Directors: José Luiz Villamarim
Writers: George Moura, Patrícia Andrade, Nelson Motta
Actors: Isis Valverde, Gabriel Braga Nunes, Camila Morgado
Production Co.: Central Globo de Produção
Country: Brazil
Year: 2013
Language: Portuguese
Format: DVD
[ratings]
Summary: A murder mystery about a famous pop singer in Bahia.
In “O Canto da Sereia” I really enjoyed the suspense of the mini-series. I had no idea how it was going to end until the last episode and that is what made the mini-series extraordinary. The actors that are suspects of the crime really make this mini-series. They all did an excellent job of portraying the characters in the novel.
The miniseries is extremely well-done and suspenseful, like the previous commentator stated. The actors in this miniseries were excellent. However, the plot was a little too much for my personal taste. There are so many twists and turns that it comes off as a soap opera than anything else.
“O Canto da Sereia” is most notable, in some senses, for the way it depicts the city where it takes place; Salvador is as much a star of the miniseries as are any of its actors. While the script deviates quite noticeably from the book on which it was based, Globo managed to produce a series whose entertainment value is just as high of the novel that inspired it. With all of the glitz and glamour one would expect from a miniseries about Brazil’s musical elite, watching “O Canto da Sereia” is, if nothing else, an enjoyable experience.
This was a personal favorite of mine. While I was reluctant to enjoy the minissérie because some elements do not follow the book exactly, I was drawn in and though I didn’t have the time, I watched the entire minissérie in one sitting. With strong actors and an enchanting depiction of Salvador, Bahia, the directors of this minissérie found the perfect recipe for success.
“O Canto da Sereia” is one of a few Brazilian miniseries that utilizes Salvador, Bahia, as its setting. The director of “Sereia” took great care to ensure that its cast of non-Bahian stars was up to the task of depicting Northeastern Brazil natives by ensuring each actor took lessons to perfect the Salvadorian accent. While I was skeptical that a cast of non-Bahians could accurately portray the culture and people of Salvador, I was presently surprised by how well the the essence of the city was captured on screen. “O Canto da Sereia” is a dramatic, shocking, and a fully entertaining fun ride of a miniseries.
To experience the way in which Bahia is captured in “O canto da Sereia” was amazing. If you’ve been to Salvador before you will recognize the major parts of the city while watching the miniseries. The performances of the actors along with the tumultuous plot will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat and ready to watch. Isis Vervalde is a charm to watch and fully encompasses the air of a pure Baiana.
This has been my favorite Portuguese film we watched so far for various reasons. First, it challenged me to listen closely as it contained no subtitles and included quick communication between many characters. Next, this film showed Bahia in a way that made me very excited to be there shortly. With a good plot and a very surprising ending, O Canto de Seriea did an excellent job keeping me as a viewer engaged.
The ending was very surprising. I liked the storyline and the idiosyncratic characters. I didn’t like Sereia very much and didn’t really know why all the other characters did. The relationships that the characters had with one another were confusing, but I got the gist of it.
I did not like the series very much. It was pretty much a generic storyline with a few deaths along the way. Sereia was very popular and had a lot of fans but I did not find her life to be very interesting. However, I liked that she was an activist and stood up to the government.
While it was a bit difficult to follow the entire plot, it was great to experience an actual Brazilian soap opera. Personally, I found that it was pretty cheesy. It used a lot of dramatic music to play up scenes and many times it focused on very insignificant details. I also didn’t find the acting that great. Overall it was definitely a cheesy tv series but it was great to experience what a typical Brazilian viewer would see on tv.
This minissérie is great: it has an intriguing plot, good acting, and awesome cinematography. In many instances, the performances are very moving. Though the story itself is not very realistic, it’s interesting to imagine this happening. Overall I really enjoyed the series!
The storyline was complicated and It felt a little disorganized and difficult to understand. However, it was interesting to see what a Brazilian TV show looks like. The capítulos were very dramatic and had my attention throughout the series.
I loved this mini-series. It was interested enough to keep me engaged for all the episodes and the ending had a cool twist. It’s quite a struggle to understand since there are no subs but you can generally figure out whats going on. I enjoyed the acting and think the characters were interesting. I didnt get the reason behind some scenes but that’s probably due to my limited understanding of portuguese. I would definitely recommend this film. Fun way to pass some time and work on your listening for portuguese.
Although it was hard at times to understand exactly what the actors were saying, this miniseries was my favorite assigned film of the term. As mentioned above, the miniseries was suspenseful, and it was fun to try to put the pieces together.
I really enjoyed this mini-series! I agree that it was difficult to understand, but I got a good idea of what was going on. The actors were great and the ending was something I did not expect. I enjoyed the different plot-twists and was excited for the next episode. I recommend this to people who are trying to learn portuguese because it is a great way to enhance your learning experience.
This was one of my favorite assignments! I really enjoyed watching Sereia because I was able to see the similarities between her and the axe singers she represents such as Ivete Sangalo and Claudia Leite. The message was extremely powerful because it forces us to empathize with Sereia whether or not we agree with her decision.