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After Half a Century, Script of 'Entranced Earth' Is Remarkably Up To Date

12/07/2017 - 12h36

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STEPHANIE RICCI
FROM SÃO PAULO

"Entranced Earth", an explosive political-carnival dystopian film by Glauber Rocha, a director from Bahia, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Listed among the five best national films from the Brazilian Association of Film Critics and a winner of awards in Cannes and Havana, the film has gained a prophetic tone.

"From the viewpoint of today's political crisis, I realize that the film is more up to date as each year goes by", said Moira Toledo, a PhD in Communication Science from the University of São Paulo.

In a fictitious country, the media and the right wing are mobilizing to remove the left wing from power. While this is going on, at a rally for populist Vieira, a character inspired by politicians like Miguel Arraes, a simple man crawls through the crowd that is listening to speeches from two supporters.

When his voice finally screams out the misery of Eldorado, everything is silent, then action is packed by cries of "extremist!".

"The way that Viera acts reminds me of [former president] Lula. Diaz represents all of our feathered right wing. Others represent those connected to religion, like Alckmin, while others are charismatic", Toledo said.

"The film predicted what would take place in Brazil and throughout Latin America: populist leaders from the left portray themselves as an alternative, but once they come to power, all of this changes", counters political scientist José Álvaro Moisés.

The final script, the result of two years of research and nearly 700 written pages long, was only a summary of the author's original ideas. In the rough draft from 1965, themes like homosexuality, African religions, criticism of Petrobras, and slave labor were also included.

"The original film was supposed to be at least three hours long, like 'Novecentro' by Bernardo Bertolucci. But due to production realities, many ideas were left out", said Luiz Carlos Barreto, the film's photography director.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language

Cinemateca Brasileira
"Entranced Earth", an explosive political-carnival dystopian film by Glauber Rocha is celebrating its 50th anniversary
"Entranced Earth", an explosive political-carnival dystopian film by Glauber Rocha is celebrating its 50th anniversary

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