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(aka "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol" or "Black God, White Devil" or "God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun")
Directed by Glauber Rocha
Brazil 1964
Myth, mysticism, and revolution collide in a blistering existential western from Glauber Rocha, a pioneer of Brazil’s socially committed Cinema Novo movement. After killing his swindling boss, ranch hand Manoel (Geraldo Del Rey) goes on the run with his wife, Rosa (Yoná Magalhães). In the stark hinterlands, they join forces with armed bandits and pledge allegiance to a self-styled holy man who preaches revolt against rich landowners while perpetrating unspeakable acts of violence against the innocent. Suffused with antiauthoritarian fervor and the intensity of life in the desert, this landmark work of radical cinema is a scorched-earth allegory about mindless fanaticism and the allure of dead-end ideologies. ***
One of the most acclaimed and influential Brazilian films ever made, Black God,
White Devil (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol) tells the story of Manoel, a young
cowherd who murders a wealthy ranch owner and flees to the drought-ridden
hinterlands of northern Brazil with his wife Rosa. Now outlawed, they join a
religious cult headed by the mystic self-proclaimed saint Sabastião, who
condones acts of violence. The couple are plunged into a moral dilemma between
embracing religious fanaticism and a life of brutality amongst rural peasant
bandits. Meanwhile, the authorities hire a gunman known as Antonio Das Mortes to
track them down. *** Wanted for killing his boss, Manuel flees with his wife Rosa to the sertão, the barren landscape of Northern Brazil. Thrust into a primordial violent region, Manuel and Rosa come under the influence and control of a series of frightening figures. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: May 11th, 1964 (Cannes Film Festival)
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Comparison:
Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures: |
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Distribution | Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Criterion Spine #1225 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:00:35.519 | 2:00:56.582 |
Video |
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 48,086,318,693 bytesFeature: 28,590,756,864 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.91 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,127,205,754 bytesFeature: 36,825,114,624 bytesVideo Bitrate: 36.23 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Mawu Films Blu-ray: |
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Bitrate Criterion Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
DTS-HD Master
Audio Portuguese 920 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 920 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
LPCM Audio
Portuguese 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB |
Subtitles | English, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Mawu Films
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 48,086,318,693 bytesFeature: 28,590,756,864 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.91 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Audio commentary by restoration supervisor Lino Meireles • Video essay by Manuela Lazic and Alessandro Luchetti (13:39) • Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil - a documentary on the filmmaker by Silvio Tendler featuring interviews with colleagues and collaborators (2003, 1:37:53) • Cinema Novo - an award-winning documentary 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 (2016, 1:32:23) Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho and critic Rafa Sales Ross Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with limited edition booklet and reversible sleeve
Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 12 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,127,205,754 bytesFeature: 36,825,114,624 bytesVideo Bitrate: 36.23 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by restoration producer Lino Meireles • Memória do cangaço (1964), a short documentary on the origins of cangaço, a form of social banditry in northeastern Brazil (29:00)
Blu-ray 2 PLUS: An essay by film scholar Fábio Andrade
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 1 3 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 50 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-rays,
Criterion use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the
original Portuguese language. Black God, White Devil
has some aggression - rifle fire, physical attacks etc. - it may support
the bass a bit richer but remains authentically flat. São Paulo-born, Sérgio Ricardo (only his second film
composition) are credited with the score. There are a number of individual pieces written by Glauber
Rocha & Sérgio Ricardo. It is poetic and moving music sounding very
precise and buoyant in the uncompressed transfer. Criterion offer optional
English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked
Blu-ray.
The Criterion
Blu-ray
offer the same audio 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. Included is a new 22-minute interview with film scholar
Richard Peña. He was formerly program director of Film at Lincoln Center,
organizers of the New York Film Festival and the New Directors/New Films
Festival. His video piece is entitled Glauber Rocha's Cinema of
Resistance. he talks about the director and Brazil's socially committed
Cinema Novo movement. 1964's Memória do cangaço is a 1/2 hour
documentary on the origins of cangaço, a form of social banditry in
northeastern Brazil.
The second
Blu-ray
has the same two documentary films as the Mawu package;
Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil is a 1.5 hour, 2003,
documentary 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.
Lastly is a new trailer and the package has
liner notes with an essay by film scholar Fábio Andrade.
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
Criterion effectively spreads the film over a larger disc space providing a
more robust and, presumably, superior image. The Criterion also has the two
important feature-length documentaries plus they add a valuable Richard Peña
piece, 1964's Memória do cangaço 1/2 hour documentary and liner
notes booklet. The film is very strongly recommended!
***
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
The Mawu Films complete Blu-ray
package
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Menus / Extras
Criterion Spine #1225 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray 1
Criterion Spine #1225 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray 2
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
|
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Criterion Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Mawu Films Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures: |
Bonus Captures: |
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Distribution | Mawu Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Criterion Spine #1225 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |