When Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll crowned Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles No.1 last year there was a great deal of predictably boring discourse online. The most striking thing I saw in the fallout had nothing to do with Chantel Akerman’s masterpiece, but instead was the complete absence of Latin American cinema in the Top 100. Latin American filmmakers and critics have long bemoaned their continued exclusion, and have passionately encouraged film enthusiasts to dig deeper into the continent’s rich history of films that are awaiting rediscovery and reappraisal. Thanks to the brilliant Mawu Films and Radiance Films, who are collaborating for a second time, we have the chance to do just that with their release and restoration of the Brazilian classic Black God, White Devil (1964).
The film sees Ranch hand Manoel (Geraldo Del Ray), going on the run across Brazil with his wife Rosa (Yoná Magalhães), after killing his boss for trying to cheat him out of his wages. On his journey he becomes entranced with Sebastiao (Lidio Silva), a religious fanatic who preaches about rising up against the landowners, and then falls in with a group of rebels lead by Corsico (Othon Bastos), who aim to disrupt the political status quo by way of violence. Manoel continuously crosses paths with Antonio das Mortes (Mauricio do Valle), an infamous bounty hunter who is hired by the church and the upper class to kill Sebastiao and Corsico.
Black God, White Devil is an urgent, revolutionary western that rages against social inequality in ’60s Brazil. Directed by Glauber Rocha, it was an important film in the Cinema Novo movement, which sought to revolutionise the Brazilian movie industry by making films for everyday people. Rocha’s adoption of the Western genre is the perfect backdrop for a film that paints Brazil as a lawless, cutthroat country where the working class are left to fend for themselves and navigate their life without governmental support, while greedy institutions seek power and wealth at the expense of the people they serve. Manoel lives in poverty and reaches breaking point because he’s powerless to fight back against the ruling elite, which pushes him to the brink of society where he becomes vulnerable to the charms and promises of charismatic men who weaponise their socialist ideology by inciting violence. He falls further and further into a nightmare that ends in a dizzying finale as he flees across the desert, abandoning his wife and running without any sense of hope or direction.
The 4K restoration of Black God, White Devil is gloriously full of fine details, the film overflowing with visually striking images that recall the works of Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Buñuel.
The 4K restoration of Black God, White Devil is gloriously full of fine details, the film overflowing with visually striking images that recall the works of Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Buñuel, as Glauber Rocha contrasts his world of bloody violence with a visual poeticism that makes the movie feel mythical and dreamy. Rocha grounds this style in the reality of those who live in poverty with an Italian Neorealist influence, at times taking an anthropological approach to documenting the manual labour undertaken by the working class. The Cinema Novo movement sought to “shoot exteriors, the streets, the living things” and the film benefits from the urgency of shooting on location in Brazil’s vast landscapes. This is a film that feels alive in its imagery, its story and its anger, and the result is mesmerising – a Western by way of Eisenstein and Rossellini that’s embellished by Rocha’s singular point of view.
Black God, White Devil was voted the second best Brazilian film of all time by the Brazilian Critics Association, while Mawu and Radiance’s previous release, the astonishing Man Marked for Death: 20 Years Later placed fourth on the same list. I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to watch these brilliant films that having been lovingly restored, and experiencing them how they are meant to be experienced. If both of these companies continue to do such important work in making Latin American classics available for larger consumption, I can’t help but think that the Sight & Sound poll will look a little different in 9 years time – and will be all the better for it!
I also have to shout about the incredible depth of the Special Features on this wonderful release that include: a fascinating feature-length documentary about the Cinema Novo movement directed by Rocha’s son; an informative commentary by restoration supervisor Lino Meireles; a video essay on the film’s visual style; and a feature-length documentary on Glauber Rocha. Cinema Novo by Eryk Rocha won the Golden Eye at Cannes in 2016 and helps to contextualise the movement, as well as introduce Rocha’s contemporaries and their films. Its inclusion feels perfect for those who are invigorated by watching Black God, White Devil and want to discover more films from Brazilian history. It honestly feels like a coup to get so much packed into the Special Features, and it helps to make this release from Mawu and Radiance a must have.
Black God, White Devil is out now on Mawu Films Blu-Ray through Radiance Films
