Itala Nandi Movies
- 1982
Lucelia Santos plays the controversial Luz del Fuego in this film about the Brazilian striptease maven who performed with equally naked live snakes, in an era (the 1950s) when striptease, with or without live snakes, was a social pariah. She went on to found a nudist colony on an island in Rio's Guanabara Bay, and was regularly linked with one prominent politician or another. The cause of her death in the 1960s has never been revealed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucelia Santos, Walmor Chagas, (more)
- 1982
A group of upper-middle-class architects and their friends learn about the view from below as they run into a street gang of young kids and are forced to rethink their assumptions. Complicating matters are marital problems that plague the men. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Itala Nandi, Antonio Pedro, (more)
- 1977
The rich and vibrant culture of the Brazilian poor enlivens this tragic story of a young thief whose increasingly strenuous and violent efforts to survive result in his death. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stepan Nercessian, Cosme Dos Santos, (more)
- 1975
Sexual fantasies among middle-class Brazilians are the material out of which this black comedy has been formed. The adventures of three people are followed to a (usually) humorous or dire conclusion. In the first story, a lawyer who misuses his position for erotic gain finds one client even more determined than himself. The second story tells of a neurotic lad who cannot bring himself to remove his coat and glasses for his erotic encounters, but he is sufficiently chivalrous to leave an aged old prostitute grateful for his attentions. The last story tells a mysterious, symbolic tale of a married couple whose feuding ends in death. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Itala Nandi, Lima Duarte, (more)
- 1974
Unable to endure the idea that he would go without punishment, a criminal's victim chases him the length and breadth of Brazil for a showdown. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Prata Palomares is a product of the "Cinema Novo" movement in Brazil, which sought to create a truly Brazilian approach to filmmaking. In this hallucinogenic, violent film, two guerilla warriors (Itala Nandi and Renato Borghi) appear in the middle of an unknown military skirmish. Their quest is to return to military headquarters. Along the way, they see a young man drinking blood gathered from the shrine of the Bleeding Virgin; he then shoots and attempts to eat a buzzard, and then meets an incarnation of the Bleeding Virgin who is being tortured and disfigured. When they see a priest killed, one of the twosome seeks to take his place and meets the same fate. The survivor then boards a boat which will probably take him to his destination. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This Brazilian film is set during the period of its initial colonial discovery and settlement. The title refers to a word the native peoples used for the coastal lands: "pindorama," or "place of the small trees." A ponderous and grandiose film, it was roundly booed when it was aired at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Juliana (Maria do Rosario) is the daughter of a humble fisherman who procures magic powers. Her father is exploited by a heartless gringo who keeps the family in abject poverty. Juliana manages to win the heart of a railroad worker with her newfound talents. This melodramatic romance story is underscored by the symbolic class struggles between the rich and the poor and the poor among other members of the working class. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1970
This violent feature concerns the cacao wars of Brazil in the 1920s. Gods symbolically come to life and interact with the humans who perpetuate the murderous bloodbaths. This film was one of two official entries for Brazil at the 1970 Berlin Film Festival and it illustrates the troubles of both the working class and social elite. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Bengell, Othon Bastos, (more)
