Sonia Braga Movies
Born in Maringa, Brazil, Sonia Braga acted on the stage as a teenager. She quickly rose to stardom on Brazilian soap operas during the '60s, but it was not until Bruno Barreto's Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1977) that she gained international screen stardom. She played the title character, a remarried widow who is prone to erotic visits from her first husband's ghost. She worked with Barreto again for the 1983 erotic drama Gabriela, based on one of her TV roles.Her first mainstream Hollywood movie was Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), in the dual role of the mythical title character herself and the woman of Raul Julia's past. She then appeared with Julia in her next few films, including Paul Mazursky's Moon Over Parador (earning her a Golden Globe nomination), Clint Eastwood's The Rookie, and John Frankenheimer's The Burning Season (earning her an Emmy nomination). She hasn't always played a sexpot, however; she was firey garage owner Ruby in Robert Redford's The Milagro Beanfield War as well as the math teacher known as "the Dragon Lady" on The Cosby Show. After living in the U.S. for some time, she returned to Brazil in 1996 to star in the romantic comedy Tieta of Agreste, which she also co-produced. The role of Tieta was a self-reflexive one, that of a mature beautiful woman returning to Brazil after several years away. In the late '90s, she worked on the miniseries Streets of Laredo, A Will of Their Own, and Four Corners. In 2001 she joined the cast of Gregory Nava's PBS series American Family as matriarch Berta. She can also be seen as Jennifer Lopez's mother in Angel Eyes and as Kim Cattrall's lover Maria on Sex and the City. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1986
When their math teacher Mrs. Westlake (Sonia Braga) goes to the hospital to have her baby, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) and Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II) wonder if they will be spared an upcoming math test. The "answer" arrives in the form of a substitute teacher, leading to a surprisingly serious monologue from the usually insouciant Cockroach! Meanwhile, Denise (Lisa Bonet) comes to the rescue when Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) gets a zit, and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) tries to master a bike with the nervous assistance of Cliff (Bill Cosby). Fashion model and future Jamie Foxx Show regular Garcelle Beauvais appears unbilled as a nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Sonia Braga guest stars as Mrs. Westlake, aka "The Dragon Lady", the mercilessly strict and demanding math teacher who has made Theo's life miserable in school. When Mrs. Westlake asks to meet Cliff (Bill Cosby), Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is worried that he is flunking her class. But during a dinner at the Huxtables, Mrs. Westlake not only reveals that she's actually a very pleasant human being under the right circumstances, but also that she has a pleasant surprise in store for those nearest and dearest to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In another indictment of the flaws of our so-called civilization, this satire from the late director (Marco Ferreri) features (Christopher Lambert) as Michel, a miserable man who has failed at love and finds solace in a mechanical key holder. Michel has just been dumped by Barbara (Anemone) because he has not been able to get her pregnant. He is feeling pretty low when he finds a key holder with blue eyes and big red lips that responds to the sound of a whistle with "I Love You." Michel tacks this gadget up on his TV set and whistles away. He seems happy with this fool-proof declaration of love until one day, the key holder responds to the neighbor's whistle and Michel goes berserk. After all, if your key ring can't be faithful, what's the world coming to? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anémone, Eddy Mitchell, (more)
Political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia) and homosexual pederast Luis Molina (William Hurt) share a Brazilian prison cell in this fantastical drama from the book by Manuel Puig. Sensitive and flamboyant, Molina helps pass the time by recounting memories from one of his favorite films, a wartime romantic thriller that just may also be a Nazi propaganda film. He weaves the characters into an ongoing narrative meant to spur Valentin's imagination and distract him from the brutal realities of political imprisonment and separation from the woman he loves. Hard around the edges, and willing to die for his political principles, Valentin nonetheless allows Molina to penetrate some of his defensive shell. An odd friendship forms between the two vastly different prisoners, the dreamer and the activist. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that Valentin is being poisoned by his captors, to compel him to reveal names and secrets, and that Molina may have other agendas that belie his honesty and openness with Valentin. The intense character study builds toward a surprising conclusion. Kiss of the Spider Woman received Oscar nominations for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay, and Hurt took home the best actor trophy for his portrayal of the soulful and conflicted Molina. The film was later adapted into a Broadway musical. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Raul Julia, (more)
- 1983
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonia Braga, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
- 1981
- R
This Brazilian erotic exercise stars Sonia Braga and Paulo Cesar Pereio as lovers who aren't in love. Attracted to each other's all-stops-out sexuality, Braga and Pereio use one another in every sense of the word. It is only at fadeout time that they learn to their surprise that they have genuinely fallen for each other. Though it shies away from closeups, I Love You is about as hard-core as it's possible to get in a mainstream film. Originally titled Eu Te Amo, I Love You made its American debut sans a rating of any kind -- "X" or otherwise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonia Braga, Paulo Cesar Pereio, (more)
- 1978
- R
In this sequel to Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, Sonia Braga stars as a new wife who copes with her sexual frustration by sleeping with strangers she picks up on buses. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonia Braga, Nuno Leal Maia, (more)
Based on the novel by Jorge Amado, this Brazilian comedy follows the strange events that befall Doña Flor (Sonia Braga) after she is left a widow by the death of her wild, irresponsible husband. (He died after another wanton night of carousing) Attempting to marry more wisely the second time around, Doña Flor weds a stable, but boring, pharmacist who has no interest in sex. When she discovers that her new sex life is less than satisfying, Doña Flor is visited by the sexy ghost of her late husband. This film is in Portuguese with English subtitles. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonia Braga, Jose Wilker, (more)
