alberto-52

When I wrote my first review for the IMDb, about the first Brazilian film in color, Destino em Apuros (Destiny in Trouble) I hadn't realized that many other Brazilian films made part of the IMDb files. Yet, in reviewing the film quoted above, I made a brief comment about a certain kind of films produced in Brazil, during the late thirties to early sixties as follows: "By that time, Brazilian motion picture comedies were mostly produced in Rio, especially by a studio named Atlântida (Atlantis in English). All were black-and-white, poorly written] stories were mostly fragile and almost an excuse to present tens of songs for the next carnival. However, they were very funny due to the uniqueness of the mix involving primitiveness and some witty dialogs and some splendid comedians. One of them, Oscarito, knew so much his job, that once he suggested ten seconds of random closes on a scene, after one of his jokes. That was the exact time the audience would laugh after it. Nevertheless Brazilian intelligentsia, of course, despised such films." Well now, those films were nicknamed "chanchadas" (pronounced shan-SHAH-das) a word with a deep pejorative sense, that even so the audiences adored, never caring a bit to the critics' slurs. I would add that the aforesaid ability to preview the audience reaction probably came from the early times of Oscarito's career , as a circus clown. "Nem Sansão nem Dalila" means "neither Samson nor Delilah" and exposes a habit Brazilian and Italian movie makers had, that is to produce parodies about historical movie classics. The Italian comedy "O.K.Nerone" would be a good example, with its aim of debunking Quo Vadis. In Brazil, other than "Nem Sansão nem Dalila", a "High Noon" parody received the title of " To Kill or to Run Away" (Matar ou Correr) – playing with the Portuguese title of "High Noon", "Matar ou Morrer" ( To Kill or Die). In both, the leading role was a matter for Oscarito, whose brilliant career history was recently reviewed by his widow (also an artist) Ms. Margot Louro, in a very popular TV show. A surprise: in his private life, Oscarito was "square", rigid, and jealous about his wife's love scenes, and even resisted to his daughter's decision to become also an actress. Oscarito could be compared to Jerry Lewis, for both could do perfectly what Donald O'Connor recommends in "Singing in The Rain": "mak'em laugh!" However the differences remain in two points: Oscarito did it first; opposite to Jerry Lewis characters, always simpletons, Oscarito's characters were smart, malicious, sharp guys. The most important and most hilarious scene of the film happens when Horácio ( a fake Samson) speeches to the people and imitates Brazil's populist President Getúlio Vargas. The latter used to start his speeches with a sonorous "Trabalhadores do Brasil" (Workers of Brazil) instead of the usual "ladies and gentlemen". So Horácio shouts: "Workers of Gaza!". At this the audiences simply would burst out laughing. This is widely known and recalled in Brazil, but a foreigner would not understand it, that's why I put it here. A masterpiece of bright humor in a matter of seconds. Most of the Brazilian "chanchadas" together with its similar Italian comedies, would match perfectly with the Roman Theater slogan "ridendo castigat mores".