another arreto was the lucky nominee, when Bruno's brother Fabio arreto received an Oscar nod for 0 Quatrilho. Another n mination occurred in 1962, when Anselmo Duarte' s Pag or de Promessas, which had already won the Cannes Golde Palm, was also nominated by the Academy. Brazil's other hance at the Oscar was for Hector Babenco's 15

The Kiss of the Spider Woman. William Hurt got a best actor Oscar for his performance in that 1984 movie. In a recent interview, Barreto stressed the fact (also pointed out by several critics) that Four Days in September is not a Manichean e movies were still called umniograph when Cariocas (Rio story: "My film has ambiguous and controversial characters: a torturer who is not a villain, a •• residents) had their first glimpse of-the moving images that would become the most popular entertainMentOf the first half of the century. bandit who is a hero, a conscientious man who happened on July 8, 1896. •k, kidnapped the American ambassador." By 1908, when Hollywood didn't yet exist, Brazilians were already After its initial presentation at the Berlin Making movies. Humberto Mauro was Brazil's first great filmmaker. Festival in 1997; every major company in the s masterpiece Ganga Bruta (Rough Gangue) was released in 1933. U.S. that distributes foreign (including 1929, Mario Peixoto, another talented pioneer had already filmed Goldwyin, Sony Classics, First Look, and Le silent Limite (Limit). Miramax) showed interest in Barreto's work. .../. - , ,.. The first successful movies with broad popular appeal would • Miramax, which ended up becoming the movie's American distributor, did not spare any effort to ik appear in the '40s. Comedians Oscarito and Grande Otelo became •• 0 huge box-office hits between 1944 and 1955. They were but two of the • release and divulge the work. , Barreto, who turned 43 this March, has had : stars reunited by Atlantida, a studio from Rio responsible for popular- : a long romance behind the cameras. He was still • izing a non-sophisticated and straightforward comedic film genre • chanchada. ' N 11 when he borrowed a camera to shoot his first • • I onse to the lowbrow offeringsofAtlaMida, a group from Sao * • movie, the short Os Tres Amigos (The Three y magnate Francisco "Ciccilo" Matarazzo Sobrinho created • Friends). At 17 he made his first feature film, • • 'a Vera Cruz in 1949. They hired foreign technicians and • Tani, a Garota (Tati, the Girl), which was a o Brazil Alberto Cavalcanti, who at this time had already • commercial success. • •s a great filmmaker in Europe. Barreto has recently moved from Los An• z was short-lived. Lavish spending, clashing egos, less- • geles to New York. He never hid his contempt ar stories and a lack of a distribution structure led to the Sao for Hollywood, but the move was also helped ulo s o' s demise. By 1954 it had closed its doors even though the • by the fact that his wife Amy Irving (Steven studio t in S'ao Bernardo do Campo in the Sao Paulo ABC region • Spielberg's ex wife) is a Broadway star. In an • continued making movies under the name ofBrasil Fihnes. Their only • interview with daily 0 Estado de S. Paulo, • big success was 0 Cangaceiro Barreto, who has 12 feature films to his credit, ... (The Bandit), a release from 1953, • which became also an international triumph. • talked about his intentions as a moviemaker: •At the end of the '50s, inspired by Italian neorealism, Brazil saw the • "After living in L. A. for eight years, I found out • birth of Cinema Novo (New Cinema), whose motto was: "a camera in • that I didn't have to settle down in town to make the hand and an idea in the head". The phrase has been often attributed • the type of movie that I enjoy. I will never to Glauber Rocha, the Cinema Novo's most talented filmmaker. • become a mainstream director using special • However, Rocha himself gave authorship of the phrase to Paulo Cezar • effects and the like." • Barreto is very famous in Brazil. He di- I" Saraceni, another leader of the movement. ._ • . The Cinema Novo would come to full broom m the next decade. • rected the 1976 Dona Flor e Seus Dols Maridos • The Brazilian new wave made movies strong in social content with • (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands), which has • ok little concern for technique or broad popular appeal. They were perfect • the distinction of being the top grossing Brazilpieces to win art film festivals and become cult movies. Glauber Rocha • ian movie in the domestic market. More than • • (1939-1981), considered a genius by many, became the main exponent • 10.7 million Brazilians went to see the story of • e , of this so-called "aesthetics of hunger." a woman who had to manage two spouses at the s • ; f ,.. Rocha's 1968 film, 0 Dragdo da MaldadeContra °Santo Guerreiro • same time: one alive and circumspect, with the • other being the lewd mocking ghost of her late •• (The Dragon of Evil Against the Warrior Saint), won him the best • • 1 director's prize at the 1969 Cannes Festival. He also received an award • first husband. In comparison, 13 million saw Czechoslovakia for his first movie, Barravento (1961). The second • Jaws, the all-time champion being finally threat- •• • ened by Titanic, which has just started its run • one, Deus e o Diabo na Terra do • :'i Sol (God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun) (1963), a synthesis • and was seen by 6 million people in a six-week a 1.- uftrazil' s rural predicament, is part ofthe collection of the best movies • period. • • With 270,000 tickets sold 0 Que E Isso, : , of all time from the New York Museum of Modern Art. • • The contemporary Brazilian cinema had its heyday in the '70s and Companheiro? became the third most seen Bra• zilian movie in Brazil last year, losing only to •6 the beginning of the '80s. During that period the film industry was • • the historic epic Gerra dos Canudos (Canudos • producing some 100 movies a year. The participation of the national • War) and small intimate piece Pequeno • film industry on Brazilian screens during the '70s varied from 35% to • ' 50% a year. This munber fell to zero in 1990, but it has been slowly • Dicioncirio Amoroso (Little Love Dictionary). • • climbing up. • Two other successful Barreto films were Ro- • • mance da Empregada (The Maid's Romance) • • • • o••••

• • 5 BRAZZIL - MARCH 1996

and A Estrela Sobe (The Star Rises). But he had also some bombs, including Gabriela, which starred Italian actor Marcelo Mastroianni and Sonia Braga. Bruno's career in the U.S. has been just modest, with Carried Way with Dennis Hopper being considered his best work in English. He has also made the political thriller Show of Force. Since the release of 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro?, the director—who has spoken of his political non-commitment more than once—has been crucified by most of the Brazilian left, which accuses him of tampering with history and presenting a rosy picture of the military dictatorship by portraying a conscience-stricken torturer. He has also been occasionally criticized for making plain, too-linear films. In response, Bruno has made fun of some more hermetic films "in which the best part is the interview with the director at the end." Barreto, who will continue to make films in Brazil—his next movie will be Senhorita Simpson (Miss Simpson) based in a book by Sergio Sant' Anna—has declared with bitterness that he doesn't want to return Brazil and live in a country

All this re ent creative action in the Brazilian movie industry has b en credited to a series of factors. The most important one s the Lei do Audiovisual (Audiovisual Law), a legislation cr •ated in 1993 allowing companies to invest in cultural proje s up to 3% of the money the firms owe the government in income taxes. Thanks to that, the number of domestic mov es released has grown from six in 1994, to 18 in 1995, and 2 last year. The global zation phenomenon has also caught the Brazilian film ind stry. Barreto, a Hollywood insider, has, Oscar winning acto Alan Arkin starring in 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro. Alberto Graca, who directs 0 Dia da Cava (The Day of e Prey), has hired French actress Barbara Schulz to wor in the film to be shot in the Amazon. Chard, which is still in pre-production, will be shot in several foreign cities, including London, Paris, and Los Angeles. Scheduled to be directed by Guilherme Fontes, with the biggest budget ever for a Brazilian movie, it will tell the story of media mogul Francisco de Assis Chateaubriand (18921968), who was the owner of Diarios e Emissoras Associados, a conglomerge of 18 TV stations, 34 newspapers, 36 radio

Central cib Brasil by Walter Salles

where "winning is a sin." In an interview with daily Folha de Silo Paulo, the director considered cowardly the justification given by the Brazilian commission who selected his film for Oscar consideration: "They said they had chosen the movie because Miramax, a strong independent distributor in the United States, was going to distribute it. They didn't have the guts to say that the movie was better than A Ostra e o Vento (The Oyster and the Wind) and A Guerra de Canudos (The Canudos War). Brazilians suffer of pathological optimism, premature celebration and lack of self-esteem. This makes us a nation of losers." Barreto revealed that he had chosen a Brazilian composer for the sound track of 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro?, but that he changed his mind after this unnamed "very respected" musician started to "ideolOgically police the film." Concluded the director: "The ideological textbook limits people aesthetically. I am forcefully against any level of political commitment by artists." An Official Hand BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

stations, and veral magazines. Internatio al co-productions are also becoming more common plac . Renowned director Ruy Guerra is right now in Cuba shoo ing Estorvo, the film version of composer Chico Buarqu de Hollanda's book of same name. Estorvo's executive pro ucer, Jom Tob Azulay, recently told Jornal do Brasil: "H storically, we are a culture isolated from the rest of the wor d. I think that international co-productions are bound to bec me a tendency from now on." In 1994, a mere 350,000 tickets were sold for Brazilian movies in Br. il. Two years later, that number had jumped to 2.5 million. ccording to government estimates, 5% ofthe 70 million m vie tickets sold in 1997 were for domestic films. In 1998 this number should increase, but nobody sees in the near fu re a return to the golden '70s when up to 50% of the tickets old were for Brazilian movies. After the attle to shoot a Brazilian film has been successfully wo , producers and directors still have another tough hurdle: to find a free screen willing to show their movies. With a mere 1,500 screens for a population of 160 17

millionâ€”the United States has 25,000 screens and a Hollywood blockbuster opens in three times as many theaters in the U.S. as the total of theaters throughout Brazilâ€”national producers have to fiercely compete with the Hollywood product, which has a virtual monopoly in the country. The same scenario occurs in the video stores, where only 15% of the inventory is Brazilian. The U.S.-made epic Titanic, which is taking 20% of all available screens and already setting a record with six million spectators and more than $26 million in box office within six weeks after its release, continued strong in Brazil's theaters. However, Tizuca Yamazaki's 0 Novico Rebelde, the most successful Brazilian film so far this year, with popular TV comedian Renato Aragao, has drawn around 1.5 million spectators before being released in the smaller theaters of the Brazilian interior. In recent years, Brazil's biggest grossing movies before Titanic were Ghost ($16.7 million) and Independence Day ($15.3 million). The one-million-spectator mark has been like a mirage for most recent Brazilian movies. Carla Camurati's Carlota Joaquina, Princeza do Brasil and Oscar-nominated 0 Quatrilho both drew 1.2 million viewers, but they were the exception. More typical is that a domestic film cannot attract even 100,000 spectators. The most popular Brazilian film of all times, Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands) brought more than 10.7 million Brazilians to the movie theaters but this was in the '70s, when the national movie industry was getting the lion's share of the box office, with about 50% of the box-office total. Luiz Carlos Lacerda, director of For All, is one of those waiting in line to get its turn in a theater. Says he: "I am expecting a definition from Columbia, which released 85 American movies in 1997 and intends to release another 100 this year." Director Hector Babenco, best known for his film Pixote,

is leading a movement to demand more protection from the government. He argues that other countries like France, Germany and Argentina have been doing this for years. "We cannot, in name of globalization leave movies unprotected," he recently told Jornal do Brasil. "The film industry is a source of employment. There is no reason to keep the cinema as the market's virgin when even the auto industry is protected by import taxes." At the beginning of March the domestic movie industry 1,4 got another extrattelp from the government, which has now mandated that theaters must reserve at least 49 days to show Brazilian films. (Previously, theater owners could get by with a 35-day run for Brazilian movies.) According to Moacyr de Oliveira, secretary of the Culture Ministry's Apdiovisual Department, the President himself changes the quota every year. "The number has increased due to the greater cultural production," Oliveira explained. Oliveira responds to thecritics that there would not be the need for any quota if the distributors guaranteed an ample distribution and exhibition of Brazilian movies. For those caught disobeying the law, there is a 10% fine over the weekly income at the box-office. However, Oliveira showed that the presidential decree has no teeth since nobody controls or enforces the quota: "We don't know it the law is being met. What we know is that only 5% of the total number of tickets sold in 1997 were for Brazilian movies, which is too little." Around 70 million movie tickets were sold in Brazil last year. As expected, theater owners protested. Roberto Darze, president of the Exhibitors Federation, also complained because he had not been told about the change. "Our sector - is against any quota for the showing of movies," he declared before guaranteeing that there is no discrimination against the Brazilian-made product. Most of the exhibitors seem to doubt that the domestic movie industry can produce enough to meet the new government-imposed quota of 49 days. For the multiplexes that

I. 18 BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Next Attractions From ready-to-shoot to ready-to-show there are 54 movies 1n he line of production in 13razil right now. We don't include here me • 100 other titles still trying to secure financing. In Pre-Production • (Through theWinAtrave janela dow) hsyclia"ata Amaral Braya Gente Brasikira BrazilBrav casteeo p lopRie), by ian ucia Murat (Rohn at Castle) by cao Hamburger Chat amburger ateauhrland) by Guilherm • ° (Assia Ch e Fonte cinagd_aeorela (Cinderella) by Paulo Aurrn

Batton Uma Aventura do Zico An Adve tune of Zico) by Antonio Carlos Font • ura B Iezros (Rascals) by Ugo io etti Brasil 97 by Bia Lessa Coraceio Iluminado (Enlight ned Heart) by Hector Babette° 0 Dia da Caqa (The Day of the ey) by Alberto Graga Histarias do Flamengo (Flame go's Stories) by Carlos Niemeyer A flora Magica (The Magie Ho ) by Guilherme de Almeida Prado o 2 (Little razy Menino Maluquinh Boy 2) by Fernando Meirellet No COragao dos Deg5e3 Hearts) by Gerald* Moraes Paixao Perdida (Lost ,Passio by Walter ,Hugo Khouri o Primeiro (The First Da ) by Daniela Thomas .and Walter San LqServa Padrona (The Boss Se ant) by Carla Camurati o Toque do oboe (The Sound the Oboe) by Claudio MacDowell

of Rage) CO1 era (A Glass deAbrandies L°P° y Alufsfo b Eu T by, Eles You, The An'drucha W4dd' lligtQn Gken'ae erdade (War and Liberty) •by Neisb Lth n Pereira dos Santos Lora by Ana Maria Magalhaes I LavouraArcaica (Archaic Fieldwork) 1 by Luis Fernando Ceirvalho O Matador (The Killer) by Jose Hemique Fonseca Mauei a mPerador e o Rei (Maua, the Emperor and the King) by Sergio Rezende o Mortal (Mortal Business) Ready, waitiag N byegM °cairacea lo Taranto for release: A Partilha (Distriution) by Daniel Al6 (Hello) by Mara Meurilo Filho Pascoa em Margo (Easter in March) 4mores (Loves) by DOM — g de Oliveira ; by Ana Carolina I, 0 Poeta da Vila (Noel Rosa, Vila's 0 Amor Esta no Ar (Love lain th Air) by Ricardo Van Steen 'by AmYlton Dias de Alintida .1 S I antos Dumont by Marcone Simoes Bela Donna (Pretty Lady). by. abio Barreto I Pereira Central do Brasit(Central Static ) by I Vox Popu/i (People's Voice) Walter Salles Marcelo Lafitte Xango de Baker Street (Baker Street's Encontros de Demanioi (Meeting of ' • Demons) by Cecilio Neto , Xang6) by Miguel Faria As Feras (The Beasts) by. Walter Khouri Being shot: For All by Luiz Carlos Lacerd Ate Que a Vida Nos Separe (Until Life Buza Ferraz A Grande Noitada (The Great Do Us Apart) by Jose Zaragoza Dais Corregos (Two Brooks) by Carlos Out) by Denoir de Oliveira Kenoma by Eliane Caffe Reichenbach Lua Cambara (Red Moon) by Ro Estorvo (Hindrance) by Ruy Guerra berg Cariry Orfeu (Orpheus) by Caca Diegues O Viajante (The Traveler) by Paulo Policarpo Quaresma by Paulo Primeiras Estarias (Fist Stone Cesar Saraceni Pedro Bial Tirade ntes (Brazil's Inclepen In Post-Production: Martyr) by Osvaldo Caldeira Adagio do Sol (Sun Adagio) by Xavier Traicilo (Treason) by Arthur Fo tes, Claudio Torres and Jose Hen ique de Oliveira Amor & Cia. (Love &Co.) by Helvecio Fonseca BRA7.2IL - MARCH 1988

have no more than seven screens, a special formula in which some screens can have as little as 28 days of the domestic product exists. Multiplexes with more than seven screens need a minimum of 35 days of Brazilian movies for every screen. According to the 80-year old Severiano Ribeiro group, which has 140 screens in 13 state capitals, quotas don't make sense. Quality and economic viability should be the sole criteria, says Arturo Neto, director of the company. He admits, however, that there will be no problem to meet the quota if there is a variety of new movies. Says he: "The public is the one who determines when a film is exhibited. None of us is so insensitive as to stop showing a movie that is getting a good audience." The difficulty to book a Brazilian movie became so frustrating to producer Luiz Carlos Barreto, the patriarch of the Barreto moviemaking family (which includes sons Bruno and Fabio and wife Lucy) that last February he called a press conference in which he chastised the exhibitors and called theaters film motels due to the short time that they show national films. He was livid because he could not find more than one screen in Rio to re-release his son's movie 0 Que E Isso, Companheiro? after the film won a nomination for the Oscar. On a more optimistic note, some people in the industry are betting that the larger number of Brazilian films being produced will coincide with a dramatic expansion of movie theaters in the country with the recent multiplication of multiplexes with up to 20 screens each. More than 600 new screens are being promised for the next two years. • 19

agalfimore*arthlink.net

those of us who love Brazil and her people. Keep up the great work. (Please find enclosed $3.00 for the renewal .of my subscription to your wonderful magazine.

Gary McCall San Diego, California DOWN UNDER PIRATE A REBUTTAL Regar ing Mr. K. An rew Knapp s reaction to my article "Amazon Ablaze ' (December 1997), where he accuses me of making "highly erroneous statements over the practice of sustainable logging," I would encourage him to read my article again. Perhaps the second time, he will understand that my article refers to rainforests in the Brazilian Amazon, where sustainable industrial logging is not ecologically sustainable indeed. I would also like to remind Mr. Knapp, who seems to be informed, that sustainable logging is not the same as ecolosically sustainable logging, which is what I m referring to in my article. Sustainability of yield of wood produced often clashes with the sustainability of healthy_ ecosystems. Moreover, I hope that Mr. Knapp is aware that many of the so-called sustainable logging operations in southern and southeastern Brazil are in fact tree farms, most of which replaced the region's primary forests, such as the case with the Mata Atlantica, destroying it to 8% of its original size. As to his question, "where is the world obtaining its supply of wood. products?" I find it puzzling having to explain to someone who seems informed that the world is getting a lot of its wood supply from the rapid destruction of old growth tropical and temperate forests, such as in the 'decimation of the US primary forests to 4% of its original size, and the arrival of Asian logging companies in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest after having destroyed their own forests in South East Asia, and now contributing to the worse deforestation rate in the history of Brazil (Brazilian Institute for Spatial Research, E\IPE - January, 1998 & New York Times, 01/27/1998). Therefore, my, intention is not to "alien ate people" with 'fictitious and easily disprovable statements," but rather, make people wake up to the truth and take responsibility over how they consume wood. I'm glad that Mr. Knapp is thinking about it.

Belo Borges Dir.-Traditional Peoples Program Rainforest Action Network, CA- USA bborges*shaman.coin MIND SEARCHING

I am a cu tura geogap y stu ent at Southern Oregon University. I am for evidence or confirmation of shooting/killing of street children by the police. I -have been trying to get into the workers/regular peoples minds to try and see, as they do, the problems besetting Brazil. I understand that this is not truly possible but I would like to give my best try.

Lewis vage8599(0ao.sou.edu Ashland, Oregon INCONDITIONAL LOVE

Thank you or caring enoug about Brazil and the Brazilians to present them as they really are, with all the problems, paradoxes and contradictions that are always part of truly vibrant people and nations. As has often been said, it is not that we don't know about the flaw of those we love, but rather, we love them as they actually are. So too with You are invited to participate in this dialogue. Write to: Letters to the Publisher P.O.Box 42536 Los Angeles, CA 90050-0536 or send E-mail to: brazziliibrazzil.com Please. include a phone number in the event we need to reach you. Thanks! 20

I am a young Austra Ian writer w o e in love with Brazil and the Brazilian people. I wrote a book, called Brazilian Booty, which depicts the magic I experienced there. Twould be very keen to-have my book reviewed in your publication and I'm happy to be interviewed. Where could I send a review copy of my book? Cheers.

as Vegas, Nevada FOR THE CONSULATE . I Avis to congratu ate you or a won erful magazine. It makes me very happy to be a little closer to Brazil by reading about it. I live in Las Vegas and have a seven-year-old daughter and my question to you, since I believe you are very well informed is: Can she fly to Brazil by herself'? Is it true that she must have a Brazilian passport in addition to her American one, because I'm a Brazilian citizen?

