Jofre Soares Movies

Every country seems to have its own gallery of criminal legends, those outlaws, highwaymen, gangsters and defiant rogues who capture the public's imaginations and whose exploits become legends. In Brazil, there are the infamous cangacieros of the 1930s. These notorious bandits and desperadoes terrorized the northeastern part of the country for many years. Lampiao was the most notorious bandit king and his bloody deeds led the Brazilian government to launch a massive military search for him. Search as they might, the armies could not catch up with the wily crook and his band. But where they failed, a humble documentary maker from Lebanon named Benjamin Abrahao succeeded. Not only was he admitted to Lampiao's secret camp where he documented the robbers' daily life; he also managed to film them in action. Abrahao's invaluable footage is still used in films about the cangacieros. This fascinating and sometimes very violent drama recreates Abrahao's experiences with the bandit culture. It also chronicles the determined filmmaker's tragic fate after his film was released. Despite the downbeat ending, the story is ultimately an uplifting account of a determined social outcast who defied the odds and proved himself a true hero. Some of the "archival footage" used in this film is brilliantly faked. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this drama, the lives of the people who dub the voices in movies and television shows from foreign countries are explored. In this case, the foreign shows are from the U.S., and the language they are being dubbed into is Brazilian Portuguese. Marialva (Marilia Pera)is a Brazilian woman who dubs the (fictional) U.S. show, "Mary Shadow," and she is obsessed by that show, and with her desire to get to Hollyood. She will do whatever it takes to get there. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this adventure film, the ill-matched passengers on an airplane riding above the jungles and rainforests of South America struggle to survive when their vehicle crashes. They endure the usual rigors of the forests, plus attacks by native tribesmen. One of the former passengers is a scholar, and he becomes excited when he notices fossilized dinosaur footprints on the path they are walking on. Eventually, the group passengers, which includes an unusually large number of pretty women, are captured by a greedy man who wants to use them all in his slave-labor operation. Their challenge now is to survive, to put the slaver out of business, and to escape the jungle. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Based on the first-hand writings of Brazilian political-activist Graciliano Ramos, Memories of Prison, stars Carlos Vereze as Ramos. The time-frame is the 1930s, during the dictatorial regime of Getulio Vargas. Because of his anti-Vargas sentiments, Ramos is shipped off to a hellhole of a prison island. Knowing full well that he's expected to die in jail rather than be "rehabilitated," Ramos nonetheless survives, if for no other reason than to expose the sadistic cruelties of Vargas' minions. Placing an unpleasant period in Brazilian history within a personal perspective, Memories of Prison is one of the best of the many films directed by Nelson Pereira Dos Santos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This political thriller is set against the background of actual turmoil in Brazil in the 1970s, so viewers familiar with that time and place in history will get the most out of O Bom Burgues. Lucas (José Wilker) is a banker with clandestine leftist sympathies who is embezzling money from the bank to support the Communist Party, and also privately supporting a more radical group of guerrillas/terrorists that even the Party is against. Lucas' sister is a member of that paramilitary unit, and when they capture the Swiss ambassador and ask for certain concessions from the government, the action leads to serious trouble for Lucas. Not to mention the fact that his mistress is also the lover of a well-known ultra-conservative - complicating matters several times over. Those unfamiliar with Brazilian history will still enjoy the excitement in this film - even if confused now and again. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A lively comedy-drama that pokes holes in everyone's expectations of retirement and old age, Chuvas de Verao stars Jofre Soares as Alfonso, a sixty-five-year-old curmudgeon living alone in his apartment except for his maid. He is settling into a staid, lazy observation of the passage of time until one weekend explodes his vision of himself and the world. First he discovers that his maid is harboring a terrorist in her room upstairs -- her boyfriend -- and he just cannot allow them to be taken in by the police. Between a few other startling discoveries about himself, his attractive neighbor, and his son-in-law's secret weakness, Alfonso's retirement is cheerfully shoved away in mothballs. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Bye Bye Brazil, the gifted director Carlos Diegues' follow-up to his 1978 Xica da Silva, became one of the most popular and fiscally successful imports of late '70s and early '80s South American cinema. Bye Bye is a muted and low-key ensemble drama about a shabby circus crawling from small town to small town through the Brazilian backwaters. As the curtain rises before us, the circus claims three participants: the slightly scary, medicine-show-like leader, Lorde Cigano (Jose Wilker), who sports a carnival-like 19th century mustache and cape, and keeps the audience mesmerized with magic tricks; the erotically charged, raven-haired dancer Salome (Betty Faria), "Queen of the Rumba"; and the deaf-mute strongman Swallow, who doubles as a fire breather. The troupe quickly adds yet another member shortly after the story begins: the strapping young accordion player Cico (Fabio Junior). He signs on with the circus when he catches sight of Salome, and is thus lost to his expectant wife, Dasdo (Zaira Zambelli) forever -- despite his obligation to cart the missus along with the troupe. The preponderance of the drama explores the shifting relationships between the circus members over the course of their journeys; it also reveals how endangered the troupe has become, both by the inability of locals to pay (the performers accept melons and other edible goods as recompense) and by competing entertainments such as television. These endangerments will ultimately force Cigano and co. beyond desperation -- to the point of ending the circus altogether and prostituting out Salome and Dasdo, just to turn a buck. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

This is the last film made by director Marcel Camus, best known for his legendary film Black Orpheus, filmed in his beloved Brazilian locale 17 years before. This tragicomedy is filled with lots of local color, including voodoo episodes, and recounts the adventures of Otalia, a strangely innocent young Brazilian prostitute who has just arrived in Salvador, Bahia. Though her belongings are stolen from her shortly after arrival, Otalia swiftly meets up with a group of charming and helpful friends. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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

The country of Brazil is the real star in this Dutch-made drama (in Portuguese). It is based on a book by Odylo Costa-Filhos. When Joao (Joffre Soares), a much older man, marries a much younger woman (Ana Maria Miranda), he is asking for trouble if he cannot contain his jealousy. Soon after their marriage, they have a nasty argument. Leaving his wife, Joao goes off into the jungle in search of riches, and returns after four years. In this case, absence has not made the heart grow fonder. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The Brazilian Antonio Das Mortes casts Mauricio De Valle as a mercenary peacekeeper. Agreeing to hunt down and kill rebel soldiers, the mercenary becomes increasingly drawn to the rebel's cause. His 11th-hour turnaround does not prevent the film from ending in a bloodbath. Antonio das Mortes unabashedly casts its lot with such insurgents as Che Guevara. As such, this 1968 film had difficulty finding an American distributor until two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Brazilian example of cinema novo chronicles the struggle of a man deeply entangled within unstable and crooked politics. The story is told in flashback by a writer who explains how he got into his present situation. He had been supporting a conservative party leader, but then decided to support the liberal candidate. The liberal wins the election, but soon reneges upon his campaign promises. The disillusioned writer decides to stay out of politics and resume his writing. Unfortunately, his girlfriend convinces him to try to talk the country's leader into pursuing a particular direction. The writer is soon shot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide