''Banana da Terra'' (English: ''Banana of the Land'') is a 1939 Brazilian

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

directed by Ruy Costa and written by Braguinha and

Mário Lago Mário Lago OMC ( November 26, 1911 — May 30, 2002) was a Brazilian lawyer, poet, broadcaster, composer and actor. In the 1940s and 1950s, he was known for composing popular samba songs, such as " Ai! que saudade da Amélia" and "Atire a p ...

. The film stars

Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The B ...

Dircinha Batista Dirce Grandino de Oliveira (April 7, 1922 – June 18, 1999), known as Dircinha Batista, was a Brazilian actress and singer. Biography Daughter of the singer/composer/ventriloquist Batista Júnior and sister of Linda Batista, Dircinha Batista ...

and Aloysio de Oliveira. It was Miranda's last film in Brazil, before she moved to Hollywood.

Plot

In Banana da Terra, the actor Oscarito plays a man in charge of a publicity campaign for bananas who decides to kidnap the queen of Bananolândia, played by Dircinha Batista. She is taken to Rio and promptly falls in love with a character played by Aloísio de Oliveira, a member of Carmen Miranda's backing group, the

Bando da Lua Bando da Lua was a Brazilian band that made recordings from 1933-1954, notable for being Carmen Miranda's band. It was formed by Aloísio de Oliveira Aloísio or Aloysio de Oliveira (December 30, 1914 – February 4, 1995), also known as Louis ...

. The action unfolds in the glamorous realm of Rio's radio station and casinos, thus providing the perfect pretext for inclusion of a variety of musical numbers.

Production

In 1939, Sonofilmes released the musical comedy ''Banana da Terra'', which, like many of its musical predecessors, belonged to the tradition of carnival films that included hit songs and were released just before the annual celebrations. According to the Jornal do Brasil newspaper, ''Banana da Terra'' was to premiere on 10 February at the MGM-owned cinemas in Rio and São Paulo, the Pedro II cinema in Petrópolis, in the state of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, and the Guarani cinema in Salvador, Bahia, as well as in

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Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

and

Ribeirão Preto Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a municipality and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-largest municipality in the State wi ...

. Negotiations were also underway to show the film in the state capitals of

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...

and

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

. Thanks to the links between Alberto Byington Jr, Wallace Downey's associate, and Hollywood, this Sonofilmes production was distributed by MGM in Brazil, and consequently premiered in the luxurious Metro Passeio in Rio. ''Banana da Terra'' proved to be a great commercial success and to markedly influence the chanchada tradition, not least by combining self-deprecating humour with a

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...

critique of Hollywood clichés. The plot of the movie, first and foremost a construct to link together the various musical numbers, revolves around the imaginary Pacific island of Bananolândia, an allegorical tropical paradise, which was faced with the problem of a surplus of bananas. In this self-parodic comedy, Brazil adopts the reflected identity of the exotic island of plenty. These include "A Jardineira" by Benedito Lacerda and Humberto Porto, sung by Orlando Silva, which proved to be the carnival smash of the 1939 celebrations, and "Sei que é covardia" by Ataúflo Alves and Claudionor Cruz. ''Banana da Terra'' is best remembered for Carmen Miranda's rendition of the

Dorival Caymmi Dorival Caymmi (; April 30, 1914 – August 16, 2008) was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actor, and painter active for more than 70 years, beginning in 1933. He contributed to the birth of Brazil's bossa nova movement, and several of his samba ...

song " O que é que a baiana tem?", dresses in the "baiana" costume, in keeping with the song's lyrics. It is said that the composer went to Miranda's house where he taught her performance. But it was Miranda who made the look her own and used it to launch her international career as the embodiment of a pan-Latin American identity. Banana da Terra was to be Miranda's last Brazilian film; it was when performing its hit song "O que é que a baiana tem?" at Rio's Urca casino that she was "discovered" by the show business impresario

Lee Shubert Lee Shubert (born Levi Schubart; March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born to a Jewish family, the so ...

and taken to Broadway, and subsequently to Hollywood.

Cast

* Oscarito *

Aloísio de Oliveira Aloísio or Aloysio de Oliveira (December 30, 1914 – February 4, 1995), also known as Louis Oliveira, was a Brazilian record producer, singer, actor and composer. A key figure in the internationalization of Brazilian popular music, he contribute ...

Aurora Miranda Aurora Miranda da Cunha Richaid (20 April 1915 – 22 December 2005) was a Brazilian singer and actress. She began her career at the age of 18 in 1933. Miranda appeared in several films, including '' The Three Caballeros'', where she danced with ...

* Lauro Borges * Jorge Murad * Neide Martins * Mario Silva * Paulo Neto * Almirante * Alvarenga * Fernando Alvarez * Ivo Astolphi * Castro Barbosa * Linda Batista * Emilinha Borba * Oswaldo de Moraes Eboli * Carlos Galhardo * Hélio Jordão * Barbosa Júnior * César Ladeira * Virgínia Lane * Afonso Osório * Stênio Osório * Ranchinho * Linda Rodrigues * Orlando Silva * Romeu Silva * Napoleão Tavares

Musical numbers

* O Que é Que a Baiana Tem? ... Performed by

* Pirulito ... Performed by Carmen Miranda and Almirante * Menina do Regimento ... Performed by Aurora Miranda * A Tirolesa ... Performed by Dircinha Batista * Eu Vou Pra Farra ... Performed by Bando da Lua * Não Sei Por Quê ... Performed by Bando da Lua * Sei Que É Covardia, Mas ... Performed by Carlos Galhardo * Sem Banana ... Performed by Carlos Galhardo * Mares da China ... Performed by Carlos Galhardo * Amei Demais ... Performed by Castro Barbosa * A Jardineira ... Performed by Orlando Silva

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0031076 1939 musical comedy films 1939 films Brazilian musical comedy films 1930s Portuguese-language films Lost Brazilian films Brazilian black-and-white films