FILMS. 4th EDItION VICTIM Wagstaff, Chris, " True Stories, in Sight& Sound (London), vol 3, monotonously reciting their standard commentaries. Yet through 8, August 199 (and beyond) the banality Katherine reaches a transcendent experi- Nosei,E,""Invito al viaggio, ' in Filmcritica(Siena), vol. 45, no. ence that transforms her perception of reality-an experience that 445,May1994. remains unarticulated in any explicit manner, but which we are Denby, David, ""Naples, Open City, in Premiere(Boulder), vol 8. nvited both to share and to understand Early neo-realist theory and practice suggest that the movement was strongly committed to the depiction of the material world, of contemporary social/political actuality. What came to obsess Rossellini, however, was the possibility of revealing the spiritual through the The five films that Rossellini made with Ingrid Bergman betwe strict presentation of the material and physical. The cinema has 1950 and 1955 have still to receive their due recognition in the angl constructed a whole panoply of signifiers of"spiritual experience Saxon world. The ridicule that was heaped on Stromboli can be a rhetoric of acting, music, lighting, focus, big close-ups, specis largely attributed to the"scandal"of their personal relationship: effects. Rosselli ni, knowing that the spiritual can only be implied, more specifically, to the shock of the American public (and the never shown, rigorously eschews all such rhetoric, employing the critical establishment)on discovering that Bergman, who had become simplest, seemingly transparent methodology. Katherine/Bergman is a national icon of female"niceness, " was actually a woman with brought into contact with all those fundamentals of existence from autonomous sexual desires and professional aspirations. The continu- ing neglect of the films outside circumscribed academic circles must which in our daily lives we try to insulate ourselves: the terrifying be attributed to the overwhelming dominance of expectations of the power and mysteriousness of nature; otherness; time, transcience, realistic(something quite distinct from"realism): most obvi eternity: death. Her experience is conveyed to us obliquely, through the structuring of sequence upon sequence, culminating in her climac- ously, the use of post-synchronization is likely always to remain tic utterance at Pompeii(on paper, a line of staggering banality, in its a problem, with Rossellini's indifference to the nationality of his actors ensuring that in every version of every film some performers context one of the cinemas supreme moments),"Life is so short. The context(which is that of the entire film) transforms a cliche into will be patently dubbed. Beyond that( but not unconnected with it) is a felt and lived essential truth. the uncertainty(a crucial manifestation of the fiIms'distinction)as to what exactly they are really about. The aim of neo-realism in its early The perfunctoriness of the ending(an apparent religious miracle, paralleled by the""of the couple's reconciliation) is often as immediate and unmediated a way as possible. Yet the early neo- found problematic. It is helpful to recall that Rossellini and Bergman realist films(Rome, Open City, Bicycle Thieves, etc. ) for all the went on to make La paura(Fear), for which Rossellini shot two quite quasi-documentary ambitions and the frequent use of non-professionals, different(and contradictory )endings. As there, the ending of viaggio are always patently acted and are always patently fictions: the is an admission of uncertainty as to what may happen: no guarantee reality"we are invited to scrutinize is a constructed one. Rome, offered that the couple's problems have been resolved, or that the Open City can be seen to draw on a whole array of cinematic reconciliation is more than momentary. One might say that the film conventions, schemata, and stereotypes(one extended sequence even doesn't really end: it just stops evokes Hitchcock). As he developed, Rossellini seems to have found such a method and aesthetic increasingly suspect, and the notion of -Robin Wood filming the reality in front of the camera"acquires a new dimen- sion. That"reality"(or a significant aspect of it) consists, after all, of a group of actors speaking constructed dialogue. Is Viaggio in italia film about a woman called Katherine Joyce(British upper-middle- lass, with an undisguised and unexplained Swedish accent) or an VICTIM actress called Ingrid Bergman? While never directly autobiographi- cal, Bergman's roles in the Rossellini films invariably make oblique UK.1961 reference to aspects of her life, and rossellini's demand for spontane- y(handing the actors their lines-or simply a rough indication of what they were to talk about--immediately before the take, allowing Director: Basil dearden no time for rehearsal, refusing to permit more than an absolute minimum of retakes)was clearly motivated by the desire that she Production: Allied Film Makers/Parkway. A Michael Relph and reveal herself rather than act a character Basil Dearden Production: black and white. running time: 100 This clearly troubles our relationship to the character on the minutes; length: 9,000 feet. Released 1961 screen. On one level, Bergmans characters are always our primary lentification-figures: in viaggio, we discover Italy as Bergman discovers it, sharing her experiences. Yet identification is constantl Producer: Michael Relph: screenplay: Janet Green, John McCor mick: photography: Otto Heller: editor: John Guthridge; sound disturbed. Scene after scene returns us from what Katherine sees to Leslie Wiggins; sound recordists: C. C. Stevens, Gordon K Katherine seeing it: are we studying"Italy"with her, or studying her with"Italy"as catalyst? Then there is the question of our relatio McCallum; art director: Alex Vetchinsky; music: Philip Green. ship to the films Italy (a very selective Italy ). On one level, Kathe rine's journey is as banal as possible: she is offered all the obvious Cast: Dirk Bogarde(Melville Farr): Sylvia Syms (Laura): Joh sightseeing attractions(famous sculptures, catacombs, Pompeii), and Barrie(Det Inspector Harris); John Cairney(Bridie ) Norman Bird the banality is emphasized by the recurrent use of tour guides harold Doe); Peter McEnery(Barrett); Anthony Nicholls (Lord
FILMS, 4th EDITION VICTIM 1283 Wagstaff, Chris, ‘‘True Stories,’’ in Sight & Sound (London), vol. 3, no. 8, August 1993. Nosei, E., ‘‘Invito al viaggio,’’ in Filmcritica (Siena), vol. 45, no. 445, May 1994. Denby, David, ‘‘Naples, Open City,’’ in Premiere (Boulder), vol. 8, no. 1, September 1994. *** The five films that Rossellini made with Ingrid Bergman between 1950 and 1955 have still to receive their due recognition in the AngloSaxon world. The ridicule that was heaped on Stromboli can be largely attributed to the ‘‘scandal’’ of their personal relationship: more specifically, to the shock of the American public (and the critical establishment) on discovering that Bergman, who had become a national icon of female ‘‘niceness,’’ was actually a woman with autonomous sexual desires and professional aspirations. The continuing neglect of the films outside circumscribed academic circles must be attributed to the overwhelming dominance of expectations of the ‘‘realistic’’ (something quite distinct from ‘‘realism’’): most obviously, the use of post-synchronization is likely always to remain a problem, with Rossellini’s indifference to the nationality of his actors ensuring that in every version of every film some performers will be patently dubbed. Beyond that (but not unconnected with it) is the uncertainty (a crucial manifestation of the films’ distinction) as to what exactly they are really about. The aim of neo-realism in its early phase was the ‘‘truthful’’ depiction of contemporary social realities in as immediate and unmediated a way as possible. Yet the early neorealist films (Rome, Open City, Bicycle Thieves, etc.), for all the quasi-documentary ambitions and the frequent use of non-professionals, are always patently acted and are always patently fictions: the ‘‘reality’’ we are invited to scrutinize is a constructed one. Rome, Open City can be seen to draw on a whole array of cinematic conventions, schemata, and stereotypes (one extended sequence even evokes Hitchcock). As he developed, Rossellini seems to have found such a method and aesthetic increasingly suspect, and the notion of ‘‘filming the reality in front of the camera’’ acquires a new dimension. That ‘‘reality’’ (or a significant aspect of it) consists, after all, of a group of actors speaking constructed dialogue. Is Viaggio in Italia a film about a woman called Katherine Joyce (British upper-middleclass, with an undisguised and unexplained Swedish accent) or an actress called Ingrid Bergman? While never directly autobiographical, Bergman’s roles in the Rossellini films invariably make oblique reference to aspects of her life, and Rossellini’s demand for spontaneity (handing the actors their lines—or simply a rough indication of what they were to talk about—immediately before the take, allowing no time for rehearsal, refusing to permit more than an absolute minimum of retakes) was clearly motivated by the desire that she reveal herself rather than act a character. This clearly troubles our relationship to the character on the screen. On one level, Bergman’s characters are always our primary identification-figures: in Viaggio, we discover Italy as Bergman discovers it, sharing her experiences. Yet identification is constantly disturbed. Scene after scene returns us from what Katherine sees to Katherine seeing it: are we studying ‘‘Italy’’ with her, or studying her with ‘‘Italy’’ as catalyst? Then there is the question of our relationship to the film’s Italy (a very selective Italy). On one level, Katherine’s journey is as banal as possible: she is offered all the obvious sightseeing attractions (famous sculptures, catacombs, Pompeii), and the banality is emphasized by the recurrent use of tour guides monotonously reciting their standard commentaries. Yet through (and beyond) the banality Katherine reaches a transcendent experience that transforms her perception of reality—an experience that remains unarticulated in any explicit manner, but which we are invited both to share and to understand. Early neo-realist theory and practice suggest that the movement was strongly committed to the depiction of the material world, of contemporary social/political actuality. What came to obsess Rossellini, however, was the possibility of revealing the spiritual through the strict presentation of the material and physical. The cinema has constructed a whole panoply of signifiers of ‘‘spiritual experience’’: a rhetoric of acting, music, lighting, focus, big close-ups, special effects. Rossellini, knowing that the spiritual can only be implied, never shown, rigorously eschews all such rhetoric, employing the simplest, seemingly transparent methodology. Katherine/Bergman is brought into contact with all those fundamentals of existence from which in our daily lives we try to insulate ourselves: the terrifying power and mysteriousness of nature; otherness; time, transcience, eternity; death. Her experience is conveyed to us obliquely, through the structuring of sequence upon sequence, culminating in her climactic utterance at Pompeii (on paper, a line of staggering banality, in its context one of the cinema’s supreme moments), ‘‘Life is so short.’’ The context (which is that of the entire film) transforms a cliché into a felt and lived essential truth. The perfunctoriness of the ending (an apparent religious miracle, paralleled by the ‘‘miracle’’ of the couple’s reconciliation) is often found problematic. It is helpful to recall that Rossellini and Bergman went on to make La paura (Fear), for which Rossellini shot two quite different (and contradictory) endings. As there, the ending of Viaggio is an admission of uncertainty as to what may happen: no guarantee is offered that the couple’s problems have been resolved, or that the reconciliation is more than momentary. One might say that the film doesn’t really end: it just stops. —Robin Wood VICTIM UK, 1961 Director: Basil Dearden Production: Allied Film Makers/Parkway. A Michael Relph and Basil Dearden Production; black and white; running time: 100 minutes; length: 9,000 feet. Released 1961. Producer: Michael Relph; screenplay: Janet Green, John McCormick; photography: Otto Heller; editor: John Guthridge; sound: Leslie Wiggins; sound recordists: C. C. Stevens, Gordon K. McCallum; art director: Alex Vetchinsky; music: Philip Green. Cast: Dirk Bogarde (Melville Farr); Sylvia Syms (Laura); John Barrie (Det. Inspector Harris); John Cairney (Bridie); Norman Bird (Harold Doe); Peter McEnery (Barrett); Anthony Nicholls (Lord
VICTIM FILM EDITION Victim Fulbrook); Dennis Price(Calloway); Peter Copley(Paul Mandrake ) Article Donald Churchill (Eddy Stone): Derren Nesbitt(Sandy Youth): Alan MacNaughton (Scott Hankin): Nigel Stock(Phip): Charles Lloyd Pack(Henry): Mavis Villiers(Madge ) Noel Howlett(Patterson); Wilson, Cecil, "Bogarde's First 'X, 'in Daily Mail(London) 19 August 196 Hilton Edwards(P H ): David Evans(Mickey): Margaret Diamond Times(London), 30 August 1961 Miss Benham); frank Pettitt(Barman) Dyer, Peter John, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), Septem Dehn, Paul, in Daily Herald(London), I September 1961 Powell, Dilys, in Sunday Times(London), 3 September 1961 Publications Variety(New York), 6 September 1961 man (London), 8 September 1961 Cinematographe Francaise(Paris), 9 September 1961 Partridge, Bruno. "Some Chances Taken, and Some Not, in Time Hinxman, Margaret, and Susan d'Arcy, The Films of Dirk Bogarde, Films and Filming(London),October 1961 London. 1974 A Plea for Perversion?, in Time(New York), 23 February 1962. lill, John, Sex, Class, and Realism: British Cinema 1956-63, Lon- Kael. Pauline in I Lost It at the Movies. Boston. 1965 don,1986 Film Form(London), autumn 1977. Tanitch, Robert, Dirk Bogarde: The Complete Career Illustrated, Medhurst, Andy,"Victim: Text as Context, in Screen(London) London,1988,1990. July-October 1984 1284
VICTIM FILMS, 4th EDITION 1284 Victim Fulbrook); Dennis Price (Calloway); Peter Copley (Paul Mandrake); Donald Churchill (Eddy Stone); Derren Nesbitt (Sandy Youth); Alan MacNaughton (Scott Hankin); Nigel Stock (Phip); Charles Lloyd Pack (Henry); Mavis Villiers (Madge); Noel Howlett (Patterson); Hilton Edwards (P. H.); David Evans (Mickey); Margaret Diamond (Miss Benham); Frank Pettitt (Barman). Publications Books: Hinxman, Margaret, and Susan d’Arcy, The Films of Dirk Bogarde, London, 1974. Hill, John, Sex, Class, and Realism: British Cinema 1956–63, London, 1986. Tanitch, Robert, Dirk Bogarde: The Complete Career Illustrated, London, 1988, 1990. Articles: Wilson, Cecil, ‘‘Bogarde’s First ‘X,’’’ in Daily Mail (London), 19 August 1961. Times (London), 30 August 1961. Dyer, Peter John, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), September 1961. Dehn, Paul, in Daily Herald (London), 1 September 1961. Powell, Dilys, in Sunday Times (London), 3 September 1961. Variety (New York), 6 September 1961. Whitebait, William, in New Statesman (London), 8 September 1961. Cinématographe Française (Paris), 9 September 1961. Partridge, Bruno, ‘‘Some Chances Taken, and Some Not,’’ in Time and Tide (London), 14 September 1961. Films and Filming (London), October 1961. ‘‘A Plea for Perversion?,’’ in Time (New York), 23 February 1962. Kael, Pauline, in I Lost It at the Movies, Boston, 1965. Film Form (London), autumn 1977. Medhurst, Andy, ‘‘Victim: Text as Context,’’ in Screen (London), July-October 1984
FILMS. 4th EDItION Ⅴ IDAS SECAS Medhurst, Andy, ""Dirk Bogarde, in All Our Yesterdays, edited by with their dull, drab husbands In Victim it is Bogarde who is unable to Charles barr. London. 1986. adjust, tempted away from his dutiful, attractive wife by a passion that Stuart. Jan in The Advocate. no 744. 14 October 1997 is all the more real because it is inappropriate to his career, his status Lugowski, David M, in Cineaste(New York), vol. 23, no. 3, and his peace of mind oril 199 Umland, Rebecca, and Sam Umland, The Night Porter/Victim, in -Robert Murphy Video Watchdog(cincinnati), no 45, 1998 VIDAS SECAS Victim is one of an impressive series of social problem films that Basil Dearden directed and Michael Relph produced between 1944 and 1963. Stylistically(and morally) they change very little, and to (Barren Lives) the radical young critics of the early 1960s Dearden and Relph epitomised everything that was wrong with British cinema. Accord- Brazil. 196 ing to victor Perkins heir method is to devise a number of stereotypes to represent every possible attitude to the matter in hand. Director: Nelson Pereira dos Santos Thus in Sapphire and victim, Basil Dearden and his scriptwriter Janet Green have produced thriller-problem films that work neither as Production: Producoes Cinematograficas L.C.Barreto,Herbert hillers nor as examinations of a problem, and particularly not as Richers and Nelson Pereira dos Santos: 35mm; running time: 10 films. "It is hardly a recommendation that Dearden and Relph were minutes. Released August 1963 in Rio de Janeiro. Filmed in Alagoas smiled on by the industry and liked by the more conservative critics, but now that the heat of battle has died down it is possible to see considerable virtues in their work-a civilised tolerance. a shrewd Producer: Luiz Carlos Barreto, Herbert Richers, and Nelson Pereira dos Santos; screenplay: Nelson Pereiras dos Santos, from the book ability to combine exciting narrative stories with a less than superfi cial analysis of serious social problems, and a particular ability to Barreto: editor: Nello Melli: sound: Geraldo Jose: music: Leonard probe and prod at English sexual repression Alencar Victim was the second of Dearden's and Relph's three collaborations with the talented scriptwriter Janet Green and the first British film to deal seriously and openly with homosexuality. The film takes its Cast:Atila Iorio(Fabiano ). Maria Ribeiro(Sinha Vitoria),Orlando ue from the 1957 Wolfendon Report, which recommended the laced (Soldado Amarelo), Jofre Soares(Coronel); Gilvan Lima e Genivaldo Lima(The boys), and the dog baleia proposals that were not enacted by Parliament until 1968. In its efforts not to be exploitative and sensational, Victim makes the lives of homosexuals seem sad, drab, pathetic. As one of the despairing Publications victims puts it, " nature played me a dirty trick. . tell them there's no magic cure for how we are. Gay writers like Richard Dyer andAnd Books Medhurst, while acutely aware of the films limitations, have also een good things in it--particularly Dirk Bogarde's portrayal of hose love, however deeply repressed, is reserved for other men. Rocha, Glauber, Revisdo Critica do Cinema brasileiro, Editora Civilizacao Brasileira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1963 Stylistically the film is much more distinguished than it has been Ramos. Graciliano, Vidas secas Livraria Martins Editora, 32 edition given credit for. Dearden and Relph-and the veteran art director Sao paulo, Brazil. 1974 Alex Vetchinsky-make good use of the opportunity to break out of Bermadet, Jean-Claude, Brasil em Tempo de Cinema, Editora Paz the studio and explore a hitherto unseen London. The Salisbury, a glittering Edwardian pub in St. Martin's Lane, well known even e Terra. Rio de janeiro. Brasil. 1977 Rocha, Glauber, Revolucdo do Cinema Novo. Alhambra/Embrafilme then as a gay meeting-place, is used effectively as the focal point of the films homosexual community; and Otto Hellers lighting is superbly effective in creating a world that is always precarious and Johnson. Randal and Robert Stam. "The Cinema of Hunger''and aguely threatening. Perkins is night in the sense that all the characters- Nelson Pereira dos santos vidas Secas Brazilian Cineme with the notable exception of Bogarde's sexually ambivalent hero Associated University Presses, Inc are stereotypes, but they are stereotypes who are cleverly deployed to Johnson, Randal, Cinema Novo X5, Masters of Contemporary brazil get across the films message that homosexuals are ordinary people ian Film, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1984 from all walks of life rather than sub-criminal freaks Salem, Helena, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, o Sonho Possivel do Finally, though, it is the relationship between Bogarde and Sylvia Cinema brasileiro. Editora Nova Fronteira. 198 Syms that now seems to give the film a dark resonance entirely missing from, for example, the Warner Brothers social problem films Articles of the 1930s. In earlier British films like Brief Encounter, The Passionate Friends, and Mandy, it is womens sexuality that is the Vianna, A Moniz, Correio da Manha(rio de janeiro), 22 August 1963 problem, as repressed but passionate women become discontented Azeredo, Ely, Correio da Manha(Rio de Janeiro), 27/28 August 1963 1285
FILMS, 4 VIDAS SECAS th EDITION 1285 Medhurst, Andy, ‘‘Dirk Bogarde,’’ in All Our Yesterdays, edited by Charles Barr, London, 1986. Stuart, Jan, in The Advocate, no. 744, 14 October 1997. Lugowski, David M., in Cineaste (New York), vol. 23, no. 3, April 1998. Umland, Rebecca, and Sam Umland, ‘‘The Night Porter / Victim,’’ in Video Watchdog (Cincinnati), no. 45, 1998. *** Victim is one of an impressive series of social problem films that Basil Dearden directed and Michael Relph produced between 1944 and 1963. Stylistically (and morally) they change very little, and to the radical young critics of the early 1960s Dearden and Relph epitomised everything that was wrong with British cinema. According to Victor Perkins, ‘‘Their method is to devise a number of stereotypes to represent every possible attitude to the matter in hand. . . . Thus in Sapphire and Victim, Basil Dearden and his scriptwriter Janet Green have produced thriller-problem films that work neither as thrillers nor as examinations of a problem, and particularly not as films.’’ It is hardly a recommendation that Dearden and Relph were smiled on by the industry and liked by the more conservative critics, but now that the heat of battle has died down it is possible to see considerable virtues in their work—a civilised tolerance, a shrewd ability to combine exciting narrative stories with a less than superfi- cial analysis of serious social problems, and a particular ability to probe and prod at English sexual repression. Victim was the second of Dearden’s and Relph’s three collaborations with the talented scriptwriter Janet Green and the first British film to deal seriously and openly with homosexuality. The film takes its cue from the 1957 Wolfendon Report, which recommended the decriminalisation of homosexuality between consenting adults— proposals that were not enacted by Parliament until 1968. In its efforts not to be exploitative and sensational, Victim makes the lives of homosexuals seem sad, drab, pathetic. As one of the despairing victims puts it, ‘‘nature played me a dirty trick . . . tell them there’s no magic cure for how we are.’’ Gay writers like Richard Dyer and Andy Medhurst, while acutely aware of the film’s limitations, have also seen good things in it—particularly Dirk Bogarde’s portrayal of a man whose love, however deeply repressed, is reserved for other men. Stylistically the film is much more distinguished than it has been given credit for. Dearden and Relph—and the veteran art director Alex Vetchinsky—make good use of the opportunity to break out of the studio and explore a hitherto unseen London. The Salisbury, a glittering Edwardian pub in St. Martin’s Lane, well known even then as a gay meeting-place, is used effectively as the focal point of the film’s homosexual community; and Otto Heller’s lighting is superbly effective in creating a world that is always precarious and vaguely threatening. Perkins is right in the sense that all the characters— with the notable exception of Bogarde’s sexually ambivalent hero— are stereotypes, but they are stereotypes who are cleverly deployed to get across the film’s message that homosexuals are ordinary people from all walks of life rather than sub-criminal freaks. Finally, though, it is the relationship between Bogarde and Sylvia Syms that now seems to give the film a dark resonance entirely missing from, for example, the Warner Brothers social problem films of the 1930s. In earlier British films like Brief Encounter, The Passionate Friends, and Mandy, it is women’s sexuality that is the problem, as repressed but passionate women become discontented with their dull, drab husbands. In Victim it is Bogarde who is unable to adjust, tempted away from his dutiful, attractive wife by a passion that is all the more real because it is inappropriate to his career, his status, and his peace of mind. —Robert Murphy VIDAS SECAS (Barren Lives) Brazil, 1963 Director: Nelson Pereira dos Santos Production: Produções Cinematográficas L. C. Barreto, Herbert Richers and Nelson Pereira dos Santos; 35mm; running time: 103 minutes. Released August l963 in Rio de Janeiro. Filmed in Alagoas. Producer: Luiz Carlos Barreto, Herbert Richers, and Nelson Pereira dos Santos; screenplay: Nelson Pereiras dos Santos, from the book by Gracialano Ramos; photography: José Rosa and Luis Carlos Barreto; editor: Nello Melli; sound: Geraldo José; music: Leonard Alencar. Cast: Átila Iório (Fabiano), Maria Ribeiro (Sinhá Vitória), Orlando Macedo (Soldado Amarelo), Jofre Soares (Coronel); Gilvan Lima e Genivaldo Lima (The boys), and the dog Baleia. Publications: Books: Rocha, Glauber, Revisão Critica do Cinema Brasileiro, Editora Civilização Brasileira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1963. Ramos, Graciliano, Vidas secas, Livraria Martins Editora, 32 edition, São Paulo, Brazil, 1974. Bernadet, Jean-Claude, Brasil em Tempo de Cinema, Editora Paz e Terra, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 1977. Rocha, Glauber, Revolução do Cinema Novo, Alhambra/Embrafilme, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1981. Johnson, Randal, and Robert Stam, ‘‘The Cinema of Hunger’’ and ‘‘Nelson Pereira dos Santos Vidas Secas,’’ Brazilian Cinema, Associated University Presses, Inc., 1982 Johnson, Randal, Cinema Novo X5, Masters of Contemporary Brazilian Film , University of Texas Press, Austin, 1984. Salem, Helena, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, o Sonho Possível do Cinema Brasileiro, Editora Nova Fronteira, 1987. Articles: Vianna, A. Moniz, Correio da Manhã (Rio de Janeiro), 22 August 1963. Azeredo, Ely, Correio da Manhã (Rio de Janeiro), 27/28 August 1963
Ⅴ DAS SECAS FILMS. 4 EDITION Mello e Souza, Claudio, Estado de Minas(Minas Gerais), 20 Octo- remained topical in 1964-as it does, in dramatic terms, thirty years ber 1963 on. Among the films merits is its fidelity to the spirit of graciliano Variety(New York), 25 Decemeber 1963 Ramos's text, with its concise style and literary qualities. (A return to Azeredo, Ely, Tribuna da Imprensa(rio de Janeiro), 6 April 1964 the writings of Graciliano Ramos would yield another great moment Estado de Sao paulo, 9 May 1964 in the career of Nelson Pereira dos santos with Memorias do carcere Lefevre, R, Cinema(Paris), November 1965. Petris, M, Cahiers du Cinema(Paris). November 1965 Vidas secas follows two years in the life of a family whose poverty Viany, Alex, Publicagdo do departamento de divulgacdo and limitations are extreme, both in terms of their ability to express Federacdo de Cineclubes do rio de janeiro, March 1967 themselves and even in terms of their ability to survive. The family Canby, vincent, New York Times, 6 June 1969 consists of Sinha Vitoria(Maria Ribeiro) and Fabiano(Atila Iorio) Conrad, R, Film Quarterly(Berkeley), no 3, 1971 two children(acted by the juveniles Gilvan and Genivaldo), and Johnson, Randal, "" Vidas Secas and the Politics of Filmic Adapta- Baleia( whale), the dog. All they possess they carry on their backs, as tion," in Ideologies and Literature lll, number 15, January- they search for a little patch of land on which to settle. They come upon an abandoned farm, where Fabiano will work as a cow hand for Schild, Susana, "A Arte de recriar, Revista IBM(Rio de janeiro), just over a year. In this time, the family will experience some small September 1984 advances and many humiliating set-backs, mainly due to Fabiano. Augusto, Sergio, Folha de Sao Paulo (sao Paulo), Nelson Pereira, Due to his ingenuousness and lack of understanding Fabiano will be o pai do Cinema Novo, 22 June 1987. exploited by the owner of the farm, and forbidden by the"authori- Schild, Susana, Jornal do Brasil( Rio de Janeiro), Nelson por Nelson, ties"to sell his pathetic produce Goaded by a soldier, Fabiano loses 22June1987 his money at gambling, and ends up in prison, where he is beaten. His only way out would be to join a band of outlaws, at the invitation of a cell mate. This he refuses to do: he is a good man, and wants only to live in peace with his family Nelson Pereira dos Santos is rightly considered the father of Surrender to social rules that are unfair or nonexistent is allied to Brazil's Cinema Novo movement With his first two films. Rio 40 impotence in the face of the ceaselessly blazing sun, drying up the us(1956)and Rio Zona Norte(1957)influenced by Italian neo- land and the rivers, producing hunger and thirst, killing people and alism, he started to sow the seeds of a film industry with a social animals. To portray this desolate scenario, Nelson Pereira dos Santos conscience,resolving to portray the lifestyles of the countrys most sought to catch""the true light of the Northeast. "Filming took place disadvantaged populations. His fifth film, Vidas Secas(Barren Lives), under the most natural conditions possible, with no filters, using, as acclaimed at Cannes in 1964. together with Deus e O Diabo na terra the director explained, ""Gods light. The resulting over-exposure do Sol(Black God, White Devil), by Glauber Rocha, firmly estab- creates a suffocating atmosphere, which on several occasions seems lished the Cinema Novo as an innovative trend in cinematography to blind not only the protagonists but the viewer as well That said, the relevance and eloquence of Vidas Secas transcend with authenticity and frugality as its touchstones, the camera- the limits of the Cinema Novo movement. Notwithstanding its often hand held and subjective-reveals the daily existence of a fam- distinctly regional placement in the dry lands of Northeasten Brazil ily that can never be inserted into a"normal"social context, seen, and its setting in the 1940s. it shares the timeless universal drama of most of the time, through the eyes of its members-including the dog poverty-stricken landless people who are obliged to move to the big In its admirable austerity, Vidas Secas is a pungent treatise on aridity cities in the hopes of a better life. For its piercingly realistic portrayal The aridity is in the landscapes, in the hopelessness of the familys of this universal problem, Vidas Secas takes its place of honour not prospects, and in the relationships between the members of the only as a masterpiece of Brazilian filmmaking, but on the interna- family. It is present also in cruel details, such as in the scene in which tional scene as well Sinha Vitoria strangles the family parrot before cooking it for food c The film opens with an extreme long shot showing a stretch of remarking "'he couldn't even talk. solate and arid countryside under a beating sun. From the distance Ironically, the lack of dialogue is one of the features of the film a couple, their two children, and their dog slowly approach, heralded true to Graciliano Ramos's novel On several occasions Sinha Vitoria hh时eae ne of leather a bed of the protagonists, the exasperatingly grating noise of the wagon such as"real people""might have. In a rare attempt at dialogue as heel-to soothe the eyes or ears of the viewer. Its raw realism is they sit by the campfire, Sinha Vitoria and Fabiano actually talk to transmitted quite naturally and without apology. The economy of the themselves more than to each other. They rarely touch each other, and opening shot of Vidas Secas-which will persist throughout the their smiles and expressions of affection are directed not at each other narrative--reflects the perfect harmony between the style of the but at the dog, which in a further irony, is treated in a" way production and what it sought to portray. It is, in all senses, a frugal such an inhuman setting. (The very lifelike scene in which the dog film and therein lies its strength dies inflamed the animal protection societies during the Cannes Although the intention with Vidas Secas was to join the national Festival of 1964. To prove that no murder had taken place, Baleia-a debate on the subject of agrarian reform, Nelson Pereira dos Santos bitch, in fact-was taken to the Festival and accorded star treatment. had no need of didacticism or political language in order to get his The children are also largely silent, except for one of the boys wh and, likewise, discarded any ser repeatedly askswhat is hell?""It is a hot place, where people films approach to the problem. He based the film on the graciliano when they are condemned, replies his mother. with extreme sobri Ramos novel by the same name, which although written in 1938 ety and maturity, Nelson Pereira dos Santos showed that hell was in
VIDAS SECAS FILMS, 4th EDITION 1286 Mello e Souza, Cláudio, Estado de Minas (Minas Gerais), 20 October 1963. Variety (New York), 25 Decemeber 1963. Azeredo, Ely, Tribuna da Imprensa (Rio de Janeiro), 6 April 1964. Estado de São Paulo, 9 May 1964. Lefèvre, R., Cinéma (Paris), November 1965. Petris, M., Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), November 1965. Viany, Alex, Publicação do Departamento de Divulgação da Federação de Cineclubes do Rio de Janeiro, March 1967. Canby, Vincent, New York Times, 6 June 1969. Conrad, R., Film Quarterly (Berkeley), no. 3, 1971. Johnson, Randal, ‘‘Vidas Secas and the Politics of Filmic Adaptation,’’ in Ideologies and Literature III, number l5, JanuaryMarch 1981. Schild, Susana, ‘‘A Arte de Recriar,’’ Revista IBM (Rio de Janeiro), September 1984. Augusto, Sérgio, Folha de São Paulo (São Paulo), Nelson Pereira, o pai do Cinema Novo, 22 June 1987. Schild, Susana, Jornal do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro), Nelson por Nelson, 22 June 1987. *** Nelson Pereira dos Santos is rightly considered the father of Brazil’s Cinema Novo movement. With his first two films, Rio 40 graus (1956) and Rio Zona Norte (1957) influenced by Italian neorealism, he started to sow the seeds of a film industry with a social conscience, resolving to portray the lifestyles of the country’s most disadvantaged populations. His fifth film, Vidas Secas (Barren Lives), acclaimed at Cannes in 1964, together with Deus e O Diabo na Terra do Sol (Black God, White Devil), by Glauber Rocha, firmly established the Cinema Novo as an innovative trend in cinematography. That said, the relevance and eloquence of Vidas Secas transcend the limits of the Cinema Novo movement. Notwithstanding its distinctly regional placement in the dry lands of Northeastern Brazil and its setting in the 1940s, it shares the timeless universal drama