Nelson Xavier Movies

Cape Verde author Germano Almeida wrote the novel (Mr. Napumoceno's Last Will and Testament) that provides the source for this Portuguese-Brazilian-Cape Verdean-French-Belgium co-production. After a wealthy, unmarried businessman dies and the will is read, his nephew learns that he receives nothing. Instead, the estate goes to a servant's daughter. In flashbacks, the young woman then learns about her father as the story recounts his past life and loves. Francisco Manso shot this Portuguese-language film in Cape Verde. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Jack Noah (Richard Dreyfuss) is all actor: Self-possessed, obsessive, vulnerable, and an addict for praise, his soul burns with "the craft." Having just finished a grade-Z straight-to-cable crime thriller in the fictional South American country of Parador, he gets the ultimate acting challenge (though it's more like an offer he can't refuse) from Roberto Strausman (Raul Julia), the Paradorian dictator's chief advisor. The challenge: impersonate the country's dictator, whose just died. Strausman knows just how to manipulate Noah: He takes him to a meat locker, shows him the director's body (actually Dreyfuss' brother, Lorin), threatens to kill him, and he brings clips of Noah's best reviews. Thus enticed, and bearing a striking resemblance to the man, Noah accepts the job. Under the exacting direction of Strausman, he follows the script precisely. Noah immediately enjoys the job's perks, not least of which is the dictator's scorching mistress, Madonna (Sonia Braga), but of course cannot conceal his real identity to her. A close call with Parador's revolutionaries and Madonna's brimming social conscience push Noah to take command of the role. He starts pushing a kinder, gentler social agenda, and incurs Strausman's wrath. It begins to look like Noah will play the dictator's last act, but a chance meeting with a stunt man friend (Michael Greene) inspires a caper that will change all of the characters' fates. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., Rovi

The economic and social conditions of a small and remote Brazilian town are featured in this well-wrought story that can easily be understood as standing for a much broader picture. The police chief in the town is also the only judge and censor of the townspeople and their media, and one day his authority is subtly undermined when a traveling magician and his gorgeous wife, also his assistant, arrive to spend some time here. The wise and sophisticated magician is the exact opposite of the burly police chief (a buffoon, it turns out), and he is deeply moved by the abject poverty he sees all around, especially in the paupers' marketplace. And so with a flourish of magic power, he transforms the marketplace into an arena of abundance. The result is that he is thrown into prison by the police chief, now worried that the status quo that keeps the masses impoverished and himself in power is about to be toppled. The result is a surprise for everyone concerned, except for the magician.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Gabriela was based on Jorge Armado's novel Gabriela, Clove and Cinammon, which also served as the source of a typically steamy Brazilian TV soap opera. Set in 1925 (when the novel was first published), the film stars Marcello Mastrioanni as Nacib, a bartender in the Bahian village of Parati. When a drought descends upon the surrounding countryside, slovenly-but-sexy Gabriela (Sonja Braga) wanders into Parati with some friends and relatives. Immediately entranced by Gabriela's earthy sensuality, Nacib hires her as a cook and potential lover. Jealous of the attentions paid to Gabriela by the local menfolk, Nacib decides to marry her, then orders her to dress and behave in a more prudish fashion. But Gabriela can't help straying sexually, and as consequence it is Nacib who is forced to undergo the film's major character transformation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a construction worker falls to his death due to a deliberate laxness in safety regulations, the construction foreman's son-in-law attempts to get some compensation from the construction company for the man's widow. Instead, he runs into obstruction after obstruction. This impassioned indictment of the fraternity of greed won the Silver Bear Award (second prize) at the 1978 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A black homosexual transvestite is the mob leader in the slums of Rio de Janeiro in this Brazilian film. He casually slices open the faces of challengers with a razor, and his mob tortures a girl with a cigarette and a razor. One faction of the mob is trying to overthrow this frightful figure and take over his share of the marijuana market. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This documentary covers the popular Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal. He delivers a series of songs in this feature that appears to be a promotional advertisement. Zany situations give a dose of comedy to this otherwise pedestrian effort. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi