Jonas Bloch Movies
- 2004
Directed by Joel Zito Araujo, Daughters of the Wind, during its production, featured the largest cast of black actors ever seen in a Brazilian film. The story follows the complex relationship between a set of sisters, mothers, and daughters; a family funeral serves as a starting point for a series of flashbacks from the 1960s and '70s. Though general sexism and gender stereotyping are among the causes for the tension between them, the social and political remnants of slavery present an even more insidious conflict to be dealt with. The film includes Milton Goncalves, Ruth de Souza, Lea Garcia, and Maria Ceica. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth de Souza, Milton Goncalves, (more)
The destinies of the downtrodden citizens of a Brazilian shantytown converge in director Claudio Assis' stark tale of life on the fringe of society. Though Recife is a major Brazilian city with over 1.5 million inhabitants, the lives of the well-to-do exist as little more than an unreachable horizon to those who face the bleak day-to-day reality of existence on the street. Though butcher Wellington (Chico Diaz) admires his wife Kika's (Dira Paes) devotion to her religion, his motivation for supporting her spirituality lies more in the fact that he knows she will remain faithful (which he has not) than in any true concern for her soul. Delivering meat to a Texas hotel which serves as refuge to a collection of lost souls not unlike the butcher himself, the characters come together as Wellington offers his neighbors a series of portraits. As life stretches into a never-ending cycle of wasted days and lonely nights, the citizens of Recife do their best to search for meaning in the face of crushing poverty. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matheus Nachtergaele, Jonas Bloch, (more)
- 1994
Infidelity, murder, and white-collar crime walk hand in hand in this sophisticated thriller. Trevor McCabe (Michael York) is a British businessman who oversees the Brazilian branch of a successful multinational corporation with his partners Austin (Grainger Hines) and Frank (Will Kepper). While Trevor is married to Kitten (Dee Wallace Stone), their relationship has been rocky lately, and Trevor's been having an affair with Frank's wife, Paige (Jennifer O'Neill). Trevor discovers that someone within the company has been embezzling millions of dollars from the company's accounts, and while both Austin and Frank deny any knowledge of what's happened, Trevor doesn't think Frank's explanation holds water. Thinking Trevor is on to him, Frank persuades a sexy young artist who moonlights as a call girl, Miranda (Elizabeth Gracen), to seduce Trevor and take his mind off his investigation. Frank's plan works for a while until Paige finds out about Miranda; feeling angry and betrayed, Paige arranges for Kitten to find out about her husband's infidelity, and Kitten sends Trevor packing. Not long afterward, Paige is murdered, and Trevor has to prove that he isn't involved in her death while still trying to get to the bottom of the embezzlement scheme. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Jennifer O'Neill, (more)
- 1986
A better-than-average Brazilian docudrama, this look at 20 years in the life of the notorious Tenorio Cavalcanti (Jose Wilker) leans heavily on the contributions of his family. Cavalcanti was a gunslinger in the tradition of an American Western. He was elected to Congress, where he showed up wearing a long black coat, a matching beard, and toting a machine gun. He is reputed to have killed many an opponent and built himself a veritable fortress for protection against his enemies -- which would eventually include the Brazilian army. He defended the rights of the people of the Duque de Caxias region with a vengeance. This drama takes particular note of his activities between 1945, when he joined a major political party, and 1964, when a military coup ousted the elected president. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jose Wilker, Marieta Severo, (more)
- 1979
This engaging crime drama is based on an actual incident that occurred in Brazil. Claudia is a young girl who is murdered because of her supposed knowledge of the activities of well-known mobsters. Other fictional murders are thrown in to add to the plot as the action takes place in high society and the neighborhoods of the working class. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katia D'Angelo, Roberto Bonfim, (more)
