|
With "Vidas Secas," literally "Dry Lives," Nelson Pereira dos Santos created one of the strongest portraits
of life in the drought-stricken "sertão," the cattle-ranching country of northeastern Brazil. Based on a masterpiece
of Brazilian literature published in 1938 by Graciliano Ramos (1892-1953), this is the story of a family of poor farmers--Fabiano,
his wife Vitória, their two sons, and the family dog, Baleia, who cross the dry "sertão" looking for the means to
survive.
Nelson Pereira dos Santos, who typically uses the landscape as a powerful means of expression, took care to adapt his
visual style to the dryness of the "sertão." The result is that we can almost feel and taste the white, sandy soil
of the parched land. The filmmaker's (and the novelist's) sympathy for the almost impossible lives of the people of the Northeast
comes through in every shot.
|
 |
|
Directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos
Cast: Átila Iório (Fabiano), Maria Ribeiro (Vitória), Jofre Soares (landowner), Orlando Macedo (the soldier), Gilvan and
Genivaldo (the two boys) and the dog, Baleia.
Screenplay: Nelson Pereira dos Santos, based on the novel by Graciliano Ramos
Directors of Photography: Luiz Carlos Barreto, José Rosa
Editors: Rafael Justo Valverde and Nello Melli
Sound: Geraldo José
Assistant Director: Ivan de Souza
Assistant editor: Lúcia Erita
Producers: Herbert Richers, Luiz Carlos Barreto, Danilo Trelles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
