''Antonio das Mortes'' ( pt, O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro, lit. "The Dragon of Wickedness Against the Holy Warrior") is a 1969 Brazilian

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Glauber Rocha Glauber de Andrade Rocha (; 14 March 1939 – 22 August 1981) was a Brazilian film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most influential moviemakers of Brazilian cinema and a key figure of Cinema Novo. His films ''Black God, White ...

. It is often cited as the last installment of Rocha's film trilogy, preceded by '' Black God, White Devil'' and ''

Entranced Earth ''Entranced Earth'' ( pt, Terra em Transe , "World in a Trance", also called ''Land in Anguish'' or ''Earth Entranced'') is a 1967 Brazilian ''Cinema Novo'' drama film directed by Glauber Rocha. It was shot in Parque Lage and at the Municipal T ...

''. It features return of the character

Antonio das Mortes ''Antonio das Mortes'' ( pt, O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro, lit. "The Dragon of Wickedness Against the Holy Warrior") is a 1969 Brazilian western film directed by Glauber Rocha. It is often cited as the last installment of Rocha's ...

, now as the protagonist, again played by

Maurício do Valle Maurício do Valle (1 March 1928 – 7 October 1994) was a Brazilian film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1952 and 1994. He is also known for his roles in several Brazilian TV series, such as Rede Globo's ''Roque Santeiro'' (1985), a ...

. The original title is a reference to the tale of Saint George and the Dragon.

Plot

After the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian

sertão The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the "hinterland" or "backcountry". In Brazil, it refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil (similar to the specific association of " outback" with Australia in Englis ...

. A group of impoverished peasant mystics (''beatos'') gathered around Dona Santa (

Rosa Maria Penna Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) *Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places *223 Rosa, an asteroid * Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States *Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, G ...

), a female spiritual figure, join in veneration of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

with an obscure figure named Coirana ( Lorival Pariz). Coirana claims to have restarted the

cangaço ''Cangaço'' () was a phenomenon of Northeast Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This region of Brazil is known for its aridness and hard way of life, and in a form of "social banditry" against the government, many men and women d ...

and seeks to take the revenge of

Lampião "Captain" Virgulino Ferreira da Silva (), better known as Lampião (older spelling: ''Lampeão'', , meaning "lantern" or "oil lamp"), was probably the twentieth century's most successful traditional bandit leader. The banditry endemic to the Brazi ...

and other cangaceiro martyrs, presenting the tale of Saint George and the Dragon in a contemporary class conflict context. They threaten the town of

Jardim de Piranhas Jardim de Piranhas is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in the Northeast region of Brazil. According to accounts, in the city in the 19th century, cowboys were crossing the Piranhas River with their cattle in high season, the riv ...

governed by '' Coronel'' Horácio (

Joffre Soares Joffre Soares (21 September 1918 – 19 August 1996) was a Brazilian film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1963 and 1996. Selected filmography * '' Vidas secas'' (1963) - Fazendeiro (Farmer) * ''Manaus, Glória de uma Época'' (196 ...

) a blind and old cattle owner married to younger and attractive Laura (

Odete Lara Odete Lara (born Odete Righi Bertoluzzi; 17 April 1929 – 4 February 2015), was a Brazilian film actress. She appeared in 37 films between 1954 and 1994, including two films shown at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1957 she was awarded with P ...

). Dr. Mattos ( Hugo Carvana), the corrupt police chief of the town, hires Antônio das Mortes as a ''

jagunço A Jagunço (), from the Portuguese ''zarguncho'' (a weapon of African origin, similar to a short lance or ''chuzo''), is an armed hand or bodyguard, usually hired by plantation owners and "colonels" in the backlands of Brazil, especially in Nort ...

'' against Coirana and Antônio fatally wounds Coirana in a duel. However, Antônio is changed by his experiences with the poor, and so he then demands that the ''coronel'' distribute the food stored in a warehouse to the remaining cangaceiros. The colonel raged and sent Mata Vaca (

Vinícius Salvatori Vinícius is a Portuguese given name from the Roman family name ''Vinicius'', possibly derived from Latin ''vinum'' "wine". Notable people with the name include: * Lucius Vinicius, Roman consul in 33 BC * Marcus Vinicius, Roman consul in 19 BC, Ro ...

) to kill Antônio das Mortes. But Antônio das Mortes with the help of his friend "Professor" (

Othon Bastos Othon José de Almeida Bastos (born 23 May 1933) is a Brazilian actor. He has appeared in 50 films since 1962. Filmography References External links * 1933 births Living people Brazilian male film actors People from Bahia 20th-ce ...

) kills Mata Vaca and his jagunços. The ''coronel'' is killed by Antão (

Mário Gusmão Mario is the Italian, French, Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Greek, and English form of the Latin Roman name Marius. In Croatia, the name Mario was among the most common masculine given names in the decades between 1970 and 1999, and ...

), the helper and possibly lover of Dona Santa in a scene reminiscent of Saint George slaying the Dragon iconography. The movie ends with Antônio das Mortes walking by the roadside, carrying on the struggle - in some ways hopeless or unending - which extends beyond the killing of the colonel and the expropriation of his land.

Cast

- Antônio das Mortes *

- Laura *

- Professor * Hugo Carvana - Dr. Mattos *

- Coronel Horácio * Lorival Pariz - Coirana * Rosa Maria Penna - Dona Santa * Vinícius Salvatori - Mata Vaca * Mário Gusmão - Antão * Emmanuel Cavalcanti - Priest * Santi Scaldaferri - Batista * Conceição Senna - Waitress * Paulo Lima

Awards

Rocha won the award for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

at the

1969 Cannes Film Festival The 22nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 8 to 23 May 1969. At this festival a new non-competitive section called Directors' Fortnight was added, in response to the cancellation of the 1968 festival. The Grand Prix du Festival International d ...

. It was chosen by the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

to represent Brazil in the

42nd Academy Awards The 42nd Academy Awards were presented April 7, 1970, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. For the second year in a row, there was no official host. Awards were presented by seventeen "Friends of Oscar": Bob Hope, Joh ...

, but was not nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Soundtrack

* Antonio das Mortes, written & performed by Sérgio Ricardo * Carinhoso, written by

Pixinguinha Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, known as Pixinguinha (; April 23, 1897February 17, 1973) was a Brazilian composer, arranger, flautist and saxophonist born in Rio de Janeiro. Pixinguinha is considered one of the greatest Brazilian composers of pop ...

& João de Barro, performed by Odete Lara & Hugo Carvana * Coirana, written by Walter Queiroz, performed by Lorival Pariz * Volta por Cima, written by

Paulo Vanzolini Paulo Emilio Vanzolini (; April 25, 1924 – April 28, 2013) was a Brazilian scientist and music composer. He was best known for his samba compositions, including the famous ''"Ronda", "Volta por Cima"'', and ''"Boca da Noite"'', and for his sci ...

* Ukrinmakrinkrin, for soprano, wind instruments, and piano, composed by

Marlos Nobre Marlos Nobre (born February 18, 1939 in Recife, Pernambuco) Béhague, Gerard: 'Nobre, Marlos', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 23 June 2007) is a Brazilian composer. He has received commissions from numerous institutions, including the M ...

References

External links