Magali Runnels

brasil yegas.infi.net

Michael X Savvas

Las Vegas, lVevada TOO LITTLE INFO

msavvas(0 sa. net

Adelaide, Australia CANDOMBLE IN LA? I m a current Bra= susscri ger an. I ove it. I'm a student and thought perhaps you could help me with some research I am doing for an Anthropology of Rel igiop class. Tryst moved to Los Angeles and would like to get in touch with anyone who has information about people practicing in the LA area. Kathy Macpherson

lam a Brazi Ian wing in Tampa, F on a, I would like to know if there is any Brazilian consulate or association in the area. I am studying"Advanced English" in the University of South Florida (U SF) and need to prepare a paper on Brazil. I have been all over and even sent a fax to the Brazilian Consulate in Miami, but all they sent me were some propaganda leaflets.

Carla Lima

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Congratulations or pub is mg a magazine about Brazil. I traveled around the world and noticed that, in general, people have very little information about our country. I am Brazilian and live in Sao Paulo and I am available to exchange ideas with people from other countries about Brazilian behavior, culture, politics, humor, family and social life, etc. Just send an e-mail to: milordspAhotmail.com

Milord Sao Paulo, Brazil

I am a Germanjournalist and I am writing an article about TV shows in Brazil for the magazine TVToday. I heard that you published an article a few months ago on the competition between TV networks G lobo and SBT. I would very much appreciate if you could e-mail me this material.

Marcus Luft Mlufatvtodav.de Hamburg, Germany SEARCHING FOR BRAZILIANS

I am an American w o spe s very itt e Portuguese, but who is learning it. I moved from San Diego to Las Vegas five months ago where I was just getting exposed to Brazilian culture. I wonder if there are any Brazilian clubs, organizations, liberal professionals, etc., here in Las Vegas.

I work as a TV producer in Sweden an I am looking for a TV show called "Happy Birthday". Ithink it is made in Brazil, butl in not sure. Could you help me?

Stefan Malmstram stefatOdecansse Stockholm, Sweden

Congratu awns for the article on Santo Daime and Unido Vegetal in Brazil. You presented the facts with total impartiality, something that even the mainstream media has not been able to do.

Luiz Algarra â€˘ Sao Paulo, Brazil SATISFIED & THANKFUL I love Brazzil! No other magazine gives us more exciting news about Brazil. I will be in Bahia this summer and I thank your publication for helping me with information on the places to see and foodsto eat. My mother's family is from there and I feel like lam going home. Muito obrigada!

Glen A. Gallimore

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Covering It All Brazil is in the midst of a lawwriting fever. Traffic, pensions, environment, civil service, everything has been touched by new legislation. Only one question hasn't been answered yet: who will enforce all these laws? THAIS DE MENDONCA The Brazilian Congress has never worked so much. In only three weeks, congressmen approved four important bills, which will change considerably the way Brazilians live. The bills touch upon several areas, including the civil service, the social security system, the environment and the use of streets and roads by pedestrians and cars. Usually, Congress is on vacation before Carnaval (which this year was celebrated in the third week of February). But this year, senators and deputies decided to start their work earlier in order to vote on a series of urgently needed laws. Such was the case with the new environmental legislation, which is being introduced six years after being first discussed during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development ( UNCED) , the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso signed the document on February 12, and stirred some controversy among ecologists. Although the bill provides strict penalties for environmental crimes, some say the law is too weak. The law sets down heavy fines for those guilty of illegal logging and killing animals, except for eating. Despite the campaign to keep the bill intact, President Cardoso vetoed some clauses, including one dealing with noise pollution produced by churches. Congressmen representing the evangelical churches contended that they could not avoid noise during religious services. The support of the evangelicals has been one of the keys to Cardoso' s recent success in getting Congress to approve civil service and social security system reforms. Now governors can fire nonproductive employees and social security will only permit workers who are over age 60 to retire. In the previous system, 22

Brazilians could retire after 25 years in the workforce—sometimes as early as age 45—and this has created a mass of pensions that the government cannot pay. Toothless Law As for the Traffic Law, experts agree that it was time to end lawlessness in that area. The legal framework has always been weak in protecting pedestrians and making sure that drivers were safe. Now there are fines up to $170 for various traffic offenses, such as not allowing a pedestrian his or her right of way or showing off while driving in order to scare people. Brazilians had different reactions to the changes. Polls say that 64% agree with the new Traffic Law, but in the State of Rio de Janeiro, for example, 68% think the rules will increase corruption. From the universe of those who say yes, 32% believe traffic will be better in the cities, 31% foresee a reduction in the number of accidents and 27% trust the penalties will work as an education tool for transgresEing drivers The changes in the General Employment System were particularly tough to make, due to along-standing animosity between the government, the labor unions and the PT (Partido dos Trabalhadores—Workers' Party). However, the volume of much of this antagonism has come down since unemployment statistics started to rise in Sao Paulo, threatening millions of regular jobs in the auto and steel indus- • tries. That made possible the establishment and regulation oftemporary jobs, which had previously been prohibited in Brazil. The new copyright law is quite thorough. It protects authors of software, as well as writers, painters, and artists. Even soccer players and their teams got new rights to their own lives and images. The so-called Lei Pelle (Pele Law)—introduced by M nister of Sports Edson Arantes do Nascimento, be:ter-kncwn as soccer great Pele—intends to regulate both the functioning of clubs and players' rights. Pram now on, players for the first time will have access to the social security system. During the signing of the new environmental law. President Cardoso admitted a problem with legislating in Brazil by saying: "Some laws stick and some laws don't." That's what happens. When new legis ation is introduced, the public's first reaction is fear. Next, Brazilians wait to see if their fellow citizens obey and whether the law is being enforced. One of the problems with the new law is BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

the lack of enforcement. For example, consider the Amazon region, which takes up half of the country. Who will guarantee that the new environmental laws will be observed across the rainforest's huge and tree-covered territory? Enforcement might be a little bit easier in the case of traffic laws, since the military are in charge of controlling the roads. But the problem still exists in the highways where there are not enough police officers. This is a tall order, since there are over 90,000 km (56,000 miles) of roads all over the country to watch. "Given the immense responsibility we have towards humanity, we are obliged to put into practice everything this law sets down," promised Cardoso to the environmentalists. Environment Minister Gustavo Krause believes that there is not one type of crime against the environment that the new law doesn't cover. Recently, Brazil has begun to study the use of water resources and a big program financed by the World Bank is on the pipeline to aid the poor and constantly drought-plagued Northeast region. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? The new traffic laws are already getting rave reviews. Even though people were unhappy with the tough new measures that the legislation introduced, they were enough afraid of the stiff penalties that they have dramatically improved their driving habits—to a certain extent. The new law was put to the proof during the Carnaval holiday, which can last from four days to a whole week. Authorities said that there was a 50% reduction in motor vehicle accidents occurring while vacationers were on their way to beaches and other holiday deitinations, when compared to the same period last year. But on their way back, the same families were responsible for a reduction of only 30%. How can we explain such a phenomenon') It is very simple. As soon as drivers noticed that there were no police officers on the roads, they went back to the same old traffic violations. Most of the fatal accidents were due to speeding, alcohol and imprudence. A very popular Brazilian song says, "there is no sin below the equator." Many Brazilians seem to agree. While the new traffic regulations are welcome in the national capital, Brasilia, in Rio de Janeiro the laws make many people laugh. "Can you imagine anyone stopping at a red-light in the middle of the night, waiting to be assaulted?" asks a Carioca (Rio resident). Another Carioca replies: "A policeman earns $432 a month. If you offer him 10% in cash of a $865 BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

fine, wo Id he refuse?" The enate approved recently another new law to prevent oney laundering from drugs and corruption. But the mall corruption in everyday life seems much more di icult to stop. The Laws in Brief Pres dent Cardoso predicted that the signing of new Social S curity laws will save at least $5 billion in the civil service layroll this year. But Brazilians still have many unansw red questions on the new Environmental, Traffic, Oil d Gas, Communications, and Public Administration ills. Soci !Security System—Now workers have a minimum re irement age (60 for men, 55 for women). In the past the could stop working 25 years after their first job. Oil nd Gas—After the breakdown of the Petrobras— the stat company in charge of oil and gas—monopoly, the Br lian government hopes that other companies will be inter• sted in exploring gas and oil in Brazil. A new national agency was created to substitute Petrobras. Communications—The government expects to get up to $33 billion with the sale of big state communications companies. The government also hopes that consumer service (which can be dismal in some areas of the country, such as Rio and Sao Paulo) will improve in the process. Civil Service—In the past, all workers had job stability and could receive unlimited pensions. ow civil workers can be dismissed for poor perfornance and cannot receive more than $12,700 a month. Traffic Law—Speed limits were fixed at 110 /h (68.2 mph) on highways, 60 km/h (37.2 ph) on city streets, and 40 km/h (24.8 mph) in ral areas. Drivers' licenses are temporary for the first year. There are several tough new fines. For example, parking on the sidewalk carries a fine of up to $180. Environmental Bill—Fines can go up to $50 million and there are jail terms for more serious violations. Crimes covered by the legislation range om illegal logging and killing wild animals to industrial pollution and scribbling graffiti on walls. ThaTs de Mendonca writes for the Brazilian newspaper Hoje em Dia. She has published two books on Brazilian issues. You can get in touch with her by sending a message to: Plenum Consultoria, SQN 211, bloco J/407, 70.863-100 Brasilia, DF — Brazil or thaismendoncaApersocom.com.br 23

S icy iris Brazzil 's Personals with a series of men seeking Brazilian women seem to have an economic dimension, but that's not all. The Anglo male has long had a fascination with the / "Exotic Latina Female." Hotblooded, she has seemingly offered / spice and variety missing from the bland Anglo culture. WILLIAM JAVIER NELSON

"The Marriage Gradient" "The Lure of the Exotic Latina Female" "The Meat Market" "Irate Letters to the Editor from Brazilian Females" These four seemingly unrelated terms actually have a strong association. Let's start with the last one first. A while back I had noticed several irate letters from female Brazzil readers decrying the attitude and focus of the "Men-Seeking-Women" section in Brazzil's own "Classifieds/Personals" page. Turning to the section in question (which I had previously not noticed at all), I located the source of the problem. There is habitually a much larger "MenSeeking-Women" section than "Women-SeekingMen". Upon reading some of the ads, I began to understand some of the concern. If I could have spoken to each of the irate females, I would have tried to console them—not with words of solace and comfort, but with words of sociology. Social scientists dealing with marriage and the family have long noted the sociological phenomenon called the "Marriage Gradient". The term has its use in describing the tendency of men to wed women of poorer economic status. It thus also describes the tendency of women to marry men of higher economic status. Although the term has mainly been used (in the U.S.) to apply to marriages between persons of the same nationality, one can readily see how it could also pertain to marriages between Anglo men (natives of a "rich" country and thus of higher economic status) and Latina women (natives of poorer countries and thus of lower economic status). Although I am sure that numerous Brazilians would object to this description of relative economic status of Brazil as compared to the U.S., numbers (per capita GNP, etc.) don't lie. Hence, the Brazzi/want-ads soliciting "Attractive Brasileiras" could be seen to have an economic dimension. Yet it's not just economics. The Anglo male has long had a fascination with the "Exotic Latina Female." Hot-blooded, sensual and vital, the Latina has seemingly offered "spice" and "variety" evidently missing from the bland Anglo culture. Examples from film abound—from the comic (Char° ) to the dramatic (Rita Moreno) to the false (the Jewess, Natalie Wood, cast as a Latina in "West Side Story"). Actress Elpidia Carrillo scored, in the 1980s, with several film appearances in which she captivated the affections of 24

an Anglo male. As the Anglo film culture has long been enamored with blondes, the juxtaposition between blondes and dark-haired Latinas has long made for some interesting comparisons and contrasts. One of the most comical scenes in which Carrillo was filmed was one in which Jack Nicholson (as a U.S. Border Guard) was in a position to assist Carrillo (cast as a Mexican immigrant). The resulting interplay of jealousy, rivalry and innuendo between Carrillo and the blond Valery Perrine (cast as Nicholson's wife) was humorous, to say the least. Unfortunately for them, however, Anglo males are frequently not in positions in which to meet or encounter these "Exotic Latina Females". Residential and social segregation is the rule and not the exception in the United States. Unless an Anglo male is in some occupation or pastime in which Latinas can be found, his chances are slim. And this just applies to "domestic" Latinas, such as Chicanas (MexicanAmericans) and Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. (many of whom are culturally "North-Americanized", and, thus, less "exotic"). The chances of meeting Latinas who are actual nationals living in countries like Brazil and Mexico are even worse. The typical Anglo visitor to Latin America rarely goes farther than the parameters set by the tourist guide-book (sometimes, this is just as well, considering the fates which can befall the uninitiated in many localities). One can see, therefore, that want-ads seeking Latinas make sense, given the obstacles present. One thing we have not touched upon is the reaction of Latinos to all of this attention placed on Latinas from Anglos. The "Marriage Gradient" can effectively limit the ability of a Latino to wed an Anglo—e.g., a poor Brazilian male immigrant has less attractions to an Anglo female than a person with more economic potential. As in most things dealing with Latin America, however, class is paramount. Stark class differences make it difficult to speak of the "typical Latino". Thus a "typical Latino reaction" to anything is something more contrived than actual. Is the typical Latino a wealthy Brazilian graduate student at UCLA or a Mexican farm laborer in North Carolina? Obviously there are more of the latter, but, as in everything else, we hear much more about what is "typical" from people like the former. All in all, though, I would tell my fellow Latinos not to worry about Anglo attractions for Brasileiras. The great majority of Brasileiras never attain the status of girlfriend or wife of an Anglo. Brazzil's "Men-Seeking-Women" ads may well result in the establishment of some relationships, but they are interesting more for what they tell us of the interplay between Anglo and Brazilian culture than as an indicator of a stampede to the altar. William Javier Nelson, a professor at Shaw University in the U.S., holds a Duke Ph.D. in Sociology and is of Dominican nationality. Letters (friendly or hostile, Spanish or English) can be addressed to: cibbaeno2(&,aol.com BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

n celebration of his first formula One Grand Prin World Championship victory and Emerson Fittipaldi's place amongst the greatest racing drivers of all time, noted portrait artist James Henry has created an original oil painting entitled Illy Passion, %life" With Emerson's direct design input from its inception, the piece spans his entire career and is destined to be the definitive commemorative collector's piece. "My Passion, My Life" is signed by both Emerson and the artist and is being released as a an 35" limited edition print series of HO, at 6195.00 plus 90.00 shipping and handling. fl portion of the proceeds from each piece sold will be given to the Miami Project, one of the worlds leading research and treatment centers in the area of spinal cord injury and a facility that Emerson has donated his time to for many years. Send check money orderi vaA. SUMMIT PUBLISMOS BOU 6SEI3 Malibu, CD sons

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By August, Brazil will be sending a candidate to the next astronaut class at Johnson Space Center in Houston, according to Marcio Barbosa, director of Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE). Why? A memorandum of understanding signed last October during President Clinton's trip to Brazil, between NASA and the Brazilian Space Agency, gives Brazil the right to eventually send it's own astronaut to the International Space Station. "If you consider that the training takes about a year and half, to two years, we should have a Brazilian in space by the year 2000." Barbosa said. For its part, Brazil has made a commitment to provide $120 million worth of hardware for the station. In exchange for research and crew privileges aboard the U.S. portion of the low earth orbiting laboratory, Brazil, and more importantly, Brazilian industry, will be providing hardware in a sort of barter agreement that is beneficial to both nations. For the U.S., it allows NASA to increase the capabilities ofthe Space Station without having to go back to Congress to ask for an increase in the Station budget. For Brazil, it gives that country a chance to participate in the Space Station program, gaining crew and science research privileges aboard the Station, while offering Brazilian industry the chance to further develop their technical capabilities. Brazil's launch capabilities were tested recently when their first nationally developed rocket, the VLS (Satellite Launch Vehicle), had to be destroyed shortly after liftoff. The VLS's maiden flight was terminated by ground controllers when one of the rocket's four solid fuel boosters failed to ignite, sending it into an erratic trajectory. In spite ofthat setback, Brazilian space officials insist the country will move forward with scheduled launches in each of the next three years. The next launch is scheduled for September 1998. Where did all this Brazilian interest in space come from? For the last 18 years or so, Brazil, without much fanfare, has been steadily building up its national expertise and infrastructure, pursuing a trajectory to place it among the front 26

ranks of the world's space-faring nations. And participation in the International Space Station is just the tip of the iceberg. A Little History

Brazil's Satellite Launch Vehicle

Homston, We _Have a Brazilian Brazil is more committed than ever to its space program after the recent mishap with its VLS rocket, which had to be destroyed seconds after liftoff. Very soon Brazil's green and yellow colors will be adorning the suits of NASA's crewmembers and satellites will be launched from Brazil's Northeast coast. FRANK DIRCEU BRAUN

It all started in the late seventies. Late 1979 to be exact. That was when Brazil's military rulers decided their country needed its own space program. Today Brazil is a democratic republic, but the Complete Brazilian Space Mission, or (MECB) as it was known, established by those previous military governments, served as the blueprint for the country's current expertise in space technology. The MECB envisioned three main areas of accomplishment for the nation. Brazil would design and build its own satellites, it would create a space port from which to launch rockets, and finally, it would design and manufacture a rocket, capable of lofting those satellites into orbit. The first two goals have essentially been achieved. INPE has an extensive, national infrastructure that includes a Satellite Tracking and Control Center and the only Integration and Testing Laboratory for satellites in the Southern Hemisphere. INPE, along with Brazilian industry, designed and built Brazil's first satellite, the SCD1, or Data Gathering Satellite. The SCD-1 was one in a series of data collection and remote-sensing satellites. Its purpose was to receive environmental data from 33 remote platforms spread throughout the country. Information from those remote sights would allow the Brazilians to monitor rainfall levels, tides and currents, wind speeds, and burning in the Amazon rain forest. The country had hoped to launch that satellite from its Alcantara launch site aboard its own rocket. But, with a delay in the development of the VLS, the first SCD-I had to be launched from Kennedy Space Center in February 1993 aboard Orbital Sciences Corporations' Pegasus rocket.

