#1047: BABENCO, Héctor: Pixote (1980)
BABENCO, Héctor (Brazil)
Commentary
None.
Introduction
U.S. Release Prologue
Pixote [1980]
Spine #1047
Blu-ray
Blu-ray
With a blend of harsh realism and aching humanity, Héctor Babenco's international breakout Pixote offers an electrifying look at youth fighting to survive on the bottom rung of Brazilian society, and a stinging indictment of the country's military dictatorship and police. In a heartbreaking performance, Fernando Ramos da Silva plays a young boy who escapes a nightmarish reformatory only to resort to a life of violent crime, even as he forms a makeshift family with some fellow outcasts.
126 minutes
Color
Color
Monaural
in Portuguese
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2020
Director/Writers
Based on the novel Infância dos mortos by José Louzeiro.
Written by Héctor Babenco and Jorge Durán.
Babenco was 34 when he directed Pixote.
The Film
The Film
Most of the films in the World Cinema Project come from countries and directors who were known only locally. Babenco is the rare director in these series to have gone to Hollywood success after this particular film — his Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) and Ironweed (1987) were both award nominees and/or winners …
**
Pixote (pronounced pee-chōte) is an amazing, devastating piece of filmmaking. Babenco assembled an entirely nonprofessional cast and made a polished, deeply disturbing film — which is nevertheless a pleasure to watch. Fátima Toledo was the acting coach on this film, and on another great Brazilian film made on a similar subject, also with nonprofessionals 22 years later — Fernando Meirelles’ City of God (2002).
Ten-year-old Fernando Ramos da Silva (Pixote) is fabulous in the lead role. His tragic death at 19 (shot by a policeman) only confirms what we know from watching this film — the life of crime is alluring to these kids, and the class warfare of Brazilian life (to this day) is all many young people know.
Equally captivating is Jorge Julião as the gay/trans Lilica, and Gilberto Moura as Dito, who is Lilica’s playmate, but has an angry, uncontrolable personality. The rest of the cast are all great, as Babenco splits the film time between the reformatory and the outside world to which the kids have escaped.
The score by John Neschling is superb, a perfect match for the images — both violent and tender.
“Fernando Ramos de Silva, the young actor who plays Pixote, was from a similar background to that of his character. To cast the film, Babenco had recruited young, untrained actors from poor neighborhoods in São Paulo and, after a lengthy process in which he held workshops with hundreds of these children, he whittled their number down to the seven who play Pixote and the film’s other main characters … the young da Silva combines a precocious toughness of street life apparent in his facial expressions and body language as Pixote.”
Commentary
None.
Introduction
To the film by World Cinema Project founder Martin Scorsese.
Excerpts
Excerpts
From an interview with director Babenco, recorded in 2016 for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Visual History Program Collection.
U.S. Release Prologue
For Pixote, created by Babenco.
Short intro for the U.S. audience, which shows da Silva’s shack in the slums.
Extras Rating (0-40):
Extras Rating (0-40):
Comments
Post a Comment