of poverty-stricken landless people who are obliged to move to the big cities in the hopes of a better life. For its piercingly realistic portrayal of this universal problem, Vidas Secas takes its place of honour not only as a masterpiece of Brazilian filmmaking, but on the international scene as well. The film opens with an extreme long shot showing a stretch of desolate and arid countryside under a beating sun. From the distance a couple, their two children, and their dog slowly approach, heralded by the grating noise of the wheel of an ox-drawn wagon. There is nothing in this scene—the countryside, the light, the obvious poverty of the protagonists, the exasperatingly grating noise of the wagon wheel—to soothe the eyes or ears of the viewer. Its raw realism is transmitted quite naturally and without apology. The economy of the opening shot of Vidas Secas—which will persist throughout the narrative—reflects the perfect harmony between the style of the production and what it sought to portray. It is, in all senses, a frugal film and therein lies its strength. Although the intention with Vidas Secas was to join the national debate on the subject of agrarian reform, Nelson Pereira dos Santos had no need of didacticisms or political language in order to get his message across and, likewise, discarded any sentimentality in the film’s approach to the problem. He based the film on the Graciliano Ramos novel by the same name, which although written in 1938 remained topical in 1964—as it does, in dramatic terms, thirty years on. Among the film’s merits is its fidelity to the spirit of Graciliano Ramos’s text, with its concise style and literary qualities. (A return to the writings of Graciliano Ramos would yield another great moment in the career of Nelson Pereira dos Santos with Memórias do Cárcere, in 1983.) Vidas Secas follows two years in the life of a family whose poverty and limitations are extreme, both in terms of their ability to express themselves and even in terms of their ability to survive. The family consists of Sinhá Vitória (Maria Ribeiro) and Fabiano (Átila Iório), two children (acted by the juveniles Gilvan and Genivaldo), and Baleia (whale), the dog. All they possess they carry on their backs, as they search for a little patch of land on which to settle. They come upon an abandoned farm, where Fabiano will work as a cow hand for just over a year. In this time, the family will experience some small advances and many humiliating set-backs, mainly due to Fabiano. Due to his ingenuousness and lack of understanding, Fabiano will be exploited by the owner of the farm, and forbidden by the ‘‘authorities’’ to sell his pathetic produce. Goaded by a soldier, Fabiano loses his money at gambling, and ends up in prison, where he is beaten. His only way out would be to join a band of outlaws, at the invitation of a cell mate. This he refuses to do: he is a good man, and wants only to live in peace with his family. Surrender to social rules that are unfair or nonexistent is allied to impotence in the face of the ceaselessly blazing sun, drying up the land and the rivers, producing hunger and thirst, killing people and animals. To portray this desolate scenario, Nelson Pereira dos Santos sought to catch ‘‘the true light of the Northeast.’’ Filming took place under the most natural conditions possible, with no filters, using, as the director explained, ‘‘God’s light.’’ The resulting over-exposure creates a suffocating atmosphere, which on several occasions seems to blind not only the protagonists but the viewer as well. With authenticity and frugality as its touchstones, the camera— often hand held and subjective—reveals the daily existence of a family that can never be inserted into a ‘‘normal’’ social context, seen, most of the time, through the eyes of its members—including the dog. In its admirable austerity, Vidas Secas is a pungent treatise on aridity. The aridity is in the landscapes, in the hopelessness of the family’s prospects, and in the relationships between the members of the family. It is present also in cruel details, such as in the scene in which Sinhá Vitória strangles the family parrot before cooking it for food, remarking, ‘‘he couldn’t even talk.’’ Ironically, the lack of dialogue is one of the features of the film, true to Graciliano Ramos’s novel. On several occasions, Sinhá Vitória and Fabiano say that they don’t live as ‘‘real people’’ do. The woman dreams of exchanging her bed of dried twigs for one of leather, a bed such as ‘‘real people’’ might have. In a rare attempt at dialogue as they sit by the campfire, Sinhá Vitória and Fabiano actually talk to themselves more than to each other. They rarely touch each other, and their smiles and expressions of affection are directed not at each other but at the dog, which in a further irony, is treated in a ‘‘human’’ way in such an inhuman setting. (The very lifelike scene in which the dog dies inflamed the animal protection societies during the Cannes Festival of 1964. To prove that no murder had taken place, Baleia—a bitch, in fact—was taken to the Festival and accorded star treatment.) The children are also largely silent, except for one of the boys who repeatedly asks ‘‘what is hell?’’ ‘‘It is a hot place, where people go when they are condemned,’’ replies his mother. With extreme sobriety and maturity, Nelson Pereira dos Santos showed that hell was in
