User reviews

In the slums of São Paulo in the 30's, Carmen (Carmem Violeta) is a young woman abused by her stepfather (Humberto Mauro). She leaves her home and finds that her boyfriend Milton (Milton Marinho) is married. While looking for a job, she faints on the street and is helped by the writer Flávio (Celso Montenegro). She moves to his house and maritally lives with him. Flávio becomes shared between the love for Carmen, the desire for his former fiancée and the passion and self-interest for a wealthy young daughter of a powerful judge.

"Mulher" is an important movie in the Brazilian filmography, since it was shot after the Revolution of 1930 and presents a powerful woman character, Carmen. One of the greatest transgressions of this film is the fact that she lives with her beloved mate, but they are not married. In the end of the story, they stay together, but also without a wedding. In the hypocrite Brazilian society of the 30's, a woman of such behavior would be unacceptable. Nevertheless, this story is very dated in the present days. This film was restored with the support of the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, and the destroyed parts were completed with inter-titles to avoid breaking the soundtrack. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Mulher" ("Woman")