Third viewing, probably; last previous viewing: March 28, 1990; I have probably first viewed it between 1983 and 1986.
U.S. title (release): Black God, White Devil.
U.S. title (literal translation): God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun.
A poor cowhand kills his employer and then seeks refuge first among a sect of fanatics, then among an outlaw rural gang.
A study of the social situation in the arid lands of Northeastern Brazil. Often praised for being formally innovative, it is actually rather conventionally staged as a theater play with outdoor settings, filmed with a freer than usual camera. The diretor (and/or perhaps the cinematographer) has a keen eye for striking compositions, especially in the first half of the movie, which lend it a certain aestheticist flavor. The slowness of it all has certainly exasperated numerous viewers, but it is part of a coherent style. There is a thematic intersection with Vereda da Salvação, released in the following year, and a superior film if my assessment was correct at the time I viewed it.
Rating: 58 (unchanged)
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