Thursday, October 04, 2018

Chico Fumaça (1957)

Chico is a a humble peasant who, while walking through an open field, spots a massive land depression along the railroad, caused by a recent storm; he runs to alert the train which is coming, thus saving it and the lives of its passengers. He becomes a local hero. A politician who happens to be visiting his hometown decides to use him for his own political advantage. He offers Chico a reward and an interview with the president, at the capital. The trip to the big city is a new experience for Chico, and he is targeted by crooks who want to swindle him out of his reward money.

Unpretentious comedy, a kind of Third World distant cousin of films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. The humor is simple, and there is a bit of elementary political satire, which was usual in comedies of that period, invariably depicting politicians as liars and money-grubbers; this one's party is named the Opportunist Party, just to give you a rough picture. The musical numbers are nice but nothing extraordinary. Here's one of them, featuring the famous samba 'Agora É Cinza', by Bide (b. Alcebíades Maia Barcelos) and Marçal (b. Armando Vieira Marçal):


Rating: 32

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