Director: Luiz Fernando Carvalho
Writers: Luis Alberto de Abreu, Luiz Fernando Carvalho, Bráulio Tavares, Ariano Suassuna
Actors: Mestre Biu Alexandre, Claudete Andrade, Jessica Araujo, Sandra Belê, Zé Borba, Abdias Campos, Irandhir Santos, Allyne Pereira, Americo Oliveira, Anthero Montenegro, Beatriz Lelis, Everaldo Pontes, Flávio Rocha
Production Co.: Academia de Filmes, Rede Globo de Televisão
Country: Brazil
Year: 2007
Language: In Portuguese; optional English or Spanish subtitles.
Format: DVD
[ratings]
Summary: “The Brazilian back lands. Quaderna, an old clown and bard, narrates, from his cart in the middle of the street, the History of his Family, a bloody saga of Kings, Bandits, Mystics and Backlands Poets. Among his tragic-comic memories is the arrival of the Judge, a powerful Inquisitor from the coast, who summons him for an inquiry in which he is the suspect in the murder of his Goodfather and accused of taking part in a popular revolution. In jail, he writes this rhapsodic tale revealing his desire to establish a popular and literary “leftist monarchy”, and thus assume the role of genius of the Brazilian race”–IMDb plot summary. Based on the novel by Ariano Suassuna.
Ariano Suassuna’s A Pedra do Reino finds a worthy adaptation in Luiz Fernando Carvalho’s miniseries. By bringing some of Northeastern Brazil’s unique cultural traditions to life on screen- indeed, the series could really only take place in a place like Pernambuco- Carvalho manages to masterfully live up to Suassuna’s hopes for his works. Although its popular reception was less than stellar, potential viewers would be ill-advised to ignore it.
“A Pedra do Reino” is a mini-series that brings to life Ariano Suassuna’s novel “O romance D’a Pedra do Reino e o Príncipe do Sangue do Vai-e-Volta.” I liked how the mini-series focuses on northern brazilian culture, while also showing the influence of Portugal. I thought the costumes that the actors wore really made the mini-series stand out from the rest.
This minissérie is for the viewer who likes theatrical productions. From the acting to the stage makeup, the hyperbole and the dramatization serve well to illustrate the main idea of the piece. While a complicated tale, the director does a great job of carefully constructing this minissérie.
A Pedra do Reino, based on Ariano Suassuna’s novel “O romance D’a Pedra do Reino e o Príncipe do Sangue do Vai-e-Volta,” is what I consider a weird, yet entertaining miniseries. While the time period of the miniseries involves Portuguese settlement in Northeastern Brazil, the costumes and drama depicted on screen suggest a combination of elements from different eras. Although “Pedra do Reino” is a very visually pleasing screen adaptation, I believe the miniseries would be hard to follow for those unfamiliar with Suassuna’s novel.
“A Pedra do Reino” is a miniseries based of of Ariano Suassuna’s “O romance D’a Pedra do Reino e o Príncipe do Sangue do Vai-e-Volta. This is an engrossing film that will keep you drawn to the screen because you can feel Suassuna’s passion through the screen. The miniseries will keep you captivated not only because of the details, but also because it gives a view of Brazil that isn’t normally captured on television of the Northeastern backlands.