The Drunkard is a hallmark of Brazilian cinema. While it is clearly imperfect, and also dated, its merits overcome any flaw. It is one of the highest grossing movies in Brazil, above Gone with the Wind in many movie theatres in 1946. Success is certainly directly connected to the leading actor, Vicente Celestino, one of the greatest singers in that decade, who portrays an impoverished man who becomes rich again due his sucess singing in the radio, but who is made poor once more by dishonest relatives, entering a stage of alcoholism. Indeed, this movie is an adaptation to cinema of a famous 1936/1937 song by him which had been adapted as a theatre play in 1942. The writer and director of both the play and the movie script was Gilda de Abreu, the fist Brazilian female director (but born in Paris) ever to achieve a great career success. The pioneer woman, who debuted as a filmmaker with this The Drunkard, was the wife of Celestino, with whom she worked together in musical theatre operetta A Canção Brasileira and married in the very same year, 1933. She had an encompassing artistic career that included acting, directing, producing, and writing for cinema, theatre and radio, besides composing and singing, since 18 years-old in 1922.
The film has been restored and re-edited according the director's original script (including the insertion of footage that was found in unused original negative in released cut), which had been seriously changed by the producers into a smaller length cut (87 minutes instead of the new version of 120 minutes). This is the version I watched, when it was exhibited in television for the first time, in 2023.
The film alternates a lot its atmosphere, from religious to comic, from comic to depressing, with both nice and sluggish, clever and cliché moments. Acting performances are poor in a significant portion of the movie, with some exceptions.
When the film moves to comedy, even with some cartoon-like elements, is when it achieves its best results. I loved the innovative scene when Gilberto Silva (Celestino) is reprimanded by his own conscience, with his image talking to him from inside the mirror. The scenes with the maid Salomé (played by Marilu Dantas; except for the racist moment when black Salomé tells Celestino that his relatives are white but have the soul with the colour of her skin) and cousin Rêgo (played by Walter D'Ávila, well known by generations from recent decades due his role in TV show Escolinha do Professor Raimundo) provide some laughs. So does the smart edition wich made the Pomeranian dog reacts surprised by the scheming chat between José and Lola.
