Director: Ruy Guerra
Writer(s): Chico Buarque, Orlando Senna, Ruy Guerra
Actor(s): Edson Celulari, Claudia Ohana, Fábio Sabag, Elba Ramalho, J.C. Violla, Wilson Grey, Maria Sílvia, Cláudia Jimenez, Andrea Dantas, Iva Niño, Zenaide, Djenane Machado, Katia Bronstein, Lutero Luiz
Production Co.: Selec̦ões
Country: Brazil
Year: 1986
Language and subtitle information: N/A
Format: DVD
[ratings]
Summary: A hoodlum in World War II-era Brazil is busy pursuing the American dream, until he falls in love.
Supplemental Materials:
The movie, Opera do Malandro, is a marvelous film. Right at the beginning, there is a great scene where the “malandros” all come out of the alleys of the streets dressed in their white suits and hats, dancing and singing together. This film shows the epitome of the Brazilian, “malandro,” symbolized by their clothes and their charming, sleazy manner. This film is also interesting because it shows how Brazilian culture interacted with American mainstream/ Hollywood culture and the effects of that on a society.
“Opera of Malandro” is a film that is supposed to be describing the day-to-day life of a “malandro” A malandro can be characterized as man that is lazy, who doesn’t work a regular job to obtain money, and someone who is very concerned by their appearances. In this film the main character Max embodies these characteristics completely. Chico Buarque weaves beautiful and extravagant musical scenes throughout the film and makes the film relevant to the times by adding in issues of prohibition, prostitution and smuggling. I recommend this film for anyone who is interested in the work of Chico Buarque, Brazilian society during the 1940’s, or a good film!
The film “Ópera do Malandro” was one of my favorites of term and class The Poetry of Brazilian Popular Music. The film does an incredible job portraying an extremely controversial figure in Brazilian popular music: o malandro. The film stresses everything from clothes to the way in which the malandro attempts to take advantage of any situation that he can.
I found Opera do Malandro to be a good, not great, movie. The music in it is wonderful and Ruy Guerra and Chico Buarque do a tremendous job portraying the “malandro”, the conniving, womanizing, suave and mischiefous brazilian man in white suit of the 20th century. The plot is a little bit lacking I feel, but on the whole a worthwhile watch. Aspects of Brazilian social life are brought out through the relationships between characters- malandro and woman/ malandro and the people he is able to take advantage of/ malandro and woman/ woman and the men around her. It paints Brazil as a somewhat deceitful society, where individual empowerment and social ascent are at the core of people’s actions.