The Sandpit Generals

For a long time I have wanted to write about this movie but yonic has said everything I would. We both lived in the former Soviet Union when the movie was released there after it had been submitted for the competition at Moscow Film Festival. It seems that he and I could've been in the same theater sitting next to each other, living, loving, hoping, hating, praying, fighting, suffering, trying to survive and dying together with the sandpit generals, the gang of children - outlaws in Bahia, Brazil. Based on the novel by great Jorge Amado, "The Sandpit Generals" is a wonderful and unjustly forgotten movie with the song that would simply take you out of this world. Made decades before "City of God", "The Sandpit Generals" is more compelling, heartbreaking, and harrowing movie that I would place close to Bunuel's "Los Olvidados" and this is the best I could say about any movie that describes the World of the Young and Damned.

Many years ago in 1974, when I was a schoolgirl, I saw a movie, which impressed me greatly, turned my soul upside down and determined my future life. It was Hall Bartlett's movie The Sandpit Generals. Up to now I can't forget that impression. I was shocked and fascinated and felt indissoluble ties with its characters - those homeless teenagers who, in spite of appalling conditions didn't lose their human dignity. They fought for their life, their future, their love.

And music, that fascinating music! It penetrated into the depth of the heart, and the heart itself began sounding in unison with this doleful and courageous melody.

Since 1974 I've seen the movie more than one hundred times. When I feel grief or despair, "The Generals" gives me hope, courage and desire to struggle. I think the movie is a real masterpiece of world cinematography and it isn't my opinion only. It is one of the most beloved movies in Russia, and is still being demonstrated in the cinemas. One can hardly imagine what a success it was. In 1974 the movie was called the best film by the young people of the Soviet Union. Here in Russia everyone loves and remembers unforgettable " Generals".

Due to my naivety and the lack of information about Hollywood I was perfectly sure that The Sandpit Generals enjoys the same popularity in the USA. Only in 1998 I learned that the movie was completely unaccepted in the US, it simply wasn't demonstrated there. Reading brief and sarcastic remarks of American critics I felt such indignation and insult. One of them, commenting the awarding of the Prize at Moscow festival, wrote that the Jury must have been taken aback by abundance of blue-eyed blonds among Brazilian waifs. I'm perfectly sure that this idea had never occurred to any member of the Jury, neither to me. I still wonder what percentage of blonds should be there. Perhaps Hall Bartlett died without knowing how dear his movie was to millions and millions of Soviet people. The Sandpit became a kind of a cult for the whole generation.

I agree with the previous comment, that this US masterpiece is unknown to the US viewers' (yet, it is far from being mainstream)... The sweet and sad charm of this masterpiece is haunting me from my childhood. I was of the age of Dora's brother when I saw it for the very first time, and even not being able to rate the movie, I loved everything in it (especially the story-line and the amazing music)... I tend to give it 10, but I reserve it for the movies I have yet to see... This is one of a kind movie, finding JUST RIGHT texture of the place, the circumstances, and the message... If you ask what is the Brazilian analogue of mono-no-aware mood in Zen cinema, go and see this one. Amazing!!! Love it!!!

When I've first time (still a child then) watched this film, I didn't doubt it was either Mexican or Brazilian. Years after, I hardly believed the Internet, that was just another film by Uncle Sam, as this land, in my opinion, always feasting its eyes upon its own efficiency and richness, was unlikely to film something capping joy of communists of every stripe and hue.

Yet, it's a fact! US did film that. As they say, an ideologically irreproachable film. I mean 'Socialist realism' ideology. And a flat ostracism in the Capitalist world is also a fact. In return, the film made out all right in the 'Eastern Bloc', and no surprise. Where it became the greatest hit, was my land, Russia.

'Cause being a proletarian meant to be in then, in Communists' time. While one shouldn't put being rich on airs, unless eager to get great problems... Of course, people still tried to earn a little extra money, either lawfully or not quite (where on earth from would otherwise appear a sarcasm like 'you must live on just your salary, wage slave!') However, they never made a song and dance about it. On the contrary, they would heartily deny being not short of bob. For example, my late grandpa (he worked at a higher education institution and jostled for all positions but president) would come to the point of uttering an absurdity trying to make me believe that in Soviet time: there were no domestics in houses of Communist Party top managers as well as in those of top musicians and scientists; people went by public transport rather than by taxi; people hardly ever deposited money in banks as they lived from payday to payday. And when I, smiling, would argue that I, despite not living in those times, know there were still all those things then - servants, taxi and private accounts - he would frown and say, well, perhaps, but personally, I've never heard of it.

This is it, an ideology gap. Nowadays, being poor has nothing to do with being in. On the contrary, modern Russians want, to an increasing extent, to have themselves addressed as 'Mister' rather than 'Comrade' or 'Dear'. Russian cars are called none other than 'scrap' and outlet store frequenters, 'beggars'. Outcast dogs and especially cats are often treated better than outcast people. And very few modern Russian people are likely to treat juvenile delinquents well, as it is commonly thought that one should work (unless being cripple) rather than plunder.

But yet, this is a perennial problem, frankly speaking. At all times and under all social conditions, there are waifs and strays, lead by particular young proletarians and sometimes even hushed up by ministers of religion. Indeed, mates, what chickens are we to beg and gobble garbage in cesspits?! Gotta be robbers!

And so new youngsters join theft ring in the crime…

And certain creative specialists, willing to extol them to the skies, do turn up. Certain politicians, willing to put romantic tales of aggressive lumpen proletarians on a pedestal, do turn up either. And there are always certain proletarians, a bit less lumpen (than those tales' characters), who follow these politicians blindly, as that's so big of them - to protect interests of the poor! But as soon as some of the poor manage to grow rich to some extent, they tend to repudiate the poor flatly and start hating the under age dregs of society as social chasm between them is growing… And then, politicians set enforcers against dangerous special offenders, so that 'respectable citizens' would vote for those politicians, who guard them from those, who shatter their peace and quiet, the most successfully. The circle closes up…

It is the same both at the first and now, was and is. Thereby, I've no pronounced idea on this film. It was just filmed to spide one ideology and to please the other. A burning problem was raised deliberately; it was filmed in real slums with real guttersnipes instead of actors; the story was dialogued so that the poor had the red colouring of proletarian heroes and the rich, the white colouring of haughty touchy persons. The film's musical topic was originally the sentimental 'fishermen's march' by Dorival Caymmi; it was deliberately covered by the Soviet popscene so that the Russian lyrics would tell of an orphan beggar who scowls at the blue-ribbon residential areas and deep in his heart dreams of spilling the blood of their inhabitants, having fleeced them down to the last scrap as a preliminary…

Any doubts that these guys won't be found wanting to do exactly that? What do you think the opening rape scene tells of? Even Laurie, the vicious and deadly female character of the 'Watchmen' film, verily believed that a male capable of rape was worth hating. Isn't it reasonable?.. Thus, brigands and robbers of all hues, even if 'the rule here is' to justify them, are in fact inhuman and immoral

Greatest American hit movie in the Soviet Union in 70s-80s.One of my all-time favorite flicks. I still cry.I saw this movie twice in the mid 70s and I still can't get over how fascinating, touching and profoundly deep it was.The ending and the overall atmosphere haunt me to this day, to some degree thanks to the soundtrack which is out-worldly.All excellent-idea (classic novel by Brazilian cultural icon Jorge Amado), music of Dorival Caymmi and actor's work of Kent Lane and Alejandro Rey.The acting is strong, the narrative is compelling enough and its semi-documentary style direction is consistent and provides clarity and pace.