Nelson Pereira dos Santos
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Nelson Pereira dos Santos (22 October 1928 21 April 2018) was a Brazilian film director. He directed films such as '' Vidas Secas'' (Barren Lives), based on the book with the same name by Brazilian writer
Graciliano Ramos Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira () (October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician and journalist. He is known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian ''sert ...
.


Biography

Pereira dos Santos, named in honor of Almirante Horatio Nelson, was born in
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, Brazil. Himself a frequenter of the cinema, Pereira dos Santos's father brought his very young son to the movie theater for the first time. By secondary school Pereira dos Santos was already fond of literature, and at 15 years old he joined the
Brazilian Communist Party The Brazilian Communist Party ( pt-BR, Partido Comunista Brasileiro), originally the Communist Party of Brazil (), is a communist party in Brazil founded on 25 March 1922 which makes the disputed claim of being the oldest political party stil ...
and became close to one of its other members, Astrogildo Pereira. At the time the party was considered illegal by the government of
Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...
. The first feature film he directed was ''Rio 40°'', which was released in 1955. The film is a chronicle of life in the
favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...
s 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 it influenced several other directors, spurring the
Cinema Novo Cinema Novo (), "New Cinema" in English, is a genre and movement of film noted for its emphasis on social equality and intellectualism that rose to prominence in Brazil during the 1960s and 1970s.Dixon & Foster, 293. Cinema Novo formed in respo ...
movement. In 1963, Pereira dos Santos was a member of the jury at the
3rd Moscow International Film Festival The 3rd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 21 July 1963. The Grand Prix was awarded to the Italian film ''8½'' directed by Federico Fellini. Jury * Grigori Chukhrai (USSR - President of the Jury) * Shaken Ajmanov (USSR) * S ...
. In 1981 he was a member of the jury at the
12th Moscow International Film Festival The 12th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 7 to 21 July 1981. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Brazilian film ''O Homem que Virou Suco'' directed by João Batista de Andrade, the Vietnamese film '' The Abandoned Field: Free Fi ...
. His most well-known film outside Brazil is ''Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês'' (''
How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman ''How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman'' ( pt, Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês) is a Brazilian black comedy directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos released in 1971. Almost all of the dialogue in the film was written in the Tupi language. The act ...
'', 1971). It was entered into the
21st Berlin International Film Festival The 21st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 26 June – 6 July 1971. The ''Young Filmmakers Forum'' (in 1987 renamed ''International Forum for New Cinema'') section was introduced at the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded ...
. The film takes place in the sixteenth century and details the alleged cannibalistic practices of the (now extinct) indigenous Tupinamba warrior tribe against the French and Portuguese colonizers of the Brazilian
littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...
. The film is something of a
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
about
European colonialism The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turkish people, Turks, and the Arabs. Colonialism in the mode ...
—one that makes satirical use of the Brazilian modernist
trope Trope or tropes may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept * Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device * Trope (music), any of a variety of different things ...
of ''Antropofagia'' ("cultural cannibalism"), then recently revived by the Tropicalismo movement of the 1960s—as well as a bitter commentary on the historical genocide of the indigenous tribes in Latin America and the gradual destruction of their civilization. His 1994 film '' The Third Bank of the River'' was entered into the
44th Berlin International Film Festival The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1994. The Golden Bear was awarded to British-Irish film ''In the Name of the Father'' directed by Jim Sheridan. The retrospective dedicated to Austrian director, ...
. Pereira dos Santos' 2006 film ''Brasília 18%'' explores some of the darker aspects of contemporary Brazilian politics such as political corruption, the murder of trial witnesses, and money laundering. Pereira dos Santos was a member of the
Brazilian Academy of Letters The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...
since 2006.


Death

Pereira dos Santos died of multiple organ failure in Rio de Janeiro on 12 April 2018. He was 89.


Selected filmography

* '' Juventude'' (1949; short film) * '' Rio 40 Graus'' (1955) * ''
Rio Zona Norte Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
'' (1957) * '' Mandacaru Vermelho'' (1961) * '' El justicero'' (1963) * '' Barren Lives'' (1963) * '' The Golden Mouth'' (1963) * ''
Hunger for Love ''Hunger for Love'' ( pt, Fome de Amor) is a 1968 Brazilian drama film directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. It was entered into the 18th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Arduíno Colassanti - Felipe * Leila Diniz - Ulla * Paulo Po ...
'' (1968) * ''
The Alienist ''The Alienist'' is a crime novel by Caleb Carr first published in 1994 and is the first book in the Kreizler series. It takes place in New York City in 1896, and includes appearances by many famous figures of New York society in that era, inc ...
'' (1970) * ''
How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman ''How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman'' ( pt, Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês) is a Brazilian black comedy directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos released in 1971. Almost all of the dialogue in the film was written in the Tupi language. The act ...
'' (1971) * '' Quem é Beta?'' (1972) * ''
The Amulet of Ogum ''The Amulet of Ogum'' ( pt, O Amuleto de Ogum) is a 1974 Brazilian drama film directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. It was entered into the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. It was also selected as the Brazilian entry for the Best Foreign Language F ...
'' (1974) * '' Tenda dos Milagres'' (1977) * '' A Missa do Galo'' (1980; short film) * '' The Highway of Life'' (1983) * '' Memórias do Cárcere'' (1984) * ''
Jubiabá ''Jubiabá'' () is a Brazilian modernist novel written by Jorge Amado in 1935. It earned Amado an international reputation, being hailed by Albert Camus as “a magnificent and haunting” book. Begun in 1934 in Conceição da Feira in Bahia, wh ...
'' (1986) * '' The Third Bank of the River'' (1994) * '' Cinema de Lágrimas'' (1995) * '' Casa-Grande e Senzala'' (2000; TV film) * '' Raízes do Brasil'' (2003) * '' Meu Compadre, Zé Ketti'' (2003; short film) * '' Brasília 18%'' (2006) * '' The Music According to Antonio Carlos Jobim'' (2012) * ''
A Luz do Tom ''A Luz do Tom'' is a 2013 Brazilian documentary film directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. Based on the book ''Antonio Carlos Jobim: um Homem Iluminado'', written by Helena Jobim, the documentary follows the life and work of Antonio Carlos Job ...
'' (2013)


Bibliography

*Darlene J. Sadlier: ''Nelson Pereira dos Santos'' (Contemporary Film Directors), University of Illinois Press, 2003,


References


External links


Nelson Pereira dos Santos Bio-Filmography
at
Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...
by Hudson Moura *
Description of dos Santos by Ephraim Katz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Nelson Pereira dos 1928 births 2018 deaths Brazilian film directors People from São Paulo University of São Paulo alumni Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil) Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Rio de Janeiro (state)