FILMS. 4th EDItION VIRIDIANA the dry lands of the Northeast, and is inhabited by thousands of Publications Fabianos and Sinhas vitoria, who make for the big cities in order to become"real people. They continue to do so to this day -Susana Schild Bunuel. Luis. and julie Viridiana, Mexico City, 1963: in Luis Bunuel: three s. New York. 1960. Bunuel. luis. viridiana. historique et critique, Paris, 1984 VIRIDIANA Books Spain-Mexico, 1961 Kyrou, Ado, Le Surrealisme au cinema, Paris, 1963 Director: luis bunuel Durgnat, Raymond, Luis Buriuel, Berkeley, 1968. Aranda, Jose francisco, Luis Buniuel: Biografia Critica, Barcelona, 1969: as Luis Buiiuel: A Critical Biography, New York, 1975 Production: Uninci S.A. and Films 59(Spain)and Gustavo Alatriste Alcala, Manuel, Bunuel, Madrid. 1973 (Mexico); black and white, 35mm; running time: 90 minutes. Released 17 May 1961, Cannes Film Festival. Filmed in Spain, near Madrid Buache, Freddy, The Cinema of Luis Bunuel, New York, 1973 and Toledo. Cannes Film Festival. Best Film. 1961 Bazin. Andre. Le cinema de la cruaute. De Bunuel a Hitchcock Paris, 1975; as The Cinema of Cruelty: From Bunuel to Hitchcock, New York, 1982 Producer: R. Munoz Suay: screenplay: Luis Bunuel and Cesarman, Fernando, El ojo de Buiiuel, Barcelona, 1976. Alejandro, from a story by Bunuel; photography: Jose F. Ag Mellen, Joan, editor, The World of Luis Buriuel: Essays in Criticism, editor: Pedro del Rey; art director: Francisco Canet; music: New York, 1978 and Mozart; arranger: Gustavo Pittaluga. Higginbotham, Virginia, Luis Bunuel, Boston, 1979 williams, Linda, Figures of Desire: A Theory and Analysis of Cast: Silvia Pinal (Viridiana); Francisco Rabal (Jorge ); Fernando Surrealist Film. Urbana. 1981. 1992 Rey(Don Jaime): Margarita Lozano(Ramona): Victoria Zinny Edwards, Gwynne, The Discreet Art of Luis Buiuel: A Reading of Hi (Lucia): Teresa Rabal (Rita). Bunuel, Luis. My Last breath, London and New Y ork, 1983 Rees, Margaret A, editor, Luis Buriuel: A Symp Leeds. 1983 Lefevre, Raymond, Luis Buruel, Paris, 1984 Vidal, Agustin Sanchez, Luis Buiuel: Obra Cinematografica Madrid. 1984 Aub, Max, Conversaciones con Buniuel. Seguidas de 45 entrevistas con familiares, amigos y colaboradores del cineasta aragones, Madrid. 1985 Oms. Marcel. Don Luis Buniuel. Paris. 1985. De la Colina, Jose and Tomas Perez Turrent, Luis Buriuel: Prohibido Sandro, Paul, Diversions of Pleasure: Luis Bunuel and the Crises of Desire. Columbus Ohio. 1987. Evans, Peter William, Films of Luis Bunuel: Subjectivity and desire. Tesson. Charles. Luis Buniuel. Paris. 1995 Articles. Hull Douchet, Jean, in Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), January 1962. Rothschild, Elaine, in Films in Review(New York), February 1962. Bunuel, Luis, in Film Culture(New York), Spring 1962 Riera, Emilio, in Film Culture(New York), Spring 1962. Benayoun, Robert, in Positif (Paris), March 196 Seguin, Louis, Viridiana et les Critiques, in Positif(Paris) March 1962 1287
FILMS, 4 VIRIDIANA th EDITION 1287 the dry lands of the Northeast, and is inhabited by thousands of Fabianos and Sinhás Vitória, who make for the big cities in order to become ‘‘real people.’’ They continue to do so to this day. —Susana Schild VIRIDIANA Spain-Mexico, 1961 Director: Luis Buñuel Production: Uninci S.A. and Films 59 (Spain) and Gustavo Alatriste (Mexico); black and white, 35mm; running time: 90 minutes. Released 17 May 1961, Cannes Film Festival. Filmed in Spain, near Madrid and Toledo. Cannes Film Festival, Best Film, 1961. Producer: R. Muñoz Suay; screenplay: Luis Buñuel and Julio Alejandro, from a story by Buñuel; photography: José F. Aguayo; editor: Pedro del Rey; art director: Francisco Canet; music: Handel and Mozart; arranger: Gustavo Pittaluga. Cast: Silvia Pinal (Viridiana); Francisco Rabal (Jorge); Fernando Rey (Don Jaime); Margarita Lozano (Ramona); Victoria Zinny (Lucia); Teresa Rabal (Rita). Viridiana Publications Script: Buñuel, Luis, and Julio Alejandro, Viridiana, Mexico City, 1963; in Luis Buñuel: Three Screenplays, New York, 1960. Buñuel, Luis, Viridiana: Scénario et dialogues—variantes—dossier historique et critique, Paris, 1984. Books: Kyrou, Ado, Le Surréalisme au cinéma, Paris, 1963. Durgnat, Raymond, Luis Buñuel, Berkeley, 1968. Aranda, José Francisco, Luis Buñuel: Biografia Critica, Barcelona, 1969; as Luis Buñuel: A Critical Biography, New York, 1975. Alcala, Manuel, Buñuel, Madrid, 1973. Buache, Freddy, The Cinema of Luis Buñuel, New York, 1973. Bazin, André, Le Cinéma de la cruauté: De Buñuel à Hitchcock, Paris, 1975; as The Cinema of Cruelty: From Buñuel to Hitchcock, New York, 1982. Cesarman, Fernando, El ojo de Buñuel, Barcelona, 1976. Mellen, Joan, editor, The World of Luis Buñuel: Essays in Criticism, New York, 1978. Higginbotham, Virginia, Luis Buñuel, Boston, 1979. Williams, Linda, Figures of Desire: A Theory and Analysis of Surrealist Film, Urbana, 1981, 1992. Edwards, Gwynne, The Discreet Art of Luis Buñuel: A Reading of His Films, London, 1982. Buñuel, Luis, My Last Breath, London and New York, 1983. Rees, Margaret A., editor, Luis Buñuel: A Symposium, Leeds, 1983. Lefévre, Raymond, Luis Buñuel, Paris, 1984. Vidal, Agustin Sanchez, Luis Buñuel: Obra Cinematografica, Madrid, 1984. Aub, Max, Conversaciones con Buñuel: Seguidas de 45 entrevistas con familiares, amigos y colaboradores del cineasta aragones, Madrid, 1985. Bertelli, Pino, Buñuel: L’arma dello scandalo: L’anarchia nel cinema di Luis Buñuel, Turin, 1985. Oms, Marcel, Don Luis Buñuel, Paris, 1985. De la Colina, José, and Tomás Pérez Turrent, Luis Buñuel: Prohibido asomarse al interior, Mexico City, 1986. Sandro, Paul, Diversions of Pleasure: Luis Buñuel and the Crises of Desire, Columbus, Ohio, 1987. Baxter, John, Buñuel, London, 1994, 1998. Evans, Peter William, Films of Luis Buñuel: Subjectivity and Desire, Oxford, 1995. Tesson, Charles, Luis Buñuel, Paris, 1995. Articles: Hull, Davied, in Film Quarterly (Berkeley), Winter 1961–62. Douchet, Jean, in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), January 1962. Rothschild, Elaine, in Films in Review (New York), February 1962. Buñuel, Luis, in Film Culture (New York), Spring 1962. Riera, Emilio, in Film Culture (New York), Spring 1962. Benayoun, Robert, in Positif (Paris), March 1962. Seguin, Louis, ‘‘Viridiana et les Critiques,’’ in Positif (Paris), March 1962. Sarris, Andrew, in Village Voice (New York), 22 March 1962