NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Mawu Films Blu-ray (August 2022): Mawu Films have transferred Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil to Blu-ray. In 2012 the film was released on DVD is SD format. This new Blu-ray is cited as being from a "New 4K restoration from original 35mm materials preserved by the Cinemateca Brasileira" done in 2021. The 1080P image quality is stunning. There is beautifully layered contrast with rich black levels and a fine grain texture consistently over the HD presentation. It's bright, almost exclusively shot outdoors, and can have a rich bleached appearance. There are detailed close-ups and the overall image is pristinely clean.

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Mawu Films use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original Portuguese language. Black God, White Devil has few aggressive moments that come through with modest depth and score credited to, São Paulo-born, Sérgio Ricardo (only his second film composition.) There are a number of individual pieces written by Glauber Rocha & Sérgio Ricardo. It is very poetic and moving music sounding amazing in the lossless transfer. Mawu Films offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Mawu Films Blu-ray offers a commentary by restoration supervisor Lino Meireles. He is speaking in perfect English. He describes details of the very visuals film (no voice-over narration - although the songs provide some information.) He describes what they did in the restoration - bringing out lost detail - the past limitations, using the original negatives, removing flaws, etc. He says the DVDs are much brighter - losing much of the film's detail. He states that they achieved the image and sound quality that was present in the 60s. He considers Black God, White Devil the start of the Cinema Novo movement. I learned a lot from the commentary. There is a 1/4 hour video essay, in English, by Manuela Lazic and Alessandro Luchetti entitled "Intimacy and Distance - The Political Visual Style of Black God, White Devil". Discussed is the connection between the individual and the world at large in the film, how the director plays with scale and the contrast between intimacy and distance. It makes some excellent observations. Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil is a 1.5 hour, 2003, a documentary on the written and directed by Silvio Tendler featuring interviews with colleagues and collaborators including Camila Amado, Jorge Amado, Paulo Autran, Luiz Carlos Barreto, Norma Bengell and others. Cinema Novo is a 1.5 hour award-winning documentary made in 2016 by filmmaker and son of Glauber Rocha, Eryk Rocha, on the Brazilian filmmaking movement, featuring interviews with noted figures including Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade and Rocha himself. The package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and has a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho and critic Rafa Sales Ross.

Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil was a key early film in the Cinema Novo genre and movement - cinema noted for its emphasis on social equality and intellectualism. It rose to prominence in Brazil during the 1960s and 1970s. It shows the peasant lifestyle, hunger and people oppressed with a leaning to the open West and the 'cowboy' freedom of a John Ford film - including a 'gun for hire' bounty hunter, Antônio das Mortes (played by Maurício do Valle.) Black God, White Devil is such a treasure of Brazilian culture and history and will reach deeply to those who have never experienced its poetic beauty. There is despair, hope and strength. The Mawu Films complete Blu-ray package is awesome - for its astounding presentation, commentary and lengthy extras - two feature length documentaries, visual essay and booklet. This deserves votes at our year-end poll! Our highest recommendation to world cinema aficionados. 

Gary Tooze