Macunaíma

Screening on Film
Recently Restored

Directed by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade.
With Grande Otelo, Paulo Jose, Jardel Filho.
Brazil, 1969, 35mm, color, 110 min.
Portuguese with English subtitles.

Macunaíma’s foreword tells us the film “is the story of a Brazilian devoured by Brazil.” And so this landmark of Latin American cinema—and one of the most significant works of Cinema Nôvo's Tropicalist movement—begins. Based on the 1928 modernist novel of the same name, the film follows its hero from the jungle to São Paulo; his fantastic adventures include his transformation to a white man (and back again) and encounters with urban guerillas, cannibalistic industrialists, and, finally, a water spirit who eats him. Unmistakably political, Macunaima is an exhilarating mixture of zany comedy, flamboyant experimentation, and Brazilian folklore—presented here in a beautiful restoration showcasing its brilliant color.