synopsis
A chronological and contradictory montage of photographed, painted, drawn, and filmed documents about Brazil. The images were collected from the archives of ICAIC – Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry. The work lasted three years, from October 1971 to August 1974. The text was written based on consultations with specialized Brazilian bibliography. Marcos Medeiros collaborated on the research and production work. The film does not contain interviews. It can be defined as a Historical Newsreel of Brazil… image and text, noise and background music in order to allow the viewer to hear the text over the silent image. At the end there is a sequence in which culture is commented on through music, from the Minas Gerais Baroque to Tropicalismo. The music that seemed critical or revolutionary to the director was selected. The film ends with an off-screen dialogue between Brazilians and a sporting-operatic metaphor between Pelé and Villa-Lobos. A fresco spanning over four hundred years of history, utilizing Brazilian fiction films and documentaries, photographs, and excerpts from Glauber Rocha’s films, in a dialectical and original interpretation of Brazilian life from 1500 to the present day.
technical specifications
Title: HISTÓRIA DO BRASIL
Language: Portuguese
Directed by: Glauber Rocha, Marcos Medeiros
Also: 1974
Duration: 166 min
Formato original: 35mm
Color: P&B
Country: Italy, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Production company(ies): ICAIC – Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry; Tricontinental
Production: Enzo Rosseline
Distribution company(ies): CDI – Cinema Distribuição Independente
Story/script / research: Glauber Rocha, Marcos Medeiros