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Ideal Site The Brazilian government also plowed about $300 million into the development of its Alcantara launch center in the Northeast of Brazil. Several smaller, sub orbital rockets have already been launched from that site. With further development, Alcantara is capable ofserving as a world class commercial space port and has a geographical advantage that few other launch sites possess. Because it is 3 degrees south of the equator, the greater rotational speed of the earth at that latitude gives each rocket an added boost, requiring less fuel to escape the earth's gravity. Brazilian authorities estimate fuel savings of over 30% for launches into equatorial orbit. That would put Alcantara at a competitive advantage over today's most dominant commercial satellite launch facility, the Europeans' "space port" at Kourou in French Guyana. The rest of the world, of course, has not been oblivious to this economic competitive edge. Over the past year, more than one potential foreign suitor has come forward, bearing proposals to upgrade the facility in exchange for the right to launch their rockets from there. So far, no deals have been struck, although Joao Ribeiro Jr., the head of Infraero, the state owned company selected to manage Alcantara, said that negotiations with one unnamed foreign partner, in particular, were moving forward and should be complete "near the end of this year". With the first two elements of its Complete Space Mission in place, all Brazil needed now was a nationally designed and developed rocket. That was to have been the VLS, and that was when Brazil's space program hit a series of obstacles. First, the Brazilians were stymied in the development of their rocket when the world's seven richest nations (the G-7 nations) refused to export the necessary technology until Brazil signed the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Later, budgetary constraints impeded the program. Finally, this past November, the VLS lifted off from Alcantara, carrying onboard the second in Brazil's series of data gathering satellites, the SCD-2A. Unfortunately, the $5 million SCD-2A was also lost when the VLS was destroyed, representing a significant loss of important environmental and scientific data, Barbosa said. China & Brazil Other elements of Brazil's space program continue on track, however, according to Barbosa. A cooperative satellite program with China, the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite system (CBERS), begun in 1988 when Brazil's space program was blocked by the G-7 nations, calls for the launch of two remote sensing satellites from China in June and September of 1998. Barbosa says that Brazil is negotiating with China for two more follow-on satellites, and that with four satellites, they will consider setting up a joint company, "possibly in the U.S.", to market those satellite images to the world market. That gets back to what Brazil has in mind for its investment in space. The country is looking for much more than the chance to fly an astronaut to the space station. Brazil has bigger plans. Workshop

on Commercia Space Applications should be scheduled during the same p nod in which the agreement was signed with NASA, permit ing Brazilian participation in the Space Station. Marcio Ba â€˘osa, speaking at the commercial space workshop near INP 's headquarters, along with leading Brazilian and internation laerospace officials, summed up what Brazil's future agenda or the commercial space arena might be. "This commercial space workshop that we're participating in today in sao Jose dos Campos comes at an opportune moment, because we recognize that these same types of discussions ha e been taking place in other countries. We are now joining th se discussions. We will be able to seize various opportunities hich operating in space offers in the fields associated wit the drug industry, in biotechnology, and in the life sciences." American stronaut Dr. Bernard Harris, vice-president of Microgravity Life Science for Spacehab, also spoke at the Commercial S ace conference. "Brazil's w'llingness to contribute its resources and technological expertise makes it a valuable asset to the International Space Station," he said. "The Space Station will position the participating countries to effectively utilize microgravity to conduct research, expand knowledge, and advance technology. And that, in turn, will lead o the development of whole new industries." It was, in act, Brazil's work in microgravity protein crystal growth that drove much of the country's interest in securing a rese rch slot aboard the Space Station. In collabor tion with the University of Alabama's Center for Macromole ular Crystallography, INPE had already flown protein crystal growth experiments on two previous shuttle missions, STS 83 and STS-94. According o the Center's Director, Larry de Luca, structure-based dru design, which comes from protein crystal growth research, should be able to reduce, by four years, the time it takes to develop an effective drug to combat Chagas Disease, which presently infects 12 million Brazilians. Chagas is a chronic and incurable parasitic disease and Brazil, with over 160 million people, accounts for more than 40 percent of the disease's prevalence in the world. Brazil's commitment to its space program, reaffirmed many times b government and business leaders after the latest mishap vith the VLS rocket, spans more than one objective, one program, and leads far into the future. It should c me as no surprise then, in the 21st Century, to see Brazil's green and yellow colors adorning the suits of space station crew members, nor to see many of the world's major satellites being launched from a remote, tropical site on Brazil's North ast coast. Frank Dirceu Braun is an award winning ournalist, born in Brazil and raised in the United States. He is a graduate of UCLA. In he late seventies, Frank returned to Brazil to help launch The Latin America Daily Post, an English language daily newspaper, patterned after Europe's International Herald Tribune. Frank now resides in California and writes for McGraw-Hill and Space News. You can e-mail him at fbraunrAadnc.com

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The Trap —I didn't guess a thing. I was just waiting for you. For two years now, in this chair, in the same position I am, I waited for you certain that you would come. MURILO RUBIAO

Alexandre Saldanha Ribeiro. Desprezou o elevador e seguiu pela escada, apesar da volumosa mala que carregava e do namero de andares a serem vencidos. Dez. N5o demonstrava pressa, porem o seu rosto denunciava a seguranca de uma resolucao irrevogavel. Já no decimo pavimento, meteu-se por urn longo corredor, onde a poeira e detritos emprestavam desagradavel aspecto aos ladrilhos. Todas as salas encontravam-se fechadas e delas nao escapava qualquer ruido que indicasse presenca humana. Parou diante do ultimo escritorio e perdeu algum tempo lendo uma frase, escrita a lapis, na parede. Em seguida passou a mala para a mao esquerda e corn a direita experimentou a macaneta, que custou a girar, como se ha muito nao fosse utilizada. Mesmo assim nao conseguiu franquear a porta, cujo madeiramento empenara. Teve que usar o ombro para forca-la. E o fez corn tamanha violencia que ela veio abaixo ruidosamente. Nao se impressionou. Estava muito seguro de si para dar importancia ao barulho que antecedera a sua entrada numa saleta escura, recendendo a mofo. Percorreu corn os olhos 'os moveis, as paredes. Contrariado, deixou escapar uma praga. Quis voltar ao corredor, a fim de recomecar a busca, quando deu corn urn biombo. Afastou-o para o lado e encontrou uma porta semicerrada. Empurrou-a. Ia colocar a mala no chao, mas urn terror sitbito imobilizou-o: sentado diante de uma mesa empoeirada, urn homem de cabelos grisalhos, semblante sereno, apontava-lhe urn revolver.' Conservando a arma na direcdo do intruso, ordenou-lhe que nao se afastasse. Tambem a Alexandre nab interessava fugir, porque jamais perderia a oportunidade daquele encontro. A sensacao de medo fora passageira e logo substituida por outra mais intensa, ao fitar os olhos do velho. Deles emergia 30

uma penosa tonalidade azul. Naquela sala tudo respirava bolor, denotava extremo desmazelo, inclusive as esgarcadas roupas do seu solitario ocupante: —Estava a sua espera disse, corn uma voz macia. Alexandre nao deu mostras de ter ouvido, fascinado corn o olhar do seu interlocutor. Lembrava-lhe a viagem que fizera pelo mar, algumas palavras duras, num vao de escada. 0 outro teve que insistir: —Afinal, voce veio. Subtraido bruscamente as recordacOes, ele fez urn esforco violento para nao demonstrar espanto: —Ah, esperava-me? —Nao aguardou resposta e prosseguiu exaltado, como se de repente viesse a tona uma irritacao antiga: — Impossivel! Nunca voce poderia calcular que eu chegariahoje, se acabo de desembarcar e ninguern esta informado da minha presenca na cidade! Voce e um farsante, mau farsante. Certamente aplicou sua velha tecnica e pos espias no meu encalco. De outro modo seria dificil descobrir, pois vivo viajando, mudando de lugar e nome. —Ndo sabia das suas viagens nem dos seus disfarces. —Entao, como fez para adivinhar a data da minha chegada? —Nada adivinhei. Apenas esperava a sua vinda. Ha dois anos, nesta cadeira, na mesma posicao em que me encontro, aguardava-o certo de que voce viria. Por instantes, calaram-se. Preparavam-se para golpes mais fundos ou para desvendar o jogo ern que se empenhavam. Alexandre pensou em tomar a iniciativa do ataque, convencido de que somente assim poderia desfazer a placidez do adversario. Este, entretanto, percebeu-lhe a intencao e antecipou-se: —Antes que me dirija outras perguntas—e sei que tern muitas a fazer-me quero saber o

que aconteceu corn Ema. —Nada—respondeu, procurando dar a voz um torn despreocupado. —Nada? Alexandre percebeu a ironia e seus olhos encheram-se de 6dio e humilhac5o. Tentou revidar corn urn palavrao. Todavia, a firmeza e a tranqUilidade que jam no rosto do outro venceram-no. —Abandonou-me deixou escapar, constrangido pela vergonha. E numa tentativa inatil de demonstrar urn resto de altivez, acrescentou: — Disso voce nao sabia! Urn leve clarao passou pelo olhar do homem idoso: —Calculava, porem desejava ter certeza. *** Comecava a escurecer. Um silencio pesado separava-os e ambos volveram para certas reminiscencias que, mesmo contra a vontade deles, sempre os ligariam. 0 velho guardou a arma. Dos seus labios desaparecera o sorriso ironic() que conservara durante todo o dialogo. Acendeu urn cigarro e pensou em formular uma pergunta que, depois, ele julgaria desnecessaria. Alexandre impediu que a fizesse. Gesticulando nervoso, aproximara-se da mesa: —Seu caduco, nao tern medo que eu aproveite a ocasido para mata-lo? Quero ver sua coragem, agora, sem o revolver. —Ndo, alem de desarmado, voce nao veio aqui para matar-me. —0 que esta esperando, entao?!— gritou Alexandre.—Mate-me logo! —Ndo posso. —Ndo pode ou nao quer? —Estou impedido de faze-1o. Para evitar essa tentacao, ape's tao longa espera, descarreguei toda a carga da arma no teto da sala. Alexandre olhou para cima e viu o forro crivado de balas. Ficou confuso. Aos poucos, refazendo-se da surpresa, abandonou-se ao desespero. Correu para uma das janelas e tentou atirar-se atraves dela. Nao a atravessou. Bateu corn a cabeca numa fina malha metalica e caiu desmaiado no ch5o. Ao levantar-se, viu que o velho acabara de fechar a porta e, por baixo dela, iria jogar a chave. Lancou-se na direcao dele, disposto a impedi-lo. Era tarde. 0 outro já concluira seu intento e divertia-se corn o panico que se apossara do adversario: —Eu esperava que voce tentaria o suicidio e tomei precaucao de colocar telas de aco nas janelas. A furia de Alexandre chegara ao auge: —Arrombarei a porta. Jamais me BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

prenderao aqui! Inutil. Se tivesse reparado nela, saberia que tambem e de No. Troquei a antiga por esta —Gritarei, berrarei! —Nao lhe acudirao. Ninguem mais vem a este predio. Despedi os empregados, despejei os inquilinos. E concluiu, a voz baixa, como se falasse apenas para si mesmo: —Aqui ficaremos: urn ano, dez, cem ou mil anos.

Blind Man and Friend The police chief took his sweet time before talking to me. He certainly thought, "A blind man? What could have seen a blind man?" These silly things, you know how they are, Gedeao my friend. MOACYR SCLIAR —Este que passou agora foi urn Volkswagen 1962, nAo é, amigo GedeAo? —Nao, Cego. Foi urn Simca Tufao. —Urn Simca Tufao?... Ah, sim, é verdade. Um Simca potente. E muito economic°. Conheco o Simca Tufo de longe. Conheco qualquer carro pelo barulho da maquina. Este que passou agora nAo foi urn Ford? —NAo, Cego. Foi urn caminhao Mercedinho. — Um caminhao Mercedinho! Quern diria! Faz tempo que nAo passa por aqui urn caminhAo Mercedinho. Grande caminhao. Forte. Estavel nas curvas. Conheco o Mercedinho de longe... Conhecq qualquer carro. Sabe ha quanto tempo sento a beira desta estrada ouvindo os motores, amigo Gededo? Doze anos, amigo Gedeao. Doze anos. um bocado de tempo, nao é, amigo GedeAo? Deu para aprender muita coisa. A respeito de carros, digo. Este que passou nAo foi urn Gordini Teimoso? —NAo, Cego. Foi uma lambreta. —Uma lambreta... Enganam a gente, estas lambretas. Principalmente quando eles deixam a descarga aberta. BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Mas como eu ia dizendo, se ha coisa que eu sei fazer é reconhecer autom6vel pelo baru ho do motor. Tambem, nao é para menos: anos anos ouvindo! Esta habilidade de muito me valeu, en certa ocasiao... Este que passou nao foi urnMercedinho? —NAo, Cego. Foi o onibus. —Eu sabia: nunca passam dois Merced* nhos seguidos. Disse s6 pra chatear. Mas onde é que eu estava? Ah, sim. Minha habilidade já me foi 6til. Quer sue eu conte, amigo Gedeao? Pois entao conto. A uda a matar o tempo, nAo 6? Assim o dia termin mais ligeiro. Gosto mais da noite: é fresquinha, nesta epoca. Mas como eu ia dizendo: ha uns ano atrás mataram urn homem a uns dois quite) etros daqui. Urn fazendeiro muito rico. Matara corn quinze balacos. Este que passou nAo f i urn Galaxie? —Nao. Foi urn Volkswagen 1964. —Ah, urn Volkswagen... Born carro. uito economic°. E a caixa de mudancas rnuits boa. Mas, entao, mataram o fazendeiro. NAo suviu falar? Foi urn caso muito rumoroso. Q inze balacos! E levaram todo o dinheiro do fazendeiro. Eu, que naquela epoca já costumava fica sentado aqui A beira da estrada, ouvi falar no rime, que tinha sido cometido num doming . Na sexta-feira, o radio dizia que a policia nem sabia por onde comecar. Este que passou nAo foi urn Candango? —Nao, Cego, nAo foi urn Candango. —Eu estava certo que era urn Canda go... Como eu ia contando: na sexta, nem sabia por onde comecar. Eu ficava sentado aqui, nesta mesma ca eira, pensando, pensando... A gente pensa muito. De modos que fui formando urn raciocinio. E achei que devia ajudar a policia. Pedi ao meu vi inho para avisar ao delegado que eu tinha uma comunicacdo a fazer. Mas este agora f i urn Candango! —Nao, Cego. Foi urn Gordini Teimoso. — Eu seri a capaz de jurar que er um Candango. 0 delegado demorou a falar co igo. De certo pensou: "Um cego? 0 que podete visto urn cego?" Estas bobagens, sabe como é, migo GedeAo. Mesmo assim, apareceu, porque es vam tao atrapalhados que iriam ate falar corn uma pedra. Veio o delegado e sentou bem ai onde stas, amigo Gedeao. Este agora foi o onibus? —NAo, Cego. Foi uma camioneta Che rolet Pavao. —Boa, esta camioneta, antiga, mas boa. Onde é que eu estava? Ah, sim. Veio o dele ado. Perguntei: "Senhor delegado, a que horas foi co etido o crime?" —"Mais ou menos As tres da tarde, Ce o"— respondeu ele. "Entao"—disse eu.—"0 s nhor tera de procurar urn Oldsmobile 1927. Este carro tem a surdina furada. Uma vela de ignicAo funciona mal.Na ente, viajava urn homem muito gordo. /Was, enho certeza, iam talvez duas ou tres pessoa ." 0 delegado estava assombrado. "Como sate de

tudo isto, amigo?"—era so o que etc perguntava. Este que passou nao foi urn DKW? —NAo, Cego. Foi urn Volkswagen. —Sim. 0 delegado estava assombrado. "Como sabe de tudo isto?" — "Ora, delegado"—respondi. —"Ha anos que sento aqui A beira da estrada ouvindo automoveis passar. Conheco qualquer carro. Sem mais: quando o motor esti mal, quando ha muito peso na frente, quando ha gente no banco de tras. Este carro passou para IA As quinze para as tres; e voltou para a cidade As tres e quinze."—"Como é que tu sabias das horas?"—perguntou o delegado. —"Ora, delegado"—respondi. —"Se ha coisa que eu sei—alem de reconhecer os carros pelo barulho do motor-6 calcular as horas pela altura do sol." Mesmo duvidando, o delegado foi... Passou um Aero Willys? —NAo, Cego. Foi um Chevrolet. —0 delegado acabou achando o Oldsmobile 1927 corn toda a turma dentro. Ficaram tao assombrados que se entregaram sem resistir. 0 delegado recuperou todo o dinheiro do fazendeiro, e a familia me deu uma boa bolada de grafi ficacao. Este que passou foi urn Toyota? —Nao, Cego. Foi urn Ford 1956.

Pitiless Our heart is bleeding. We didn't want to kill anybody. But we will have to make an exception for Alonso, Mexican dog. MOACYR SCLIAR N6s somos urn temivel pistoleiro. Estamos num bar de uma pequena cidade do Texas. 0 ano é 1880. Tomamos uisque a pequenos goles. Nos temos um olhar soturno. Em nosso passado ha muitas mortes. Temos remorsos. Por isto bebemos. A porta se abre. Entra um mexicano chamado Alonso. Dirige-se a nos corn desrespeito. Chama-nos de gringo, ri alto, faz tilintar a espora. Nos fingimos ignora-lo. Continuamos bebendo nosso uisque a pequenos goles. 0 mexicano aproxima-se de n6s. Insulta-nos. Esbofeteia-nos..Nosso coracAo se confrange. Ndo queriamos matar mais ninguern. Mas teremos de abrir uma excecao para Alonso, cao mexicano. Combinamos o duelo para o dia seguinte, ao nascer do sol. Alonso da.-nos mais uma pequena bofetada e 31

vai-se. Ficamos pensativo, bebendo o uisque a pequenos goles. Finalmente atiramos uma moeda de ouro sobre o balcao e saimos. Caminhamos lentamente em direcao ao nosso hotel. A populacao nos olha. Sabe que somos um temivel pistoleiro. Pobre mexicano, pobre Alonso. Entramos no hotel, subimos ao quarto, deitamo-nos vestido, de botas. Ficamos olhando o teto, fiimando. Suspiramos. Temos remorsos. Já é manha. Levantamo-nos. Colocamos o cinturao. Fazemos a inspecao de rotina em nossos revolveres. Descemos. A rua esti deserta, mas por tras das cortinas corridas adivinhamos os olhos da populacao fitos em nos. 0 vento sopra, levantando pequenos redemoinhos de poeira. Ah, este vento! Este vento! Quantas vezes nos viu caminhar lentamente, de costas para o sot nascente? No fim da rua Alonso nos espera. Quer mesmo morrer, este mexicano. Colocamo-nos frente a ele. Ve um pistoleiro de olhar soturno, o mexicano. Seu riso se apaga. Ve muitas mortes em nossos olhos. E o que ele ve. Nos vemos urn mexicano. Pobre diabo. Comia o pao de milho, já nao comera. A viiiva e os cinco filhos o enterrarao ao pe da colina. Fechara'o a palhoca e seguirao para Vera Cruz. A filha mais velha se tornara prostituta. 0 filho menor, ladrao. Temos os olhos turvos. Pobre Alonso. Nao devia nos ter dado duas bafetadas. Agora esti aterrorizado. Seus dentes estragados chocalham. Que coisa triste. Uma lagrima cal sobre o chao poeirento. E nossa. Levamos a mao ao coldre. Mas nao sacamos. Eo mexicano que saca. Vemos a arma em sua mao, ouvimos o disparo, a bala voa para o nosso peito, aninha-se em nosso coracao. Sentimos muita dor e tombamos. Morremos, diante do riso de Alonso, o mexicano. Nos, o pistoleiro, nao deviamos ter piedade.

Tenderly He worked changing the pencil calmly as if he were in no hurry or even didn't want to finish his work. In the picture Getiilio kept on smiling to the man with one of his-best smiles. WANDER PIROLI

Como uma ilha entre as pessoas que se comprimiam no abrigo de bonde, o homem mantinha-se concentrado no seu servico. Era especialista em colorir retrato e fazia caricatura em cinco minutos. No momento ele retocava uma foto de Getnlio Vargas, que mostrava um dos melhores sorrisos do presidente morto. 0 homem estava sentado num tamborete rastico, corn os joelhos cruzados e a cabeca baixa. A sua direita havia uma mesinha de desarmar, entulhada de lapis de varios tipos e cores, folhas de papel em branco, borrachas, tesoura e urn pouco de estopa. Havia ainda uma tabuleta em cima da pequena mesa, apoiando-se na pilastra onde estavam expostos seus trabalhos: fotografias coloridas de grandes personalidades e caricaturas tambem de grandes personal idades. Nem sequer a chegada do bonde fez o homem levantar a cabeca. Trabalhava variando de lapis calmamente, como se nao tivesse nenhuma pressa ou mesmo nao desejasse terminar o servico. Get6lio na foto continuava sorrindo para o homem corn urn de seus melhores sorrisos. Uma mulher esturrada, de alpargata e vestido muito largo, aproximou-se e parou a sua frente. 0 homem levantou a cabeca: —Voce, Maria. Ela moveu o rosto corn dificuldade e fez o possivel para sorrir, fixando atenta e profundamente a cara do homem. —Aconteceu alguma coisa? —Nao—murmurou a mulher. 0 homem p6s a fotografia e o lapis na mesa e esperou que a mulher falasse. Olhavam-se como duas pessoas de intensa convivencia. — Nao houve mesmo nada?—tornou o homem. —Claro que nao, Ze. Eu vim a toa. — E os meninos? —Mamae esti la corn eles. —Como é que voce arranjou para chegar ate aqui? —Uai, eu vim. —A pe? Voce na'o devia ter vindo, Maria. Estou achando que houve alguma coisa. —Nao teve nada, nao. Mamae chegou la em casa e entao eu aproveitei para dar urn pub o ate aqui. —Ah—o homem sorriu. E uma onda de carinho, quase imperceptivel, assomou-lhe o rosto lento e sofrido. — Fez alguma coisa hoje, Ze? — Fiz um—respondeu leyantando-se. — Senta aqui. Voce deve estar cansada. A mulher sentou no tamborete, desajeitada.

—Voce nao devia ter vindo, Maria—disse o homem.—Eu sei, mas me deu vontade. Mamae ficou la corn os meninos. — Mas ela nao estava doente? —Voce sabe como mamae é. —E o Tonhinho? —Esti la. — 0 carnegao saiu? A mulher fez sim corn a cabeca e em seguida olhou para o abrigo, onde havia pequenas lojas de frutas, café, pastelaria. —Espera urn pouquinho al—disse o homem, e caminhou na direcao de uma das lojas. A mulher permaneceu sentada no tamborete, observou por um momento o vendedor de agulhas, que continuava gritando, depois deteve a vista na foto de Getillio Vargas sorrindo para os trabalhadores do Brasil. 0 homem reapareceu corn urn saquinho manchado de gordura. —Esses pasteis. —Oh, Ze, para que voce fez isso? —Vamos, come um. — Voce nao devia ter comprado. — Vamos. A mulher retirou urn pastelzinho do saco e comecou a mastiga-lo corn muito prazer. —Come o outro, Ze. — Jacomi uns dois hoje. Esse outro tambem é seu. —Entao eu you levar ele pros meninos. pior, Maria. 0 homem ficou de pe, ao lado da mulher, observando-a corner o segundo pastel. A mulher acabou de comer, limpou a boca na manga do vestido e fez mencao de levantar-se: — Fica aqui, Ze. Pode aparecer alguem. —Nao, eu passei a manha toda assentado. A mulher sentada e o homem ern pe conservaram-se silenciosos durante urn breve e ao mesmo tempo longo momento, ora olhando urn para o outro, ora cada um olhando as pessoas agora espalhadas no abrigo ou nao olhando coisa nenhuma. A mulher se ergueu: --Acho que eu you andando. —.Id vai? —Mamae tido agiienta eles, voce sabe. —Ah, é mesmo. Voce nao devia ter vindo. 0 homem tirou uma nota do bolso de dentro do paleto e estendeu-a para a mulher. —Volta de bonde. —Nao, Ze. muito longe, criatura. —Nao. —Ora, minha nega. A mulher pegou o dinheiro corn a BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

mao indecisa. —Vou ver se levo. 0 homem assentiu corn a cabeca, abriu a boca mas nao disse nada. A mulher desviou o rosto e piscou os olhos varias vezes. —Nab chega tarde nab, viu, Ze. —Chego nao. —Voce vai fazer. —Hoje eu sei que vai melhorar. —Vai sim, Ze. Eu sei que vai. Eu sei. A mulher se afastou rapidamente, sem voltar o rosto. 0 homem empinou-se urn pouco para ve-la atravessar a rua. Depois sentou no tamborete e pegou um lapis e o retrato. Durante muito tempo o homem permaneceu cont a cabeca baixa, imovel dentro de sua ilha, curvado sobre a foto que mostrava o presidente morto corn aquele sorriso de seus melhores dias.

Party The boy brings the beverage, the glasses and soon after, in a little plate, two breads with half meatball in each one. The man and (more than he) the children look inside the breads while the boy, accomplice, leaves. WANDER PIROLI Atras do balcao, o rapaz de cabeca pelada e avental olha o crioulao de roupa limpa e remendada, acompanhado de dois meninos de tenis branco, um mais velho e outro mais novo, mas ambos corn menos de dez anos. Os tres atravessam o salao, cuidadosa mas resolutamente, e se dirigem para o comodo dos fundos, onde ha seis mesas desertas. 0 rapaz de cabeca pelada vai ver o que eles querem. 0 homem pergunta em quanto fica uma cerveja, dois guarands e dois paezinhos. —Duzentos e vinte. 0 preto concentra-se, aritmetico, e confirma o pedido. —Que tal o pao corn molho?—sugere o rapaz. —Como? —Passar o pao no molho da BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

almondega. Fica muito mais gostoso. 0 homem olha para os meninos. —0 preco é o mesmo—informa o rap —Esta certo. Os tees sentam-se numa das mesas, de' f rma canhestra, como se o estivessem fazendo pela primeira vez na vida. 0 rapaz de cabeca pelada traz as bebidas e os copos e, em seguida, num pratinho, os dois paes corn meia almondega cada urn. 0 homem e (mais do que ele) os meninos olham para dentrq dos paes, enquanto o rapaz cumpl ice se retira. Os meninos aguardam que a mao adult leve solene o copo de cerveja ate a boca, depois cada urn prova o seu guarand e morde o prinieiro bocado do pao. 0 homem toma a cerveja em pequenos gles, observando criteriosamente o menino mais Velho

e o menino mais novo absorvidos coal o sanduiche e a bebida. Eles nao tern pressa. 0 grande homem e seus dois meninos. E permanecem para sempre, humanos e indestrutiveis, sentados naquela mesa. In the original these stories were respectivelly called "A armadilha", "Trabalhadores do Brasil", "Cego e Amigo Gedeao A Beira da Estrada", "Nos, o Pistoleiro, Nao Devemos Ter Piedade", and "Festa". They were published in Para Gostar de Ler, Editora Atica, Sao Paulo, 96pp

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CALL JULIET - FALAMOS PORTUGUES 33

Mercado Ver-o-Peso in Belem

Wilderness and Warmth The state of Para covers over one million sq. km and includes a major stretch of the Amazon, and huge tributaries such as the Rio Trombetas, the Rio TapajOs and the Rio Xingu. Para's attractions include the cities of Belem and Santarem, and Ilha de Marajo, one of the world's largest fluvial islands.

The Tupi tribe who lived beside the Amazon estuary prior to colonization used the term, `pa'ra' (vast ocean) to describe its awesome size. In 1500, the Spanish navigator Vicente Yariez Pinzon sailed past the estuary, noted the huge volume of fresh water issuing into be ocean, and turned back to investigate a short distance up the estuary. Concluding that navigation to the source of such a gigantic 'ocean river' was too risky, he headed back to Spain to report his discovery. The economic development of the state is concentrated on giant mining projects (such as Projeto Grande Carajas) and grandiose hydroelectric schemes (such as the Tucurui dam). Much of the southern part of the state has been deforested, and there are serious ecological problems involved with land disputes, ranching and uncontrolled mining. Para state is divided into two time zones. The delineation of these time zones seems to depend on local assessment, but as a general rule, the section of the state east of the Rio Xingu uses Brazilian standard time, while the section to the west of the river is one hour behind Brazilian standard time. BELEM

ea,

Belem is the economic center of the North and the capital of the state of Para. It's a city with a unique and fascinating culture derived from the peoples and ways of the forest, and animated by the exuberance of the port. Although Belem is clearly in a state of decay, the central area is pleasant, the sites of interest are close by and the people are friendly. History The Portuguese, sailing from Maranhao, landed at Belem in 1616, and promptly built the Forte do Castelo at an BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

entrance to the Rio Mar (River Sea) to deter French, English, popular goveriment, which expropriated the wealth of the Spanish and Dutch boats from sailing up the Amazon and merchants, dis ibuted food to all the people and declared claiming territory. By 1626, the area encompassed by the Belem's indep ndence. But the revolutionary experiment present-day states of Para and Maranhao was set up as a was immediately strangled by a British naval blockade, colony separate from the rest of Brazil. It had its own Britain being tt e principal beneficiary of trade with Brazil in governor, who reported directly to the Portuguese king, and the 1800s. its own capital (in sao Luis do Maranhao). This colony A year later, a large Brazilian force recaptured Belem. remained officially separate from the rest of Brazil until The vast majority of the city's population fled to the interior 1775. to resist again. Over the next Creating a separate administrafour years, the military hunted tion for the territory stretching from down, fought and slaughtered Our Lady of Nazar Belem to Sao Luis made sense: pretwo-thirds of the men in the The origins ofthe image ofOur Lady o azare, vailing winds and ocean currents state of Para—they killed anythe devotion to the Virgin and how she came to along the coast of Brazil made it one who was black or brownBelem are shrouded in myth and misun erstandextremely difficult for ships to leave 40,000 out of a total population ing, but many people accept the followin account Belem and reach Salvador, and the of some 100,000. The Cabanato be the true version of events. inland route was long and perilous. gem massacre was one of the According to the Portuguese, the ho 'y image The trip from Belem to Lisbon lasted bloodiest and most savage of was sculpted in Nazareth (in Galilee). The 'mage of just six weeks, whereas the journey many Brazilian military camthe Virgin made its way through many uropean to Salvador took considerably longer. paigns against its own people. monasteries before arriving at the mon stery of Belem's economy relied on Decades later, the regional Gauliana, in Spain. In 714, the forces of King drogas do seri& (the spices of the economy was revitalized by the Roderick, the last Visigoth King, were r uted by backlands). The white settlers (prerubber boom, A vast number of the Moors at the battle of Gaudelette. Ret ating to dominantly poor farmers who had poor peasants fled the draughtthe only remaining patch of Christian soil n Iberia, emigrated from the islands. of the plagued Northeast, particularly at Asturias, the king took refuge at the m nastery Azores, off the coast of Portugal) the Amazon's rubber trees. of Gauliana . Still pursued by the Moors, Ioderick were entirely dependent on the labor fled to Portugal with Abott Romano, wh had the Most of the seringueiros (rubof the filhos do mato (sons of the presence of mind to bring the Virgin with him. ber gatherers) then died in debt. forest), native Indians who knew the Before his capture and execution, the abbot hid the By 1910 rubber constituted ways of the Amazon and who could Virgin from the iconoclastic Muslims, w ile King 39% of the nation's total exRoderick escaped unharmed. find cacao, vanilla, cassia and cinnaports. Belem' s population grew Four hundred years later, shepherd in the mon for export to Europe. These from 40,000 in 1875 to over mountains of Siano (now Sao Bartolome ) found riches, and the enslavement and de100,000 in 1900. The town had the Virgin ofNazare, and the statue beca e known struction of the Indians, made Belem electricity, telephones, streetas a source of protection. The first miracle i ccurred a relatively prosperous settlement. cars and a distinctly European on 9 October 1182. Dom Fuas Roupi ho was For hundreds of years, the settlement feel, in the midst of the tropical riding in pursuit of a stag when he was miracusurvived by striking further and furheat. The rubber boom provided lously saved from falling off a cliff. Acc rding to ther into the Amazon, destroying the money for the city to erect a local belief, his horse stopped so suddenl that bits tribes of Indians in one slaving expefew beautiful monuments such of iron from the horseshoes were embe ded into dition after another. as the Teatro da Paz and the the stones underfoot. The miracle was attr buted to As elsewhere in Brazil, the JesuPalacio Antonio Lemos. the Virgin of Nazare, upon whose hel • he had its came to the Amazon to 'save' the called in his moment of danger. Indians and to install them in aldeias Climate In the 17'b century, Jesuits brought th cult and (mission villages) throughout the reBelem is one of the rainiest the image to northeastern Brazil, and som how the gion. Terrible epidemics killed many cities in the world. There is no Virgin made her way to Vigia, in Path, here she Indians, while Catholicism killed dry season—October has the was worshipped. An attempt was made to ring the their culture. Indians who chose to least rain—but it rains more Virgin to Belem, but the image was lo.t in the escape this fate fled further into the jungle and forgotten. In October of 1700 Placid° often and with greater abunAmazon, along smaller tributaries. Jose de Souza, a humble rancher, led his cattle to dance from December to June. By the end of the 18th century, as drink from Murucutu Igarape and redisco ered the This is not as bad as it sounds: its Indian labor force became deVirgin. Placido placed the statue on a rou NI altar in the rain is often a brief, welhis hut. News spread, and many of th faithful pleted, the economy of Belem began come relief from the heat. It is gathered from miles around. Before long, lacido's to decline. In the 1820s, a split benot unusual for the locals to hut became the sanctuary of Nossa Se hora de tween the white ruling classes led to arrange appointments accordNazare. In 1721 Bishop Dom Bartolome do Pilar civil war. It quickly spread to the ing to daily rainfall time, sayconfirmed that the image was the true irgin of dominated Indians, mestizos, blacks ing: I will meet you tomorrow Nazare. In 1793 Belem had its first Ciri I and the and mulattos, and after years of fightafter the rain! The humidity is city has staged an annual celebration ev since. ing, developed into a popular revoluvery high, but unlike Manaus, tionary movement that swept through Belem gets breezes from the I. .11 Para like a wildfire. The Cabanagern Atlantic Ocean, which makes rebellion was a guerrilla war fought by the wretched of the its weather mo e bearable. Amazon. In 1835 the guerrilla fighters marched on Belem, taking Orientatio the city after nine days of bloody fighting. They installed a As it appro ches the Atlantic, the Amazon splinters into BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

o peso' (watch the weight) in order to impose taxes.. many branches and forms countless channels, numerous Many readers have commented unfavorably on the fluvial islands and, finally, two great estuaries. These estusmell of putrefaction and the rampant crime in the market, aries separate the Ilha de Mara* the 'island continent', from but the display of fruits, vegetables, plants, animals and the mainland. The southern estuary is joined by the mighty fish, not to mention the people, is fascinating. While this Rio Tocantins and is known as the Baia de Marajo before it would be a photographer's paradise, don't wander around enters the Atlantic. dreamily with your cameraâ€”you risk being accosted with Belem is 120 km from the Atlantic, at the point where the a dirty big fish knife! It's best to get there early, when the Rio Guama turns north and becomes the Baia do Guajara, boats are unloading their catches at which soon feeds into the the far end of the market. Watch for massive Baia de Mara* the mura, a human-size fish. It's the biggest port on the The Legend of Muiraquita The most intriguing section is Amazon and from here, filled with medicinal herbs and roots, you can set sail for any Legend has it that in the Serra Yacy-tapere, there dead snakes, jacare teeth, amulets navigable port of the Amaexists a lake that the Indians called `Yacy-uarua with mysterious powers, and potions zon and its tributaries. Dis(mirror of the moon). Annually, by the light of a full for every possible occasion. There tances are great, river travel moon, the all-female lkanbiadas Indian tribe would are shops selling weird and wonderis slow and often dull, and celebrate the moon, and the mother Muyrakitan, ful religious objects used for you may have to change who lived in the depths of the lake. The local men Macumba ceremonies, such as inships along the way, but it were invited to the party to have sexual relations cense to counter mau olhado (evil is cheap. with the Indian women. During the party, the women eye), and guias (necklaces that, when The heart of town lies would dive into the lake to receive from mother blessed, are used to provide a conalong Avenida Presidente Muyrakitan an amulet in the form of a small frog. nection with the spirit world). There Vargas, from the bay to the These amulets were then presented to the lucky men are also restaurants and food stalls participating in the party. Teatro da Paz (in the Praca for good, cheap meals. da Republica). Here, you'll Teatro da Paz find most of the best hotels Constructed in 1874 in neoclassical style, the theater and restaurants. Praca da Republica, a large central park, is (Tel.: 224-7355) has hosted performances by numerous a good place to relax and socialize in the early evening. Just west of Avenida Presidente Vargas are several Brazilian stars and various international favorites, including Anna Pavlova, the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Cosnarrow shopping streets. Rua Joao Alfredo is good for cheap sacks. The architecture has all the sumptuous trappings of clothes and hammocks. Continue a few blocks to the Cidade the era: columns, busts, crystal mirrors, and an interior Velha (Old Town), with its colonial architecture, or turn decorated in Italian theatrical style. Opening hours are right to see the Mercado Ver-o Peso and the waterfront. from 8 am to 6 pm Friday (weekend visits need to be booked Information in advance). Admission costs $1.20. The theatre is in the center of Praca da Reptiblica. Tourist Office--Paratur (Tel.: 224-7184; fax : 223-6198), Museu Emilio Goeldi the state tourism agency, has its main office at the Feira de Artesanato do Estado, Praca Kennedy. The staff are helpful This museum (Tel.: 249-0163) was created in 1866 by the naturalist Domingos Soares Ferreira Pena. In 1894 the and provide free maps. It's open from 8 am to 6 pm Monday state governor Lauro Sodre, contracted Dr Emilio Augusto to Friday. Goeldi to direct and reorganize the museum. Presently, the museum is also a research institution for the study of the Dangers & Annoyances Many readers have writflora, fauna, peoples and physical environment of ten to warn about the pickAmazonia. pockets who operate alone or The museum consists in gangs at Mercado Ver-oof three parts: a combined Peso. Don't take anything of park and zoo, an aquarium value to this market, and also avoid evenings and Sunday and a permanent exhibit. The zoo is one of the best afternoons. If you intend to in South America. It has travel by boat from Belem, peixe-boi (manatees) watch your gear carefullyâ€” theft is becoming increasingly browsing on underwater common. Theft at the rockfoliage, sleek jungle cats, ariranha (giant river otbottom hotels is also comters), monkeys and many monplace. strange Amazonian birds. Mercado Ver-o-Peso There are even roving pacas (agoustis) scurrySpanning several blocks ing free through the park. along the waterfront, this big market operates all day, every The aquarium displays a small sample of the 1500 fish day. Its name originated from the fact that the market was species identified in local waters (there are dozens of fish species still to identified in the Amazon region), including established as a checkpoint where the Portuguese would `ver 36

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

hoover fish, window-cleaner fish, butterfly fish and leaf fish—the names are self-explanatory. The permanent exhibit called 'Amazonia: Man and the Environment', has a good display of minerals, artesanato of various Indian tribes, and an interesting collection of archaeological specimens, including intricately decorated ceramic burial urns form the Santarem and Ilha de MarajO pre-Columbian Indian civilizations. At the time of writing, the museum shop had been crushed by a falling tree and was awaiting restoration. The shop sells posters, museum research publications, and booklets about Amazonian flora, fauna and culture. The Museu Emilio Goeldi is open from 9 am to noon and from 2 to 5 pm Tuesday to Thursday, from 9 am to noon on Friday and from 9 am to 5 pm on weekends. Admission to all three sections costs S53.50. A gift shop sells a variety of T-shirts, minerals and Indian arts and crafts. The shop is closed for lunch from 12.45 to 2.45 pm. The museum is at Avenida Governador MagalhAes Barata 376. From the city center, take the bus marked `Aeroclube 20'. If you fell like walking from the center, it takes about 35 minutes and you can include a couple of sights en route. Starting from the Teatro da Paz, walk down Avenida Nazare, which becomes Avenida Governador Magalhaes Barata, and continue past the Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Nazare, which is close to the museum. Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Nazare The basilica is visited annually by over one million worshippers during the Cirio de Nazare. It was built in 1909, in Roman architectural style inspired by the Basilica of St Paul in Rome. Many of the materials and artisans were imported from Europe, and the interior is lined with fine marble. The elaborate altar piece frames a tiny statue of the Virgin, while the facade has a mural depicting the arrival of the Portuguese colonizers in Brazil. Included among Indians, soldiers and priests are a couple of men dressed in suits and ties! They are the figures of the wealthy patrons who sponsored the basilica's construction. Downstairs is a sacred-art museum, Museu do Cirio (Tel.: 224-9614) which is open from 8 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Friday and from 8 am to noon on weekends. Admission is free. Here you can buy the traditional brinquedos de abaetetuba (toys made of balsa wood, which are sold in the streets during the Cirio festival). The church is on Praca Justo Chermont—a short walk from the Museu Emilio Goeldi— and it's open daily from 6.30 to 11:30 am and 3 to 9 pm. Bosque Rodrigues Alves This 16-hectare park at Avenida Almirante Barroso 1622 contains a lake, and a‘zoo with turtles and jacares. Apart BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

from the Mus u Emilio Goeldi, this is the only large patch of greenery clos to the city center. Frequented by couples kissing in the rottos, it's a pleasant place to relax. Avoid it on Sunday, th ugh, when little brats torment the turtles and jacares by throwing plastic bags filled with water at their heads—one reader felt like feeding the perpetrators to the victims! Opening hours are 7 am to 5 pm Tuesday to Sunday. From the city center, take the bus marked `Aeroclube 20'. Cidade Velha The old part of Belem is mostly run-down, but authentic. It's a good area in which to walk, drink and explore. There are colonial buildings not le for their fine azulejos (blue Portuguese tiles). A panic larly striking example of the colonial style is Loja Paris N' merica, on Rua Alfredo Santo Antonio. Palacio AntOnio Lemos (Art Museum) This forme palace (Tel.: 223-5664), which had almost been condemn d and reportedly had animals roaming around inside, was re ovated in 1993, and now houses the Belem Museum of A (MABE) and the Municipal Government Headquarters. It was buil during the second half of the 19th century, when Belem s the largest city in the region and the main beneficiary of the rubber trade. At this time Belem was considered to e 'the tropical Paris', because its opulent architecture an customs were similar to those of the French capital. Built i the Brazilian imperial style, the symmetrical building has a grand central staircase made of Portuguese marble. Its vas rooms have a selection of opulent imported furniture, inclu ing a Louis XIV setting. The mayor's office is one of these randiose rooms. The Palk i Antonio Lemos (Palacio Awl), between Praca Dom Pe ro II and Praca Felipe Patroni, is open for visits from 9, to noon and 1 to 6 pm, Tuesday to Friday, and 9 am to no n on weekends. Admission is free. Palacio Lauro Sodre (State Museum) The former government house has recently been renovated and tume into the State Museum (Tel.: 225-2414). It was built duni the 18th century to house the Portuguese crown's repres ntatives in Belem. Early this century, in response to th French influence on Belem's bourgeois culture, the ma m rooms were redecorated, each in a different style. The s rvice areas at the rear are just as interesting. There is a smal chapel (stripped of its religious decoration during the tun of the military government, stables and a slaves' dungeo . In 1835 the Cabanagem invaded the palace, killing the resident on the front'steps. The Museu e Cidade is next door to the Palacio Antonio 37

Lemos, facing Praca Dom Pedro II, and is open from 9 am to 1 pm Tuesday to Sunday. Guided tours are organized at museum reception. Admission costs $2.50. River Tours & Beach Excursions Travel agencies offer various river tours and excursions to nearby beaches. Prices range from $25 per person for the standard river tour to $35 per person for an excursion to the beach at Ilha do Mosqueiro. City tours and cultural tours can be good if you are short on time, as they give a quick overview of Belem. The 'canned tours' of the Rio Guama are heavily promoted, but not particularly exciting. In three hours you cruise the river, go down a channel, get out on an island, and walk down a path where many have traveled before to see the local flora (rubber, mahogany trees, Kai palms, sumanma, mangoes and cacao trees). This voyage into the known is recommended only if you have no time to really see the jungle and rivers. An interesting variation is the combined early bird half-day tour offered by Amazon Star. It starts 4 am, before sunrise, when you can see parrots and other birds leaving Parrot Island at the first light of day. This tour costs $35, including breakfast. Praia Funda, on Ilha de Cotijuba, 1 1/2 hours by boat from Belem, has beaches, the ruins of an old prison and the Hotel Trilha Dourada. Boats depart from the Porto Rodomar, at Rua Siqueira Mendes, at noon on weekdays, returning at 5 pm. On weekends, the first boat departs at 8.30 am and the last returns at 3.20 pm. Tickets cost $0.35 on weekdays and $ 1.20 on weekends. An alternative is the two-day 'Sol e Mar' package offered by the Hotel Trilha Dourada - Lodge (Tel.: 241-5778; Fax: 226-3887), at Travessa Dom Pedrd I, Alameda Francisco Ribeiro da Silva 65. The deal ($24 per person) includes transport, and accommodation in cabanas (rustic huts), but no meals. The restaurant at the hotel serves meals for about $12. Festivals Every year on the morning of the second Sunday of October, the city of Belem explodes with the sound of hymns, bells and fireworks. Started in 1793 as a tribute to the Virgin of Nazare, the Cirio de Nazare is Brazil's biggest religious festival. People from all over Brazil flock to Belem, end even camp in the streets, to participate in the grand event. A crowd of 300,000 or so fills the streets to march from the Catedral Metropolitana (also known as the Igreja da Se) to the Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Nazare. The image of the Virgin, centerpiece of the procession, is placed on a flower-bedecked carriage. While the faithful pray, sing hymns, give thanks or ask favors of the Virgin, the pious (often barefoot) bear heavy crosses and miniature wax houses, and thousands squirm and grope in the emotional 38

frenzy of their efforts to get hold of the 300-meter cord for an opportunity to pull the carriage of the Virgin. Five hours and just 2.5 km later, the Virgin reaches the basilica, where she remains for the duration of the festivities. After the parade, there is the traditional feast of pato no tucupi (duck cooked in manioc extract). Cirio de Nazare Without this dish is akin to a U.S. Thanksgiving without turkey. From the basilica, the multitudes head to the fairgrounds for mayhem of the more secular kind: food, drink, music and dancing. The party continues unabated for a fortnight. On the Monday 15 days after the first procession, the crowd reassembles for the Recirio parade, in which the Virgin is returned to her proper niche and the festivities are concluded. Places to Stay Despite the overall price increases in Brazil, Belem, with its abundance of two-star hotels, still has some of the best accommodation deals in the Amazon region. Several places with mid-range facilities charge reasonable rates. Consequently, even travelers on a tight budget may want to consider a minor splurge on the mid-range hotels. Most of these hotels are centralâ€”along or close to Avenida President e Vargas (an ideal location). There are also cheap dives and opulent, old hotels. If you're just passing through, there are hotels in front of the rodoviaria. Places to Eat The food in Belem features a bewildering variety of fish and fruit, and (unlike much of Brazil) a distinct regional cuisine that includes several delicious dishes. Pato no tucupi is a lean duck cooked in tucupi sauce (a yellow liquid extract from manioc or cassava root, poisonous in its raw form). Try unhas de caranguejo (crab claws) and casquinha de caranguejo (stuffed crab). Manicoba (a stew of maniva and meats) takes a week to prepare - shoots of maniva (a variety of manioc) are ground, cooked for at least four days, then combined with jerked beef, calves, hooves, bacon, pork and sausages. If you enjoy feijoada, Brazil's national dish, you will appreciate manicoba. Until quite recently, such Excerpts from Bra= il endangered species as tartaruga (turtle) and peixe-boi A Travel Survival Kit 3rd edition, (manatee) were regularly by Andrew Draffen, served in Belem' s restaurants. Chris McAsey, This practice is now illegal. Leonardo Pinheiro, Three of the best local fish and Robyn Jones. are filhote and percada amaFor more information rela and douradaâ€”great eatcall Lonely Planet: ing. And you are no doubt fa(800) 275-8555. miliar with acal, acerola, Copyright 1992 Lonely murici, bacuri and sapoti just a Planet Publications. few of the luscious Amazonian Used by permission. fruits that are available. BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Ricardo Pessanha with Noel Rosa

Fasten Your Seat Belts Read it like a novel, or use it like a map. The second edition of The Brazilian Sound is out and it promises and delivers an unforgettable trip through all the Brazilian rhythms and musical genres. Here, the book's authors give us an idea about the work involved in writing what they call "an introductory course for gringos". BRUCE GILMAN If you can't travel to Brazil and encounter the music firsthand, The Brazilian Sound by Chris McGowan and Ricardo Pessanha can take you on an encyclopedic journey through samba, bossa nova, MPB (Popular Brazilian Music), jazz, choro, rock, and the new musical territory on Brazil's Northeastern and Bahian horizons. This book is a step-by-step Brazilian music travel guide that fills the information void without embroiling the reader in highbrowed academic analysis. You can read it all the way through like a novel or just consult it like a map and find what you want in a hurry. Originally published by Billboard Books in 1991, The Brazilian Sound sold out soon after release and quickly established itself as the definitive source of reference on Brazilian music. Musicians were the first to purchase the book, and they did so full tilt. You may have never read it, but you've seen excerpts paraphrased—if not plagiarized—in press releases and CD BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

liner notes b reviewers and record companies. Although the book was easily found in university research libraries, its unavaila ility in the marketplace made this "borrowing" easy. The publ C's increasing interest in "world music" and a whirlwind of activity in Brazilian music has brought with it rumo s of an updated second edition. And many questions ha e circulated about when the new book would be released nd where it could be purchased. The idea of reviewing th s important new work was tempting, but I've asked the au hors to speak for themselves and to lead us behind-the-s enes of The Brazilian Sound. Brazzil Working with publishing deadlines while new release continue to be issued negates the possibility of ever aving a completely updated book on pop music. If y u had more time to work on the second edition, wha would you have done? To which artists or groups wou d you have allocated more space? Chris - book like ours can never be completely upto-date beca se you have to finish everything roughly six months to a ear before it's published.. Groups break up and then get back together. Composers break their partnership with lyricists. There are always changes that are too late to in Jude. Karnak is one group that we definitely would have a located more space to. We were only able to squ eze in a brief mention of them at the last mo ent. • icardo - I'd say I'm pretty satisfied with the ontent of the book. Maybe if we had more spa. ewe could have included more on Brazilian inst umental music and on samba pioneers. razzil - The second edition has a much Jar! er chapter on Bahia. Is this indicative of a tre d in Brazilian pop music? icardo - Absolutely. In the last 10 years, arti ts from Bahia have acquired a great importan e in the Brazilian pop scene. Daniela Mercur , E o Tchan, Companhia do Pagode, Chiclete co Banana, Banda Eva, Netinho, Olodum, Ara Ket and others are now national names. Brazzil - What did you try to do with the new edition Chris - e wanted to improve and expand it. We 39

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added more historical information in the sections on samba, choro, and Bahia. There's updated information on the 1990's and profiles of emerging artists like Marisa Monte, Skank, Daniela Mercury, Chico Cesar, Carlinhos Brown. The glossary and discography b doubled in size, and the index is a lot better. Brazzil - What do you see as the special strength the book? Ricardo - It reads pretty smoothly, and it's comprehensive without being boring. Brazzil - How did you like Temple University's edits? Ricardo - I got the books last night.! haven't had the time to go through the text yet, but both editions are just beautiful. The cover of the paperback edition is great. Brazzil - What need or position do you see The Brazilian Sound fill in the literary, music, or scholastic world? Chris - I look at it as an introductory course for gringos, MPB 101, explaining all the basic genres and introducing the major figures in Brazilian popular music in this century. I think if someone understands how harmonically rich bassa nova is, or what Milton Nascimento's music is alt about, or what Uakti is trying to do, for example, then, it ban. really enhance their appreciation of the music. Ricardo -The book gives the reader a comprehensive view of the richness of Brazilian popular music and plaees it within the cultural context in which it is created. Brazzil - What prompted you to write a book iv Brazilian pop music in the first place? Ricardo - I think the idea came through conversations • between Chris and me, but he was the one who took it seriously and made it into a project. Chris - I had been thinking about it for a long time. Ten years ago there just weren't any good books available in English on Brazilian music. There were a few academic works, but even those were very specialized. Then on night Ricardo and I were having some beers and decide the timing was right. Billboard Books accepted the posal, and we started our research in 1989, with the boot( coming out in 1991. It was a tremendous challenge as it was such a vast subject. How would you write about all the music of the U.S.A. in one book? Brazil is just as rich musically as North America. Brazzil - How much research did the first edition involve? Ricardo - A lot. Interviews, visits to libraries, r searching my own collection of old newspapers and magak zines... I'd say it took us more than a year to collect thi material we needed. Chris - We read a lot of articles, hundreds of releases, plus the classic books on Brazilian music Portuguese by Zuza Homem de Mello, Jose Tinhordo, and other major musicologists. Most of it is in our bibliography. Brazzil - How was the work divided between you two when you wrote the original book? Chris - We each had our own chapters to write, and then we added stuff to each other's chapters. We did some interviews together —Jobim and Milton— but most, sepa-

It Was a good combination as we have different is rusd:pecspectives on the music. rdo4And we express-mailed diskettes back and rth a opp of times so that one could read, comment, other's work. The final editing before Aim* n4ingthâ'*iginals to Billboard was 100% Chris's. ow do you feel when you find someone has

. •-,plagiarized your work? Ricardo - I really don't know. On one and, that shows an implicit recognition of She value of what we've done. On the other, '1.tan't help feeling intellectually robbed. razzil - What was the scariest experiyap had while working on the book in ftcardo - I think it was one night when ! did something wrong on the computer and I thought I had lost a whole chapter. I pand! But I called Chris and he fixed it. kris - The prospect of interviewing azzil - What happened? ris - Actually it was for Billboard the book. I was compelled to interview oard is mainly concerned with record e late 1980's Xuxa was the number-one sptling reedraing artist in Brazil, bigger than Roberto Carlos. So it was an Odious obligation as part of covering the music A3usiness. I couldn't stand her voice or her music—neither could any adult Brazilian that ! knew. But I took a bus way gilt to the end of Barra da Tijuca to her mansion. I was kept waiting for an hour in her cavernous living room and then . got fed up and left. Her manager called me up that night to suggest a dinner with her and Xuxa. But! already had plans with friends, so I declined the dinner invitation and instead did a quick phone interview with Xuxa, which was not terribly interesting. •Brazzit+Which were your favorite interviews? Ricarchil- Tom Jobim and Lobo. With Jobim, Chris and I spentafantastic day in his beautiful house at the foot of the Core4ado mountain talking about everythrng: music, nature, *Omen, politics... He was a very charismatic, warm guy. tput he was hard to interview, meaning that his answers weren't always related to the questions. It was more like a very pleasant conversation than a formal interview. Lobao impressed me with the liveliness of his ideas 4 and sheer intelligence, a very funny and witty guy. Lulu autos and Herbert Vianna impressed me with their seriausness and intellectual articulation. The interviews with Milton, LobAo, Jobim, Lulu Santos, and Herbert Vianna really deserve to be published in full. Chris- I also had a great time talking to Gilberto Gil at I, the Hollywood Roosevelt- He was in L.A. to do a show. Unfortunately, his wife wanted to go shopping on Rodeo Drive and that ended the interview a little earlier than I Wanted. Brazzil - Any tough interviews? Chris - Gal Costa was kind of cold and distant, although she did show me her closet full of expensive imported scotch whiskey. JoAo Bosco and Djavan were sort of cryptic and evasive. I wanted to get them to open up about their music, what genres and influences they were putting together. But maybe they didn't want to divulge their secrets; BRAZZIL-MARCH19N

I don't know. Bezerra da Silva was difficult because I couldn't understand the slang from the favela and neither could the middle-class Brazilian record company people who were there. Ricardo - Interviewing musicians can be weird. Some of them can hardly speak. Questions are answered with a yes, a no, or a mumble. Brazzil - Tell me more about the interview with Jobim. Chris - I was very nervous about meeting Antonio Carlos Jobim for the first time. It was essential to talk to him, but at the time he had no record contract in Brazil and no publicist. But people told me to go to the Plataforma (a steak house in Leblon) in the afternoon and that I'd find him there. So I went there and asked the maitre d' if he knew where I could find Tom Jobim. He pointed to a nearby table, where Jobim was sitting with about five people. I was nervous, but I went over and introduced myself and told him about my project. He asked me to go sit at a nearby table and he'd come over in a minute. And he did just that. He put me at ease right away and we ended up talking for about five hours about many things. Jobim was eating steak and drinking tiny little glasses of beer. No whiskey because of his doctor's orders. But he did indulge in Cuban cigars. Brazzil - Was he having health problems? Chris - Yes, but I don't think he really cared too much. He was a dedicated Bohemian. I found him to be very gracious and down to earth and casual, with his shirt hanging out. Jobim told a lot of great stories. One was about the summer he went to Santa Monica Beach with Nelson Riddle and Dorival Caymmi. It was so cold there for Brazilians that Jobim wouldn't go in the water and Caymmi wouldn't even get out of the car. He discussed how heartbroken he was with the English lyrics that. had been attached to his famous bossa nova songs. They weren't at the poetic level of the lyrics written by Vinicius. Jobim wanted to work with Johnny Mercer, but one of them was with BMI and the other with ASCAP. In those days you couldn't mix song-rights of the two organizations, so he got saddled with some lyricists here who weren't so great. We were talking about all this, but this wasn't even the interview. This was having some beer and conversation, "bater papo." We scheduled an official interview for later, and Ricardo and I went up to his house in Rio's Jardim BotanicÂ° neighborhood. We spent another several hours there with two tape recorders running. It was fantastic. Our biggest sections in the book were on Jobim and on Milton Nascimento. Brazzil - What was Milton like? Ricardo - Talking to Milton was a surprise. He's famous here for being shy and not very talkative. But with us he was very relaxed, and we had a nice, long conversation about his music and life. Chris - We met him at an apartment he was using in Rio. He greeted us wearing his familiar cap and a River Phoenix T-shirt. He was a big fan of the actor. We talked for hours. His speaking voice was like his singing voice, remarkable to listen to with incredible tone and resonance. Brazzil - You describe the effect of Milton Nascimento's music on the Pat Metheny Group. Chris - Yes, Lyle Mays talked at length to me about how blown away he and Metheny were by Milton's Clube da Esquina albums. It profoundly affected their music. Later they worked closely with Nana Vasconcelos and BFtAZZIL - MARCH 1998

Armando Mar al. We have quotes from George Duke, Paul Winter, Chad' Byrd, Don Grusin, and Herbie Mann as well talking about how different Brazilian musicians affected their wOrk. Brazzil - Is that why there is so much coverage of the interplay between American jazz musicians and Brazilian artists? Ricardo - Id say this is important to make the point that Brazilian music has made an impact on respected musicians. So man elements of Brazilian music have been absorbed into 41e vocabulary and language of jazz that it's necessary to c 11 the public's attention to the fact that particular sou ds, harmonies, and themes are originally Brazilian. Chris - I d n't think people here are aware of it, but almost every big pop or jazz artist in the U.S. has recorded a bossa song. razil turns out great percussionists the way it does soccer layers. And largely because of bossa an invasion of pe cussionists began to storm America, with Airto Moreira ultimately being the most famous. They have appeared now o hundreds, if not thousands, of recordings. Airto and Flora were on most of the seminal jazz-fusion recordings from Miles to Weather Report to Return to Forever. The great melodies of artists like Tom Jobim, Ary Barroso, Milton Nascimento, and Ivan Lins are among the most-recorded in jazz today. And in the 1990's, many international jazz musicians have been discovering choro in a big way, recording covers of tunes by Pixinguinha, JacÂ° do Bandolim and others. We didn't think anyone had ever really documented all this in one place, bringing it all together. Brazzil - How do you feel the book was received when it first came out? Ricardo - I can only speak about the reaction of Brazilians, and that was very positive. The general opinion was that is was the only one of its kind and that it deserved a Portuguese trarislation with the necessary adaptation for Brazilian readers, of course. Brazzil - Did Billboard Books do much to promote the first edition? Chris - We got great reviews, but the marketing people at Billboard Bobks didn't know what to do with it, since they were used to books about the top pop hits of the 1950's and so on. They didn't push it, and so it didn't get into any of the big chains. Five years later, people were still discovering it in the Fortunately, we also had a U.K. edition and an Austrian version. The U.K. edition sold more than the American book. This time around, with the second edition, the situation is completely different because of the Internet. You can get the word out. Someone in Finland or Argentina or Ireland can buy the book from Amazon.com . You don't even need a bookstore. Brazzil - Where did you two meet? Ricardo - We were introduced by a common friend that at that time worked for CBS, now Sony. Chris was in Rio to work on a speci 1 supplement on Brazilian music for Billboard and she s ggested that Chris talk to me to exchange ideas on whom to write about. Brazzil - Ri ardo, can you tell us a little about the neighborhood you grew up in? Ricardo - Up to nine I lived in a lower-middle-class neighborhood called Sampaio. Then I moved to the Tijuca area, where I still live. I'd say Tijuca is bigger and richer 41

both economically and culturally. Here there are movie theaters, malls, good schools, and famous morros. My old apartment, where we had caipirinhas and made tapes, is close to Salgueiro hill where the (samba) school has its headquarters, but the place where they rehearse is about a mile away. Mangueira, Vila Isabel, Estacio, and their respective samba schools are also close. Vila Isabel is famous for its musical tradition. Maracana Stadium is around too, and as you know, soccer is culturally very important here.(1) Brazzil - What music did you hear in your parents' home when you were growing up? Ricardo - All kinds. My parents used to buy lots of records. They still do. Traditional samba, folklore, MPB, Dixieland jazz, swing jazz, classical, R&B, bossa nova, rock'n'roll... Brazzil - Chris, you wrote the liner notes for the Sergio Mendes CD Brasileiro and for the Milton anthology on the Rhino label. What other writing projects do you have brewing? Chris - I publish an Internet newsletter on laserdisc and DVD called Laser Scans. And I'm finishing a novel that is a multicultural, satirical sci-fi work, set in post-America. There's a lot of Brazilian culture in it. Brazzil - You have introduced so many people to the music and musicians of Brazil. How were you introduced to it? Chris - It happened in several stages. First, I had a Brazilian friend in high school. I would hear samba and bossa nova at his house, but it didn't really sink in, not consciously anyway. Then during college, I listened to a lot of jazz-fusion and there discovered Flora Purim and Airto Moreira. But I think the most important event was when I was visiting my brother and heard Milton Nascimento for the first time on Wayne Shorter's Native Dancer album. That recording is still one of the seminal Brazilian-American collaborations. It re-wired my brain musically. After college I lived in Fortaleza for six months. My friends there introduced me to Joao do Vale, Fagner, Egberto Gismonti, Hermeto Pascoal, Elis Regina, Gal Costa and many others. I heard repentistas in the town square and some early forms of lambada blasting out of little record stores. I spent Carnaval partly in Fortaleza where there were maracatus and caboclinhos, and partly in a beach town called Aracati where we all went to a club and danced marchas and sambas until dawn. Then I met Ricardo. He wasn't a journalist, but he was a veritable compendium of knowledge about Brazilian music and also about American jazz and rock. He ended up being a musical consultant on the first articles I did as well as the 32-page "Viva Brazil" supplement I organized and wrote for Billboard in 1987, which was the first special section on Brazilian music ever to run in that magazine. I believe it was the first time anything like that had ever been published in the U.S.. Brazzil - How did your work on Brazilian music fit into Billboard? Chris - Not very well! I had to fight to get every review in, even of people like Milton Nascimento and Ivan Lins. The editors there in the 1980's generally knew nothing about music outside of the English-speaking world. "Viva Brazil" was a huge struggle. I lobbied hard for it, and it really only succeeded because of the superhuman efforts of 42

Mary Fisher, a very persistent ad salesman who now works for Latin music publications. Brazzil - Ricardo, is there always pressure on you to have interesting conversations about Brazilian music with new acquaintances? Ricardo - I'm not famous on the music scene. I don't make my living by writing. I'm a marketing manager during office hours. In the evening I jump into the nearest phone booth (joking) and change clothes to write my things for PolyGram and Musicrama. Brazzil - Which American music reviewers do you read? Chris - Bruce Gilman and academic writers like Charles Perrone. Ricardo - I haven't had the time to read any lately. Brazzil - And Brazilian reviewers? Chris - Too many to go into. But you can find music reviews from Jornal do Brasil, Folha de Selo Paulo, and 0 Globo on the Web. Ricardo - One guy that I like is Tank de Souza. Brazzil - Chris, how did you start writing about Brazilian music? Chris - Back in the States, I was writing about music ,id film for different magazines, including Billboard. I loved living in Brazil and wanted to go back as soon as possible. Luckily, I was able to arrange to write some articles for Billboard for a special issue they were doing on Latin music in general. So back I went to Rio for six months in 1984, with the assignments plus borrowed money paying for my stay. That was about four currency plans ago; it was a lot cheaper for foreigners then. That's where I really learned about Brazilian music. Over the next several year's I saw many live performances in Brazil. I saw the Paralamas playing the Mamute club in Tijuca when they first started out. I went to dozens of shows by famous MPB stars, pagode samba artists, instrumental music, rock, big names, obscure groups. Rio de Janeiro is such a wonderful place to hear music. You can visit a samba school rehearsal or go to so many great, small clubs for live music. Brazzil - What's your take on all the "samba schools" that are springing up in different cities around the world? Chris - That's a very interesting phenomenon and there are many of them in the U.S. and Europe. The U.K. has about a hundred, although many of these groups are pretty small. They're about one percent of the size of Mangueira. It's impressive when you go see a Carnaval parade in San Francisco, for example. But it's still a tiny, tiny minority of musically adventurous people. Ricardo - I think that's great. It proves the excellence of a musical/cultural manifestation, born in a country still in the process of development, that became strong enough to cross international borders despite the lack of economic power of those who create it and keep it alive. Brazzil - You have watched the pop music scene in Brazil for some time. Where is it going? Ricardo - Diversity. That's where I think it's going. Brazilian pop music used to come in waves during which all you could hear was that particular kind of music. For instance, after the Brazilian rock wave, came the lambada BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

wave, then the sertanejo, then axe music, then pagode samba. Now there's room for everybody. What I also sense is a tendency for new artists to go back to the Tropicana principles, I mean to mix rootsy Brazilian music elements with pop. Some of these artists are Chico Cesar and Zeca Bale ir: Chris - I think the work being done by Marisa Monte, Karnak, and Chico Cesar is extraordinary. They are basically carrying on the eclectic tradition of the MPB generation of the 1960's and 1970's and expanding it.

"Garota de Ipanema" is another example. It was a big hit in the 60's, sung in English by Astrud Gilberto. Other artists may acquire prestige among music experts or become cult figures, but will never be really famous. Chris - S pultura fits solidly into the heavy-metal format, altho gh it's hard to understand what they're saying in their apocalyptic frenzy. But I also think Marisa Monte, the P ralamas, and Karnak could have more success here, if t ey did more concerts in North America. As far as I know, they can sing in English or Portuguese, and they really have an international sound. I don't know if they really care, though, about being big over here.

Brazzil - Brazil's recording industry is one of the largest in the world. Why do its recordings occupy such a small place in the marketplace? Brazzil - I you could pick ten recordings of MPB to Ricardo - If you mean the Brazilian marketplace, I take to a des rt island, which ones would they be? don't have access to figures right now, but I've read someRicardo - his isbard. I'm going to mention some that where that 80% ofthe music sold here come to my mind right now. They're is made here. Brazilians buy much not in order of preference: Chico e more Brazilian music than music from Caetano -Juntos ao Vivo, Gilberto Gil Where anywhere else. If you mean the global - Refavela, Joao Gilberto - Chega de marketplace, I think the Portuguese Saudade, Egberto Gismonti - Daiwa to language is the main barrier for world das Cabecas, Titas - Cabeca Dinospopularization of MPB. Get It sauro, Marisa Monte - Marisa Monte Chris - Brazilian music does bet(the first one), Martinho da Vila ter in countries like Japan, Germany The Brazilian Sound is available from Memorias de urn Sargento de Milicias, and France. In the United States, we're the following online sites: Milton Nascimento - Milagre dos still extremely closed minded in terms Peixes ao Vivo, Novos Baianos of music. And I'm speaking of the AcabouChorare, Jorge Ben e Gilberto www.barnesandnoble.com vast majority of Americans who are Gil - Ogum Xango, Gal Costa - Fatal, www.amazon.com not from other countries and who do El is Regina - Falso Brilhante, Fernanwww.caravanmusic.com not speak Spanish. If it's not in Enda Abreu - Da Lata . www.lusobraz.com glish, forget it. Chris - My ten favorites are alAnd if it's not a style that origiways changing. But right now I'd take The Brazilian Sound is also available nated in the U.S. or the U.K., forget it. Joao Bosco's Gagabiro, Tom Jobim's from Tattered C over Book Store. TeleThe one small exception is reggae, Urubu, Marisa Monte' s A Great Noise, phone: (800) 8 33-9327 which started in English-speaking Alceu Valenca's Cavalo de Pau, Jamaica and was given an extra push Paralamas's Bora Bora, Chico Cesar's In Los Angeles, The Brazilian Sound is by U.K. pop. Unfortunately, the U.S. Aos Vivos, Carlinhos Brown's Alfaganow on sale at Culture Planet in the population in general is still extremely mabetizado, Gilberto Gil's Acoustic, ignorant about the rest of the world Westside Pavilion. Telephone: (310 Milton Nascimento's Clube da Esquiand not terribly interested in other 441-9808 na 2, and Karnak's debut album. cultures. It's been that way for a long time Brazzil - Any advice for first and it's still that way. Those who time writers? appreciate Brazilian and "world music" are a small niche of Ricardo - I don't think I'm qualified for that, but I'd intelligent, curious people. Only a handful of Brazilians say be objectiv . Less is more. When in doubt, take it out. have sold a lot of records hereâ€”mainly Sergio Mendes back in the 1960's, Flora Purim in the 1970's during the jazz-fusion era, and Sepultura now. Although the Brazilian (1) After college, the first of three grants I received to press is always reporting how Caetano Veloso or whoever research the music of "developing countries" took me to is a big star here, nothing could be further from truth. Big Brazil. Througl- Chris's introduction, Ricardo became my MPB names can sell out shows in New York, Boston, or San best contact. I will never forget mixing caipirinhas in Francisco, but the audience is mainly Brazilian. However, Ricardo's apartment and listening to Ile Aiye and Lobao we must not forget that what is important is the music itself. for the first time. Its value does not come from how many records are sold, Nor will I forget watching the fireworks over the hills despite what Billboard and the L.A. Times want to emphaof Mangueira f om inside Maracana stadium during the size. Botafogo/Flam ngo soccer championship and the insanity of Flamengo's c lebration afterwardâ€”Ricardo explaining Brazzil - Are there any Brazilians who you think that in Brazil y u can change your lover, your religion, have a chance of being commercially popular in the your name, eve your sex, but never your soccer team. U.S.? Ricardo - If you mean massive success, something like Bruce Gilman, music editor for Brazzil, Madonna or Michael Jackson, I'd say no. I think that for an eceived his Masters degree in music from artist to become popular in the United States, he or she has Ciflifornia Institute of the Arts. He leads the to sing in English and play music Americans are used to. A Brazilian jazz ensemble Axe good example is the heavy-metal group Sepultura. They're and plays Cu lea for escola de samba MILA. the best selling Brazilian artists in the U.S. today. Of You can reach him through his E-mail: course, they play rock and sing in English. Tom Jobim's cuica@interworld.net BRAZZIL-MARCH1998 43

lashing Colors Considered by some one of the best Brazilian painters, Candid() Portinari has also been the center of inflamed criticism about the artistic value of his work. Some have accused him of plagiarizing Picasso and lacking any originality. He was a walking. contradiction. Communist lie made the official portrait of dictator Getalio Vargas; atheist, he didn't shy from painting saints. With more than 4500 works to his credit, Portinari's popularity remains high though. ROSEMARY GUND Candido Portinari, considered by many as the major artist of Brazilian modern art, is finally granted—after more than 30 years—an exhibit retrospective of all his work. The exhibit, entitled "Drama e Poesia," opened in Sao Paulo on December 25th of last year at the Sao Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) and was coordinated by The Projeto Portinari, created by Portinari's only son Joao Candido Portinari. The Sao Paulo exhibit had more than 200 works by the artist, which is not a lot when we talk about Portinari, an artist that worked incessantly and produced more than four thousand and five hundred paintings, many of which could not be relocated. The exhibit was launched together with a catalog with texts by the late writer and close friend Antonio Callado, and also reproductions of some of Portinari's paintings. After sao Paulo, the exhibit was planned to go to all major cities in the country and then travel to Buenos Aires, Lisbon, Zurich and possibly New York. The great novelty of this exposition is the fact that its great majority is composed of works of Portinari that belonged to private collections to which the general public'had no access. According to the actual curator of the exposition, Christina Penna, the title "Drama e Poesia" is associated to the "parallel between the lyric and the tragic present in Portinari's work." In fact, more towards the end of his life, the painter revealed this divided facet that is the idea of the title of the exposition. The artist unfolded himself through his images and poetry. His posthumous book entitled "Poemas" was published in 1964 and revealed his need to invoke his childhood through another form of expression, the written form, with which, according to his friend Callado, he felt he was a bit clumsy. Art as a Tradition Portinari was born in an little town called Brodowski, in the state of Sao Paulo, on December 13, 1903. He was the second out of 12 children from a family of Italian immigrants from Florence—the capital of Renaissance art— that had gone to Brazil to work on the coffee plantations. The town, formerly known as the "Pineapple Land," today is more of an art and culture center inspired on the legacy of its most noble citizen. Even if Portinari lived there just until after he completed 15 years of age, when he moved to Rio, his image will always be associated with his hometown that he subjectively represented in the series of paintings "Meninos de Brodowski" (Brodowski Boys). Portinari's family lived there until 1958 and he visited them every Christmas. The white colonial style house with blue windows, located in the central part of town, has been the museum Casa Portinari since 1970. There one can find many personal objects that belonged to Portinari, his first murals, religious paintings and some pencil, crayon and ink drawings. His studio and the little steps found by the big canvas remained as a testimony of Portinari's short stature. Some of the furniture and everyday utensils also remained, like the stove, iron pots, porcelain teacups, armoires and beds. Every child in Brodowski today knows a little about Portinari. Apart from the museum, his legacy involves community projects that promote expositions, courses, workshops and painting sessions for children in front of the museum. On top of all that, his work is often used as a historical and cultural reference in schools. Nevertheless, the city has only one Portinari oil canvas exposed. Finished in 44

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

1942, the painting of Santo Antonio, exposed in the little church at the Candid° Portinari square in front of the museum, apparently extracted some tears out of two Italian priests from Rome when visiting the town. In the Capela da Nonna ( Grandma's Chapel), a little church linked to the museum and place where his grandmother used to pray, the pictures he made of the Sacred Family in 1941 shoW' the faces of his wife, father and brother. A Much Disputed Modernism Even if nationally recognized, Portinari has been the center of inflamed criticism about the true artistic value of his work. Accused by many of having developed an art that is merely an interpretation of Picasso's cubism and that therefore lacks in originality, this revisionist exhibit served to reignite the debate over the modern character of his work. This essentially emotional artist of divided character is . defined by some as a "regretful academic" that never had any modern talent. They cite as an example all the pictures he made of celebrities and socialites to illustrate the nature ofhis supposedly "emotionally appealing" communism and connect them to the fact that he felt more comfortable with this form of expression than in the "Picaisean" form of socio-critical tone. • Portinari however has always provoked some polemic. Communist, he was the one who painted the portrait of then dictator Getirlio Vargas, which rendered him the fame of official artist ofthe Vargas regime. A self-declared atheist, Portinari painted more saints than maybe his party comrades would have approved, fact that could be explained by looking at his own ethnical roots. Son of Italian immigrants from Florence, known as the cradle of renaissance art, his artistic formation may very well have been heavily influenced by Catholicism and the religious Italian art tradition or maybe simply his own passion for his art did not allow him to limit his themes. But in the view of art critic Rodrigo Naves, as expressed in an article for magazine Veja, Portinari has a sentimental style that tried to appeal to "socially innocuous" emotions, used with the specific purpose of attaining recognition. "When confronted with these works it is practically impossible to avoid a response of a sentimental order. They provoke, in a irremediable manner, piety, indignation, sadness, desolation and revolt," declared Naves. The art historian Annateresa Fabris said in an interview published by the Estado de Sdo Paulo that his paintings contrasted with the ideology ofthe authoritarian government ofthat time and according to her "this contrast can be seen by the presence of blacks in his paintings, in a moment when blacks were accused of many evils." Picasso's influence in his work is for many a natural response, because Picasso was the great neoclassic model to be followed. Portinari was therefore modern under the limitations of a Brazilian reality that did not synchronize with the European movements. The art coordinator Fernando Cocchiarale explained in an interview to the newspaper 0 Estadode ScioPaulo that Portinari's modernism is according to him "a modernism of return to the order, through the reutilization of the perspective, of volume affirmation and the use °fall the surface ofthe canvas. Portinari resisted a plastic renovation and provoked a delay in the development of Brazilian art." Nevertheless he recognizes his importance as modern, according to the conservative limits in vigor in the Brazilian society of that time. Portinari lived in fact trying to conciliate the contradiction of being man of leftist ideas, who could nevertheless fit into the totalitarian regime of the government of Gettlio Vargas. For many , like the curator of Sao Paulo's Modern Art Museum (MAM), his avant-garde was one of return to order, extremely conciliated and symbolizing of the authoritarianism of the government. Portinari's work also won't appear in the next Sao Paulo Bienal according to its curator Paulo Herkenkoff. In his view, Portinari "did not develop a cultural practice but a strategy of power... What has been done up to this point wasn't a revision

of his product' n but a revision of the myth created around the artist," he said n an interview to the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. Portinari's Line Besides all he dispute, Portinari, who produced more that 4500 canvas, re ains with an immense popularity even though his art was scar ely present in the quotidian of most Brazilians. Based maybe o the simple recognition ofthis fact, the Portinari Licenciamento , managed by the economist Dora Kauffman, is launching prod cts inspired on his work that vary from stationary articles and hildren's games to decorated china and jewels. The licensi of a plastic artist brand name is new in Brazil and Kauffman urns that she did an intense research in other countries befor she started working on this project in Brazil. "We are doing rigorous selection of commercial partners to guarantee the hi h quality of products and maximum fidelity to the characteristi s of Portinari's color and style in the licensed objects," affirm d Kauffman in an interview to 0 Estado. The produc are carefully finished and aim a public of higher acquisiti e power. According to Kauffman, to each product there w a detailed study to avoid a vulgarization of Portinari's wor Some products like lingerie and sleepwear will not use the and name, for example. Instead, the company made deals with :reat corporate names like Hering, Nestle and H. Stern to laun h lines with the artist's name. Apparently his business strategy was not always very popular. In Jun of last year the then curator of the exhibit, Annateresa Fab s, abandoned the project because she did not appreciate what she called "invasions in the curatorship". According to Ka ffinan, the academic did not interact well with the project and nna then assume, her position. The Work According to his son Joao Candid°, his father's work is a "letter to the B ilian nation; a letter that was portrayed through his eyes and that until recently it had not reached its destination." Am ng the works never exhibited to the general public, the visito will see "0 Baile na Roca", his first work of Brazilian theme ade in 1923, which was censored in the Fine Arts Gallery in 924. The painting "Sao Pedro e- o Gab," influenced by M 'can muralism and created during the 40s is also in the exhibi Penna points ut the collection of six "Maria Rosa" drawings that the arti t made for the book of the American Vera Keley and that we e never seen in Brazil. Another fundamental work was the wall set up with portraits made by Portinari of his best friends, amo g whom are the writers Jorge Amado, Jose Lins do Rego, G iliano Ramos and the poets Carlos Drummond de Andrade and inicius de Moraes. It is also exhib ted his first work, a portrait of Carlos Gomes that the painter ha copied from a pack of cigarettes and that he made when he ANT only 10 years old. His last canvas, left unfinished, is a pai ting ofthe Caraj a Indian, from 1961 and that is also on the exhi it. The exhibit is not chronological but divides the work of Portinari in phase' That owes partly.to the fact that his extensive production in olved a problem of space for the organizers of the event. The s ries "Retirantes" that portray the tragedy of the migrant trying o escape from the northeastern drought is a good example oft is emotional side of the artist that has been criticized so much in allegations of being insincere and coldly created to appeal ti the public's emotions. Portinari died hen he was only 59 years old, as a result of intoxication by the lead on his paints, especially in the yellow and white, that he r sisted in using even though his doctors had advised him not to The paintings and panels he made for the church in Batatais in 1948 - recreated using, in its majority, a Dutch p,aint of extremely oxic composition that contained arsenic. His insistent use o this p,aint cost him a serious hospitalization in 1954, duetsa grave hemorrhage, and eight years later his death, when h was preparing an exhibit for the Royal Palace in Milan. U

WWZI-MARCH1998' 45

Movies RIO 0 Julgamento (The Trial)—The residents of a village can get an inheritance only if they admit to the murder of a man. Written by Daniel Herz. Directed by Susanna Kruger and Daniel Herz. With Cia. de Teatro Atores de Laura. Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim. Todas as Mulheres do Mundo (All the Women of the World)—Author, director and actor Claudio Ramos interprets three housewives fighting against machismo. He is a submissive woman in Sua Batata Esta Assando (Your Potato Is Baking), a socialite in Odeio Iguabinha (I Hate Iguabinha), and a hick in Rodizio de Chuchu (All You Can Eat Chayote). Teatro Princesa Isabel. As Troianas (The Trojan Women)—Tragedy. The night before a group of women have their fate decided. By classic Greek playwright Euripides. Directed by Luiz Furlanetto. With Cristina Pinheiro and Denise Padilha. Teatro Casa Grande. Videoclip Blues— Comedy. The hilarious situation lived by a couple when they decide to end their relationship. Written by Leo Lama. Directed by Rogerio Fabiano. With Deborah Secco and Marcelo Faustini. Teatro dos Grandes Atores.

SA - O PAULO 0 Analista de Bage—A Terapia do Riso (Bage's Analyst—The Therapy of Laughter)—The famous fictional therapist gets the public into a group therapy. Adapted, directed, and interpreted by Claudio Cunha. From Luis Fernando Verissimo best-selling book. Also with Melissa Mell. Teatro Italia.

Confidencias de um Espermatozoide Careca (Confidences of a Bald Spermatozoid)—"Memories" before birth, repression, and discovery of sex are some of the themes. By Carlos Eduardo Novaes. Comic monologue. Actor Vicentini Gomes plays 26 characters. Directed by Antonio do Valle. Francisco de Assis (Francis of Assisi)— Story of Giovanni Francesco Bernardone (1182-1226) and his conversion from a life of wealth to total poverty. Gregorian chants, litanies, rock and pop are used. More than 20 actors are involved. Written, directed and interpreted by Ciro Barcelos, who spent six months with Franciscan monks in Assisi, Italy before writing the play. Teatro Palace Insepartiveis (Inseparable)—Written by Maria Adelaide Amaral. Dramacomedy. On the eve of an impending divorce after 25 years of marriage, woman meets again an old friend. With Irene Ravache, Jussara Freire, and Eduardo Conde. Directed by Jose Possi Neto. Teatro Faap. 46

American films just released: Amistad

(Amistad), As Good As It Gets (Melhor Impossivel), The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (Lorca), The Full Monty (Ou Tuck. Ou Nada), Good Will Hunting (Genio Indomavel), Spawn (Spawn: 0 Soldado do Inferno), Spiceworld (0 Mundo das Spice Girls), Starship Troopers (Tropas Estelares), U-Turn (Reviravolta), The Winner (0 Vencedor) Bent (Bent)—England/1996—By Sean Mathias. With Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, and Brian Webber. Drama. The tough life of three gay men during Nazism. Bocage, o Triunfo Do Amor (Bocage, the Triumph of Love)—Brazil-Portugal/ 1996—By Djalma Limongi Batista. With Victor Wagner, Francisco Farinelli, and Vietia Rocha. Sonnets and erotic poems of Portuguese author Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage (1765-1805) are set to film with images from Brazil and Portugal. Como Ser Solteiro (How to Be a Single Man)—Brazil/1997--By Rosane Svartman. With Rosana Garcia, Ernesto Piccolo, Heitor Martinez Mello, and Marcos Palmeira. Comedy. Four interconnected stories happening in Rio de Janeiro.

For Ever Mozart (Para Sempre Mozart)— France-Switzerland/1996—By Jean-Luc Godard. With Madeleine Assas, Ghalia Lacroix and Berangere Allaux. Four films in one. A director has a problem with the actors when he starts the shooting.

The Full Monty (Ou Tudo ou Nada)— England/1996— by Peter Cattaneo with Robert Carlyle, William Snape, and Steve Hudson. Comedy. Out of work, a group of • men start a strip-tease joint.

Genealogies d'un Crime (Genealogias de urn Crime)—France/1996—By Raoul Ruiz. With Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, and Melvil Poupaud. Drama. A youngster is on trial for having killed his aunt who was a child psychoanalyst.

Junk Mail (Junk mail)—Norway/1996— By Pal Sletaune. With Robert Skjiirstad, Andrine Sther and Per Egil Aske. Sex, robbery, and murder in a story between a postman and a woman who forgets the house keys in her P.O. Box.

Ma vie en rose (Minha Vida em Cor de Rosa)Belgium-France-England/1997—by Alain Berliner with Michele Laroque, Georges du Fresne, and Jean-Philippe Ecoffey. Drama. Parents do not know what to do when their son starts acting like a girl.

FICTION 1 0 plano perfeito, Sidney Sheldon. Record, 300 p. R$25. 2 A senhora de Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Rocco, 504 p. R$28. 3 Cada um por si - Titanic, Beryl Bainbridge. Companhia das Letras, 226 p. R$19. 4 0 homem que calculava, Malba Tahan. Record, 218 p. R$19. 5 Novas comedias da vida privada, Luis Fernando Verissimo. L&PM, 344 p. R$21,60. 6 0 sod°, John Grisham. Rocco, 416 p. R$25. 7 0 feitico da Ilha do Pavdo, Joao Ubaldo Ribeiro. Nova Fronteira, 324 p. R$24. 8 A tiguia e a galinha, Leonardo Boff. Vozes, 206 p. R$16. 9 Todos os nomes, Jose Saramago. Companhia das Letras, 280 p. R$20. 10 0 mundo de Sofia, Jostein Gaarder. Companhia das Letras, 555 p R$26,50.

NONFICTION 1 As melhores piadas do planeta e da Casseta, Casseta e Planeta. Objetiva, 128 p. R$10. 2 Feliz 1958, o ano que n4o devia terminar, Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos. Record, 192 p. R$20. 3 Nova York e aqui, Nelson Motta. Objetiva, 218 p. R$21,80. 4 No ar rarefeito, Jon Krakauer. Cornpanhia das Letras, 280 p. R$23. 5 Violetas na janela, Vera Liicia M. de Carvalho. Petit, 139 p. R$9,50. 6 0 sucesso é ser feliz, Roberto Shinyashiki. Gente, 198 p. R$20. 7 As sete leis espirituais do sucesso, Deepak Chopra. Best Seller 104 p. R$13,50. 8 Minutos de sabedoria, Torres Pastorino. Vozes, 280 p. R$3,80. 9 Verdade tropical, Caetano Veloso. Companhia das Letras, 534 p. R$27. 10 Auto-engano, Eduardo Giannetti da Fonseca. Companhia das Letras, 268 p. R$25,50.

ESOTERISIVI/SELF HELP 1 0 sucesso e ser feliz, Roberto Shinyashiki. Gente, 198 p. R$20. 2 Minutos de sabedoria, Torres Pastorino. Vozes, 280 p. R$3,80. 3 Feng Shui, a arte milenar chinesa, Richard Craze. Campus, 136 p R$13,90. 4 Almas gemeas, Monica Buonfiglio. Oficina Cultural Esoterica, 161 p. R$18. 5 Meu anjo, Fausto Oliveira. Seame, 210 p. R$18. According to Jornal do Brasil BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

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MILA - Samba School (310) 391-6098 SambaLi -Esc. de Samba (562) 437-1939 Consulate Books Brazilian Consulate (213) 651-2664 Livraria Plenitude (800) 532-5809 Dentists Consulate Gilberto Henriques (213) 464-0524 Consulado G. do Brasil (617) 617-542-4000 Events Promotion Dentist Brazilian Nites Prod. (818) 566-1111 Sylvia P. Lessa Pegasus - Parties & Ent. . (617) 924-1882 (818) 549-0383 Food & Products Sayegh Promotions Brasil Brasil (800) 507-3653 (617) 561-6094 Health & Fitness Jerry's Cachaca Herbs from Brazil (617) 666-5410 (213) 851-7016 Instruction Westside Acupuncture Approach Student Ctr (310) 914-1624 (617) 787-5401 Instruction Braz. & Amer. Lg. Inst. Brasil Brasil Cult. Ctr (617) 787-7716 (310) 397-3667 Music Modern Lang. Center Brazil CDs (310) 839-8427 (617) 666-3747 Internet Publications ArtMedia The Brazilian Monthly (310) 478-2103 (617) 566-3651 Legal Services Bossa: Braz. Jazz Guide Memos & Ferraz (617) 262-9997 (310) 360-0901 Restaurants Loans Café Brazil Finance Plus Mort. Corp. (617) 789-5980 (310) 585-8911 Ipanema Matchmaker (508) 460-6144 Tropicalia Fogo e Paixao (617) 567-4422 (310) 450-4586 Pampas Churrascaria Music (617) 661-6613 Braz. Jazz /All Occasions (310) 839-3788 Jazz - Richard Samuels (818) 798-5424 Consulate Physician Consulado G. do Brasil (312) 464-0244 Paulo Coharte (310) 285-9670 Translations Deck) Rangel Portuguese Lang. Ctr. (310) 828-7454 (312) 276-6683 Ingrid Rodi - Gynec. (310) 451-8144 Nilson A. Santos (213) 483-3430 Psychother/Counsel. Airlines Elizabeth Almeida, M.A. (310) 281-7536 Varig Dr. Jefferson Si (800) GO VAR1G (818) 592-0402 Vasp Tania Haberkorn, M.A. (310) 364-0160 (310) 840-5380 Arts & Crafts Publications Bakari Art Studio Brazzil (213) 938-0523 (213) 255-8062 Folk Creations (310) 693-2844 Real Estate Culture Planet Cent. 21 - Vlad. Bellemo (310) 441-9808 (714) 406-0121 Zebi Designs Cent. 21 - Solon Pereira (310) 391-6530 (562) 924-9633 Auto Repair Cold. Banker - J. Freitas (818) 304-9562 Cosmo Auto Parts (213) 259-9818 Restaurants & Cafes Banks Bossa Nova (310) 657-5070 Banco do Brasil Brazilian Tropical (213) 688-2996 (714) 720-1522 Catering By Brazil Joy's Catering (310) 787-7520 (562) 438-3415 Café Brasil Clothes (310) 837-8957 Ginga Brasil Samba Collection (714) 778-0266 (562) 437-1939 liana Bahia Summer Brazil (310) 657-6303 (310) 455-1772 Rio Café Clubs & Associations (310) 204-4060 Brazil-Cal. Chbr of Corn. Yolie's Brazilian Steak (310) 665-0166 (714) 251-0722 Centro Cultural Gaucho Zabumba (213) 256-6548 (310) 841-6525

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Movie Blues A Long and Candid Chat With Neville D'Almeida "You have to direct a film with the same freedom you have when you dream: without any limits. It s necessary to end the dictatorship of realism. The majority of the viewers today are addicted to a cinema full of formulas, preconceiv.ed ideas, where there is no room for imagination, or delirium." Born in 1941 in Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais state, filmmaker Neville Duarte D'Almeida has had a more than colorful career in the Brazilian movie industry. He took acting classes at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, starting in 1960. Five years later he continued his dramatic studies at the New York College, in the U.S.. Censored at the beginning ot his work as a director and unable to show his first films he ended up becoming a popular filmmaker. Despite his protests, critics have labeled him together with movie directors Rogerio Sganzerla and Julio Bressane as a leader of the Cinema Marginal movement, a movie current interested in exploring the contradictions and existential musings of the Brazilian middle-class. GUSTAVO BRUM I met Neville D'Almeida recently when he came to Los Angeles to work on the post-production of his eleventh feature film, Navalha na Came (Razor's Flesh). A very unique filmmaker, Neville has a peculiar trajectory within the Brazilian Cinema history. His first five features were banned from the movie theatres and were never exhibited in Brazil because ofthe military dictatorship. It wasn't before the late seventies, when the regime finally started to be more flexible, that he had a chance to show his work. Neville then surprised everyone by releasing three box office hits on a roll. One of his films (A Dama do Lotacelo or The Lady on the Bus) went to become one of the top grossing films of all times in the history of the cinema in Brazil. So here's the man who has been at both heaven and hell. How did the cinema enter your life?

Vera Fisher in Nova/ha no Came 1111111

Neville D'Almeida

I was four or five years old and I was traveling with my family. We stopped at the door of a restaurant to eat and this restaurant shared the space with a movie theater. So my father looked at me and said, "Come here, let's go inside the theater." So we went and there was this curtain and I had no idea what cinema was. So I opened the curtains and I got scared at seeing those gigantic images, those big faces on the screen. And a couple of seconds later there was

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

this gigantic close-up of Rita Hayworth and right after another big close-up of Glen Ford. The movie was Gilda. I was fascinated with all that. And because of that, the only thing I thought about was going to the movies. And with that I started going often to the movies. Cinema always fascinated me and I didn't care what kind of movie it was. I just wanted to go more and more to the movies. When I was 13 and I started reading newspapers, on the newspapers I always tried to read the film critics, or the film articles. And because of that I found out that in my city there was a cine-club, where they played special filmsâ€”films that you didn't see in the normal circuits. Films by John Ford, Howard Hawks, Ingmar Bergman, Eisenstein, Visconti, Rosselini, Jean Renoir, Orson Welles, D. W. Griffith, and many others. So at the beginning of each film, there was a person who would come, announce the film and give a theoretical explanation about the film, or about the movement to which this film belonged. For example, they would say this is a Neo-Realist Film, etc. After the screening there was discussion and people discussed what they liked and what they didn't like about the film. A movie that provoked such strong and endless discussions was the Exterminator Angel by Bunuel. This was a way to know the movies and also to love movies. Every week we would go there, discover new styles, study cinematography, and analyze different types ofmovies: like American cinema, Russian, French, Spanish, Swedish, Mexican, and Brazilian too. I started like thisâ€”not only watching the films, but also analyzing and discussing them. And at the end, this process created in each one of us a big love for the cinema. In another words, this was like a film school without the worry of passing or failing. And one more thing, all the people in the cine-club were dying to make films. However, around that time, to make a film in my town was like something from another world. Difficult, expensive, impossible. There was no 16mm productions, no short films, nothing. Only when I went to live in the United States, I finally bought a small 8mm camera and started to make films. For a longtime, the Brazilian press considered you a filmmaker that belonged to the Underground, or Marginal Cinema in the late 60's. People like: Ozualdo Candeias, Sganzerla, Bressane. How was this? Was there an identification with their work, did you

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

feel you belonged to a movement, you felt like you're a lonely soul han ing around this movement?

tion was to make films and to never worry about exhibiting them. Because of that, I kept thinking that I should make more films. And also thinking that the films shouldn't be changed. I think that our biggest problem at that time in Brazil, was the total lack of freedom. Now, when I look back, I see that many filmmaker's from the Underground Movement never had problems with the censorship like I had. But I never lost my hope. I thought that the important part was to make films. And with each film, I was experimenting, trying and learning, and becoming better and better. I think one of the things that helped me was that I was young and like all youngsters, I thought that I was right and they were wrong. And because the film wasn't going to be shown anyway, I decided to experiment more and more. I even decided to break with that habit of "lifting" one scene from here, or one scene from over there. I decided to make films that even I had never seen. And people labeled these films as avant-garde, or experimental. But I never belonged to any movement. Even because I thought there was no movement. If I ever belonged to any movement, then ' it was the movement of films that didn't get exhibition. The Jardins de Guerra was forbidden while 0 Bandido da Luz Vermelha was released. And with that I spent almost 10 years without having a single film exhibited. When my first film was shown, it was a blockbuster. And right after that I had two other box office hits. But those 10 years were very hard, very difficult, and as a result, I was obligated to make films in Super 8, because I didn't have any more money. I was going in the opposite direction of any film career, because I started with 35mm, then went back to 16mm, then Super 8 and if things hadn't changed, I'd still be doing Super 8. But the main thing was that I was filming all the time, experimenting all the time, because in reality, all the films are the same. If you can make a good Super 8 movie, then you can make a good 35mm movie. And also, these films that I made in Super 8 were very important because they helped me enhance myself in the practice of the cinema.

No. I had nothing to do with tha However, I admired the Brazilian Ci ema of that time.a lot. When I came baC to Brazil in 1966, I made a short fil â€˘ named 0 Bern Aventurado or The Luck One. At this time, there was a festival o short films in Brazil and I went to th festival and over there I met, Sganzerl Andrea Tonacci, Antonio Calmon, Sergi Santeiro, and many other people. Wit Sganzerla, I had one thing in common which was the fact that we made our firs feature in the same year. I shotJardins d Guerra (War Gardens) in 1967 and h made 0 Bandido da Luz Vermelha (The Red Light Bandit) the same year. And if I'm not wrong, I believe that the first film by Bressane, was also made in 1967. We were all friends. (My name is even on the credit list of the Sganzerla's film.) But freedom for me was more important than anything. I liked everything that I saw. I liked the people and the films o the Cinema Novo and the Cinema Underground, but I was interested in making my own films. I wanted to make a film o a movie that was much more free. At this time, at the end of the 60's, people were very demanding. Everybody wanted to make a film about this or about that everybody wanted to make a film with a theory behind it. And they also complained when you didn't do it. Well, since the beginning, all I wanted was to make films, free from all these theories. At this time, the cinema was one of the most backward arts that existed. It was a jailed art. My theory was that the cinema should be a form of free expression. At this time, there were still taboos. People didn't care if they went to a museum and saw a naked Venus in a painting, but a naked actress in a film, that was the end of the world. And to make things worse, there was the censorship of the military regime. My first film, Jardins de Guerra, was censored and banned from the screens for many years. It was a free film and suffered because of that. My second film, Piranhas do Asfalto (Asphalt Piranhas), ended up having the same destiny, forbidden and banned for many years. At this time, I had to go back and film in 16mm, since nobody wanted Godard once said that he made films to finance me. Anyway, the films in 16mm because that was the only thing availlike: Surucucu Catiripapo, Mangue- able for him. He said that if films didn't Bangue and Night Cats, didn't have bet- exist, he probably would paint or write, ter luck. They were all banned by the because for him, all he needed was a censorship and never exhibited in any medium to express himself. In his opintheater. However, I thought that my func- ion the cinema is a necessity that the

artist has to express. Do you agree? No doubt, the cinema is a form of expression. I love to film, I love to produce a film, I love to make a film. For me the best thing in the world is to be on a movie set with a camera, an actor, and preparing myself for the next scene. If I can't film, "I" who don't know how to write, who don't know how to paint, would be voiceless. And because of that I would be nervous. That's why when I couldn't make a film in 35, I filmed in 16 and if I couldn't do it in 16,1 would do it in Super 8. And people would come and ask me, "But where you gonna play these Super 8 films?" I would answer, "Listen, I made films in 16 and 35 and they're not playing, so if the Super 8 doesn't play, it's nothing new for me, but I need to make a film." Because I thought that when you're filming, you're learning. You can see a difference between a sequence and another. You can see a difference between types of lights, editing, montage, etc. As a matter of fact, if you don't follow this, you will be lost. Because in Brazil and I think in the rest of the world as well, filmmakers suffer with the time gap between films. You spend two, three, even four years trying to produce a film, only to spend two, or three months filming. It's madness. I try to free myself from all of this. There are so many films that I'd like to make, that the only possible way is to experiment with 16 or Super 8. Many of your films are adaptations from plays. Do you consider yourself influenced by theater or the cinema? I always liked theater. You see, I loved the cinema. At 13, I was hanging around a cine-club, but I also went to study theater at the University. This was an excellent course because there was many classes like interpretation, improvisation, speech, voice, intonation, body language, history of theater, history of art, and many others. I was lucky because I had the opportunity to first get acquainted with the cinema and only later with theater. Because of that I could appreciate the roots of the cinema, which come from theater. And as I was studying, I got real excited and I thought I could also be an actor. However, at the University my

classmates complained about my voice. They thought! had a low voice and this conveyed the idea of being superficial. One day someone came to me and said, "With this voice, you can never be an actor." Suddenly, I thought about the cinema again. To study theater for me was fundamental. To study interpretation, to learn improvisation and all the theater techniques, gave me experience to talk, understand, and work with actors. Because of that, I think I know what I can ask and what I cannot ask from an actor.. I love to work with actors. I rehearse very deeply with them. And with each actor I use a different method. â€˘ First I study the personality of each actor and then the psychology of each one. I like to take from inside each actor the interpretation that! think is important for the character, or for the scene. So I treat some actors in a way and other actors in another way. Thanks to the theater I developed my own technique. What I see today is that many directors simply don't know how to direct an actor. And this is maybe the most complex part of a film. I think young directors should put more emphasis on the elements coming from theater. What I see in many films is that the actors come and do whatever they want. At the end, it all turns into a big mess because one actor has a background in classical theater and the other comes from the circus. In the end, the actor who came from classical theater will do everything he can to act, like he was in the theater. While the other, will do everything he can to act as if he was in a circus. Meanwhile, the director stays in the background saying, "No, okay,.no, okay", for both. It becomes a confusion without harmony. What is your method, then? Well, first we start by mandatory screenplay reading with the actors in someone's house. Most of the time, my house. Three months before we start filming we gather and we read the whole film seated. Then I make them memorize the words and there's no other work until they all memorize the words. After that, we start doing the work of how to say the words. Because sometimes actors get into the habit of swallowing words, or saying words in the wrong way. And I give a lot of importance to words. Because in a line

there is at least one word that is important and if the actor says the line without perceiving the value of that word, it's a wrong line. For example, if there's a line like, "You are a bad guy and Ithink you should die!" Then in this line, the words, "bad guy" and "die" are the most important. You have to make these words stand out because they are the key to understand the meaning of the line. You have to put more emphasis on these words and there are many ways to do this. I would use a pause right after "bad guy". And then I would have the actor raise his voice when he says "die." With this you play with the forces inside the line and the motion of the actors, get more in touch with the harmony of the film's context. After that, we spend time researching, trying to find what certain character would do, think and where he would live. This is my laboratory. With this, when the time of filming comes, I give myself the luxury of improvisation. Because, you can never forget that to improvise, you need to have a good background. Because when you're filming there are always new ideas in the air and you feel tempted to use the new ideas simply because the new fascinates, the new has a good taste. This temptation is sometimes too big. So you feel this huge desire to abandon all the work you did for months and unwrap a new idea in the middle of the film set. So, how do you know when is the right time to improvise? You have to have talent to search and find what is really new. You must have desire and intuition. And most of all you need to establish an environment where the actor gets stimulus. You have to stimulate the actor to search for new solutions. Only then, the new will show up in its original form, very natural. And I don't think this applies only to actors, the same applies to the d.p.(the director of photography), the art director, the editor, the make-up artist and all the people involved in the creative part of the film. In my films, these people spend a lot of time looking for new things, looking for enhancing a line of dialogue, or finding a new prop. I stimulate all of this, because all of this stimulates what is really new. And because of that, when the "new" shows up in my films, it's always welcome. Sometimes if you don't have an open mind, you end up rejecting one thing or one idea simply because of the over-

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998 54

whelming power of a situation or a moment. At this time you need to leave your prejudice at home, forget that you are the director and remember that all these people around you are as creative as you are and they can help you get what you need and what's essential for new things to come.

another, to see which one rhymes, whic one brings harmony. As if it were a visu 1 poem, a poem that can convey you elm) tion. Sometimes a violent image corn bines with an abstract image, creates a lyrical reality and magnifies the feelings ofthose watching the film. And this is the basis of magic realism. You have to escape your self-censorHere in the United States, people ship and give yourself the freedom o who know and study Brazilian Cinema inventing, the freedom of dreaming, th often use the term "Magic Realism" to freedom of delirium. You have to direc describe the majority of the films made a film with exactly the same freedom yo in Brazil after the 60's. Do you dis- have when you dream: without any lim agree with this label or do you think its. Because to dream is a very human Brazilian filmmakers do have a pecu- thing, after all, everybody sleeps and liar way of seeing the world? Even everybody dreams. So, if you can use the more so since the Brazilian reality is language of dreams, you will be able to full of magic like Carnaval with sym- have something in common and also to bols, masks and illusions. communicate with every human being on this planet. Because to dream is to be I think that "Magic Realism" is a very human. Brazilian form of expression. The popuIt's necessary to end the dictatorship lar imagination of the Brazilian is very of realism. And the best weapon is the rich. Brazil is a very complex country cinema. I think also in the films —and I with a multiplicity of cultures, races, folk always do this in my films—it's neceslegends, songs, etc. We have the rich sary to give space to the viewer so he can industrial city of Sao Paulo on one side have time to reflect about what he's seeand the Indians who barely know fire in ing. So he can think about what he's the Amazon Jungle. We have the strong seeing and then decide if he likes it or not. German culture of the South and a state The main problem today is that the malike Bahia where you feel like you are in jority of the viewers are addicted to a West Africa. cinema full of formulas, preconceived The Country itself assimilates this ideas, where there is no room for imagiform of realism, because at the end the nation, or delirium. only thing that unites us is our language. Luckily our cinema, the Brazilian cinPortuguese. However, to make a film that ema, is a cinema that's very interested in relies only on "realist" ideas is just too expressing feelings that are universal. easy. For me, the films that are too real- Because if art cannot be international, istic get too close to documentaries. And then it doesn't deserve to exist, period! at the end, I think realism is like a prison, Our cinema can be understood in any part because, for me, realism in many ways of the world because it's a cinema that rejects and limits creativity. To repro- gives wings to the imagination. After all, duce reality as it is, it's way too easy and Brazil is the only country in which everytoo safe. thing stops for one week for Carnaval, I think the cinema must have the the biggest party for the imagination. freedom and go beyond, go deeper, explore unknown areas. I think the director Two years ago when the American should have the mentality of an "out- Film Institute paid homage to Brazilsider", which means the one who sees ian film director Nelson Pereira dos deeper because he's out ofthe context. In Santos in Los Angeles, he created a my opinion, realism is also a trap. I try to controversy in a speech when he deget in my films, elements of narrative clared that exhibitors in Brazil were that can escape from reality as much as the number one enemies of the Brazilpossible. And then they transform them- ian Cinema. Do you agree or not? selves into a form of virtual reality. Because in my films, I go after scenes and I agree totally. Because the exhibitor sequences that can visually represent most often prefers to open a can with an desires, imagination, dreams, lyrical se- imported film inside to have to deal with quences that can translate to the screen. a national film, which includes someone Most of the time, a director should from the production crew going to the have the mind of a poet. You have to movie theater and complaining to the compose the images as if you're making manager that the sound is too low, or that a poem, try to combine one image with they skipped a piece of the film, when

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

they changed the rolls. The position of the exhibitors is an underdeveloped, colonized position. They only want to sell what's easier, they don't want to deal with anybody. The exhibitor in Brazil sees films like tires or potatoes. They have to understand that the cinema is an important part ofthe culture of a country, just like music or sports. How come the foreign record companies have so many Brazilian artists under contract while the American film-distribution companies barely have a Brazilian staff? The majority of the Brazilian exhibitors have an attitude similar to the prostitutes: whoever pays more gets it. They don't see themselves as part of a cultural activity, no. They could be selling soap at the corner and that would be the same thing for them. And for that they lack commercial vision. They could be participating in helping in the film production and making a lot of money at the same time. But they lack imagination. Imagination for them to create a strategy for the Brazilian cinema. Or what do they think? We also want to make a lot of money with the cinema. Who wants to make films to loose money? What about the dictatorship of style? Everywhere I go, from Hong Kong to Greece, people always ask me about Brazilian movies. They come and they ask me: "Where are the Brazilian films?" However, down there in Brazil, people don't seem too interested in their own national cinema. And I blame this, most of all, on this horrible dictatorship of style. The American cinema, the blockbuster type, ends up transforming everything in "mono" while in countries like France you have a marketplace that you could associate with the word "stereo". Here in the United States—and the same happens in Brazil—the market is totally mono. They have exactly the same films playing from one side to the other of the country. There's not much space for any other kind of cinema. The American style is a style that won—it's a good style, but we cannot forget that there are hundreds of other styles. And today, these other styles ave no room or just a very minimum pace, the same happening in the counries dominated by the Americans. I beieve people should have the right to ccess everything that's been done and roduced in the world and to choose what hey like best. Universal studios have a

cineplex in Studio City, with 20 movie theaters, but they only play their films. If this is not Stalinism, then I don't really know what it is?! Do you see any hope, at least in Brazil? At least I try to show the Brazilian exhibitor that you can make money with a Brazilian film the same way you make money with an American film. Just like the music industry in Brazil, which makes money either with foreign music or Brazilian music. I try to show them that all we want is more space, or at least a minimum of space. As a matter of fact, I think this "space business" should be taken more seriously by our politicians because if you're good enough to buy American film then when you make a film, you should be able to sell it, right? Does it mean that they only want to sell, but do not want to buy anything? What kind of free market is that? And there is also the dictatorship of the art house. They release the American film in 1200 screens and the foreign film in one screen only, called "art house". I consider the art house a punishment. If they put my film in an art house it's a punishment because you're not gonna make money, it's not gonna play in the medium cities, nobody is going to know you made a film, nothing is happening with your film. I want to see my film playing in 500 screens competing with their film in another 500 screens. Only then can we say people like the film with John Travolta more than my film. But if they put my film in one cinema and their film in 1000 cinemas, even if the people don't like it, they make money. In the case of my film in an art house, even if the people like it, I lose money. They all talk about free market, globalization, but all of this is to sell their film. When I call a distributor then the globalization disappears and what comes instead is a nationalistic stereotype. And he says with a straight face that "the American people are dumb and can't see subtitled films." Bullshit, the American people are extremely intelligent and one of the most sophisticated in the world. But the American distributors do everything they can for you to believe that the Americans don't really care for anything that is not American. When you travel through the United States you discover that all this is a big

lie. The Americans, they like everything. You can see American tourists anywhere in the world, the American people is interested in all cultures. You enter an American University and you find there courses about all cultures, all languages, all customs. The United States, for good or for bad, is the country that most gets involved with the rest of the world. Therefore, the American people have a very wide vision of the world. And it's just obvious that these Americans would go see a foreign film. However the American distributors continue to scream, saying that the Americans are stupid and dumb, that they will not understand your film and that they don't like subtitles. In the United States, the exhibitors are responsible for some of the money involved in the pre-production of a film, which means that they pay before to guarantee the rights of the exhibition. In Brazil seldom are the cases where the exhibitor brings some money into the production, how do you see the situation? I think this is a natural road of a civilized society, the road in which the exhibitor acts in a normal way and gets interested in this or that production. And then decides to put up some money so the film gets made and he gets a profit. With this he would be involved in a more just and fair relationship with filmmakers and producers in general. And Brazil always had films that generated a lot of money and whoever was involved with these films made a lot of money also. In the 50's, the Brazilian films had 60% of the market. Today they have less than 9 percent. I made a film called, A Dama do Lotacdo (The Lady on the Bus) in 1978 and this was the biggest box office hit in Brazil that year. It knocked down American films like James Bond or Jaws. This film is still among the five most seen films in the whole history of the cinema in Brazil. This interests me a lot. Because how can the public suddenly decide that they want to see my film? And at the end, I'll have a gross income superiorto many American films. And I suspect that this is due to the fact that that year my film was exhibited in the same conditions as Jaws and other films.

What is the perspective for the film industry in Brazil, in this phase post Embrafilme? (Embrafilme was the state-owned production/distribution company that boosted the Brazilian film industry in the mid-seventies. The company was extinct in 1990 by President Collor mainly because a lot of filmmakers signed a manifesto supporting his rival in the elections). I had three films financed by Embrafilme. If you add the gross income of those three films you will find out that I was ,the biggest box office hit in the history ofthe Embrafilme. But I think the future of the cinema is the internationalization and co-production between companies from around the world. I always have in mind the Formula One races, where a company like Ferrari is Italian, but have pilots and technical crew from many countries. At the end everybody does what they wanna do and they make money. This way, the best are really the best. But what's happening in the cinema today is as if they didn't wanna do Formula One race in the States because the American people don't like car races only horse races. Ridiculous. I strongly believe in this internationalization of the cinema. And I also believe that the future of the cinema is the art film. Because the rest, the television will make. This is very important because the cinema is one of the last niches where you can make art and be accessible to thousands of people at the same time. The more television improves its technology the better because this way nobody will want to go to the "movies" to watch exactly the same films that are playing on TV. Only the art film will survive and will continue searching for new techniques, new languages, which will occupy less and less space on regular TV. If everything goes according to plan one day the mainstream film will be united to TV and then it will be impossible to distinguish one from the other. And what about Brazil in this context?

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I think the same applies to Brazil because, after all, Brazil has what ou can call a film industry. In a world of 220 countries, less than 20 maintain a regular film production. We had years, like in the early 80's, when our film production was about 130 films a year.

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

In a recent discussion between Hector Babenco (The Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ironweed, etc) and Caca Diegues (Bye Bye Brazil,Quilombo,etc), each one of them had a complete different idea of what's happening in terms of cinema in Brazil today. Caca had the impression that the moment is perfect for film in Brazil. He mentioned, for example, the incredible number ofshort films being made there today. Babenco, on the other hand, thought that after Embrafilme, the country hasn't recovered from the shock. And because of that there is no reason for euphoria. In which part of this spectrum do you place yourself? This was a very interesting discussion, huh? We are two years from the year 2000 and I think this must mean something. Some change. I don't agree that filming in Brazil has stopped or even that is slow. Quite the contrary. What I see today in Brazil, it's a big movement of new filmmakers, people with new ideas, everything very stimulating. I believe that in the year 2000, for being the end of this millennium, people will reflect more about themselves, they will reflect more about life.. .and with these reflections there will be more talented people around at this turn of the century. With more reflection, there will be more creativity. And people who think that there is nothing happening today, it's because they are either reflecting something personal or they're not synchronized with what is happening. Today in Brazil, I see many new faces. It's almost like a new cycle. And this is very, very good. How many people do I know who are making their first film? And I cannot even mention the ones who want to make their first film.., which are thousands. (laughs) This movement of short films, that you see in Brazil today, is a clear indication that there are many things happening. And this brings me a lot of hope. I'm sure that pretty soon Brazil will have a new cycle of new directors or a very strong film movement. All this is in the air. I look around me and that's what I see. This is good because it's a renovation time for the cinema in Brazil. Because not too long ago there were many people who didn't belong to the cinema and were making movies. People who wanted to be writers and then ended up directing films. Many people crossed over from publicity to direct films because the politics ofthat moment created the chance

for this to happen. Many people say that publicity is for the films what matter is for antimatter. They say that this is due to the fact that the mentality in the advertising industry gives a lot of weight to the image and not to the content. Do yo agree? The publicity cinema has only on objective which is to sell and with that i becomes a prostituted cinema. It's obvi ous that there are many people who ar creative within the publicity cinema However the filmmaker who comes fro the publicity cinema comes with a hug guilt complex. So the majority of thes filmmakers follow the fashion of camer this or lighting thatâ€”that they saw in some other film. They try to apply in the cinema the same rules they learned in advertisingâ€”which is just to copy. They come to the cinema because they feel guilty ofmaking publicity, they feel guilty of following a fashion. So they try to make a film of the cinema. In publicity there's an idealization of mediocrity. There are many things that are really mediocre and they try to idolize them as good. They announce in advertising cinema that being good is to make everything the same, that being good is to make everything pretty, that being good is to make what everybody else is doing. The people from publicity, they want to be different, they want to make different commercials, right? So how come all the car commercials are pretty much the same? Because this is very easy. To copy is very easy. The cinema on the contrary is very difficult. Publicity cinema you can do it even by telephone. The director stays at home watching TV, calls the studio, tells the cameraman to frame the actress like this, after that he tells them to do a closeup on the product and then asks the actress to repeat the lines a hundred times and it's pretty much done. The advertising cinema is very dangerous for whoever rides on their back. Because it's a fake cinema, which means it doesn't really exist. It creates fake myths, it's easy to do, create mediocre directors who selftransplant to the cinema as if they were great directors. They make festivals for themselves, they give prizes to themselves, they make commercials only to win a prize, betraying even the sponsor who actually paid for the commercial. A big joke. I think these directors who came from publicity should spend more time making short

films in Super 8, operating the camera and working with real actors. Maybe they would learn something. Of course, the blame is not only on the directors, but on the advertising agencies themselves because they are the ones that invent this dictatorship of the style, this flavor ofthe moment, this wave of limited ideas that aim at the moment and not the eternity. If you see a good commercial from the 70's it's something very dated. But when you see a good film from the 70's it's something eternal. The publicity cinema has a fantasy of being sophisticated, but is a slave cinema. And I hope one day this slave can gain its own freedom. Many Americans complain that recent Brazilian films are too much influenced by novelas (soap operas). Do you think that there are people making films trying to get the same public of the novelas? I agree more or less because it de= pends on what kind of films these peOple saw. For example, the other day I saw Os Matadores (The Killers ) by Beto Brant and there is nothing of soap opera in that film. However, if they based their opinion in a film like 0 Quatrilho (nominated for the Oscar of Best Foreign film in 1996) then I think their opinion is true. But I believe the Brazilian cinema is not only these two films; there are many more. Many with many tendencies, many styles, many films. The problem is that there are so many films that try to look like novelas in Brazil now, that today there are novelas that are better than films. Some of these films even have the same actors, the same story lines, the same production design and of course the same type of ending. These are the shy films, the cowards, films that don't have the courage to go deeper, to explore new territories. The cinema has the obligation to go deeper, not TV. Because the TV set is in your living room and its images come to you. On the cinema, you're the one who goes after the images, you're the one who pays for the ticket at the front door, you're the one who makes the choice. So we filmmakers, we have the obligation to go deeper, to pay back those who choose us. TV on the contrary doesn't have this necessity because if you don't want one image, you either turn off or change the hannels and your life goes on. Now a philosophical question. Ater certain time here, Brazilians who ive in the U.S. start to miss guava

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998 57

paste, manioc flour, guarand, Ca rit aval, etc., but there's one thing that 99% of them don't miss: the Brazilian cinema. What's your opinion about that? I believe this is because the Brazilian cinema is not being manufactured in an industrial form today. There's no industry of cinema like the Brazilian music industry, or Brazilian guava paste industry. In Brazil if you enter any store that sells CDs, there will be an enormous quantity of Brazilian music. The same if you enter a supermarket; you'll find many brands of guava paste. This way, this becomes part of your daily life. But if you go to a movie theater and there is never a Brazilian film playing, then this is not part of your daily life. You don't miss when you don't have it. During President Collor's government in 1990, the only company that supported Brazilian film was terminated. And the structure that we had in terms of Brazilian film distribution and production was trashed overnight. It wasn't something studied, neither there was a gradual change. It was like this: today Embrafilme, tomorrow suck your thumb! So whoever was 13 years old around that time, today is 20 years old and grew up without ever seeing Brazilian films, because , our film production during this period has been reduced to nearly zero. And also the Brazilian soap operas are so similar in content to American blockbuster films that when they come here to the U.S. they watch a film and they don't miss soap operas anymore. Only the Brazilians who still have difficulties with the English language are the ones who miss the soap operas. That's why I think the Brazilian cinema in Brazil will only be important to the Brazilian people when it establishes itself in an industry level. What do you think we need for this to happen? In these times of aggressive American cinema the best example comes from Europe. Some countries of the European community, like France and Italy, created laws that protect their national cinema. Not only for the culture that this cinema represents, but also for the number of jobs and income that it generates.

Who didn't take this radical attitude, like England, ended up seeing its national cinema being trashed by the American cinema. England was always an important and maybe the biggest producer of films in Europe. Today, however, their production numbers are a joke. And they are not more than a simple consumer of American films. No one can measure the size of this loss. Only time will tell. The rest of the European Community today, are adopting a system of"one by one", which means for each American film that plays on TV, one film from a country, member of the European common market, needs to be exhibited. So you get the example of Portugal, which doesn't have a big production of films. This law helps the Portuguese films to be shown in the TVs across Europe. This is a very democratic way to deal with something very important, financially speaking, like a national cinema. We Brazilians always liked foreign films. But it's important that we create a legislation that protects the producers, so we can be at the same time producer and consumer. Many people call it protectionism. But I ask you this? What do they do with the auto industry in Brazil today? They don't let Brazilians import cars freely because if they did the Japanese would come and totally trash the Brazilian auto industry. But when it comes to the territory of the cinema, they allowed the American films to come here and trash the Brazilian industry that we had. The marketplace for films in Brazil needs to be free. People need to be free to see what they want to see. But when 90 percent of the market is occupied by one type of film then there is no freedom. That is dumping! Even exhibitors, ifthey allowed the free opening of the market to the American cineplexes, the Brazilian chains of movie theaters would disappear overnight. So it's fundamental that we have a minimum of space so we can grow strong and healthy. What are your next projects? Well, first I have a story that we're developing in which Christ comes back to earth at the end of the year 1999. He's born in a slum in Rio. He's poor, black, and he shines shoes for a living. This is a project in which I have lots of interest.

Another project is about the life of William Michaux, a Swiss painter who went to Brazil at the turn of the century. When he arrived in the state of Parana he was fascinated by the Atlantic Forest and he spent most ofhis life painting every single aspect, plants, and animals from the region. Today when more or less 90 percent ofthe Atlantic Forest no longer exists it's ironic to know that if you want to know how was the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, you have to travel to Vevey in Switzerland where most of Michaux's paintings are. Now to finish: three tips to a filmmaker who is starting today. The first and the most important is to be free, which means to think without censorship, to have an interior freedom to think. Don't follow any herd. Be yourself. And let the herd follow you. Second, try to be very, very sinCere with yourself. And find out what you really want. Some aspects of the cinema are more interesting than others. Try to find out what you really like. Don't try to be a director because you want to impress someone. Try to be a director because it brings you satisfaction. Even if the rest of the world says the opposite. The answer is inside you. Not in the fashion or the flavor of the month. If you do what you like, sooner or later the money comes. And the third tip is: forget about success. Believe in your ideas, believe in your inventiveness. I leave herethe example ofSpielberg's first film, which for me is a consummate example of simplicity and inventiveness. "Duel" was a film that basically had only one car and one truck. Remember there are only two kinds of ideas, the expensive ones and the cheap ones. The first ones can look more interesting, but the second ones will be easier to be executed. You can't forget that if you are a filmmaker the most important thing is to make films. If you spend your whole life trying to make a film you're not learning anything. Make a film each year and you'll learn a truckload of information. At the end you'll have made many, many films. Gustavo Brum is a Director of Photography who studied film at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and is currently directing music videos.

BRAZZIL - MARCH 1998

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