Joaquim Pedro De Andrade: The Complete Films Blu-ray

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Joaquim Pedro De Andrade: The Complete Films

Brazil 1959 - 1982

Kino Lorber presents the complete oeuvre of Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, one of the most important figures in the Cinema Novo movement that transformed Brazilian cinema in the 1960s and 70s. Andrade’s oeuvre has been overshadowed to some extent by the success of his 1969 masterpiece, MACUNAÍMA, but his career encompassed four additional features, as well as numerous short films and the hour-long documentary GARRINCHA: HERO OF THE JUNGLE (1963), all of which are remarkable accomplishments that would suffice to establish his place in the pantheon of Brazilian filmmakers.

Hailing from a culturally prominent family in Rio de Janeiro, Andrade grew up in close contact with some of the country’s greatest artists, writers, and scholars. Abandoning his university education to pursue filmmaking, he would soon find himself at the heart of the proliferation of formally and politically audacious filmmaking that comprised Cinema Novo. Like those of his fellow Cinema Novo-associated filmmakers, such as Glauber Rocha, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Leon Hirszman, Ruy Guerra, and many others, Andrade’s films combined a sophisticated, modernist formal approach with an uncompromisingly political, often outrageous, and uniquely Brazilian sensibility that makes his work every bit as vital today as it was in the 1960s and 70s.

Posters

DVD Reviews

Review:

Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Kino Region 'A' Blu-ray
Video	Disc One Size: 49,097,448,344 bytes Disc Two Size: 48,825,458,220 bytes Disc Three Size: 49,179,430,124 bytes Average Bitrate: 26.98 Mbps 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
Bitrate Sample Disc 1 Blu-ray
Bitrate Sample Disc 2 Blu-ray
Bitrate Sample Disc 3 Blu-ray
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio Portuguese 1566 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1566 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino Disc One Size: 49,097,448,344 bytes Disc Two Size: 48,825,458,220 bytes Disc Three Size: 49,179,430,124 bytes Average Bitrate: 26.98 Mbps 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Shorts (see below) Booklet Essay by Fabio Andrade Blu-ray Release Date: September 25th, 2018 Transparent Thick Blu-ray case

Titles

Comments:

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

From Wikipedia: "Cinema Novo 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. It means "New Cinema" in Portuguese, which is the official language of Brazil, the movement's "home". Cinema Novo formed in response to class and racial unrest both in Brazil and the United States. Influenced by Italian neorealism and French New Wave, films produced under the ideology of Cinema Novo opposed traditional Brazilian cinema, which consisted primarily of musicals, comedies and Hollywood-style epics."

Kino's Region 'A' 1080P package of Joaquim Pedro De Andrade: The Complete Films is housed on three dual-layered Blu-rays. The presentations are in the 1:33:1 aspect ratios except the 1966 film O Padre e a Moça (The Priest and the Girl) which is in 1.66:1. They have been "restored in 2K" and looks fabulous. The sources seem in strong condition and there are no marks, while colors are tight and rich. The contrast is layered nicely - notable in the black and white films. There is depth and grain support. No digitization whatsoever. Each Blu-ray has two features plus short films by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade with a total running time of over 10-hours of content.

The Blu-ray first has:

Garrincha - Alegria do Povo aka Garrincha: Hero of the Jungle (60-minutes, 1963)
O Padre e a Moça aka The Priest and the Girl (91-minutes, 1965)
with shorts:
O Poeta do Castelo aka The Poet of Castelo (11-minute, 1959)
O Mestre de Apipucos aka The Master of Apipucos (9-minutes, 1959)
Cat Skin (15-minutes, 1960)
Cinema Novo (33-minutes, 1967)

The second Blu-ray has:
Macunaima (1-hour 44-minutes, 1969)
Os Inconfidentes aka The Conspirators (1-hour 19-minutes, 1972)
with shorts:
Brasília, Contradições de uma Cidade aka Brasilia: Contradictions of a New City (23-minutes, 1967)
The Language of Persuasion (11-minutes, 1970)

The third Blu-ray has:

Guerra Conjugal aka Conjugal Warfare (91-minutes, 1975)
Brazilwood Man (106-minutes, 1981)
and shorts:
Tropical Lane aka Erotic Stories (25-minutes, 1972)
O Aleijadinho (24-minutes, 1972)

Kino use DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono tracks (at 24-bit) in the original Portuguese language. Dialogue is relatively clear within the confines of the production limitations. There were no egregious pops or drop-outs and little music although sparingly utilized and credited to composers like Carlos Lyra and Severino Silva while some may enjoy traditional music as sung by Sílvio Caldas Dalva de Oliveira etc.. Kino add optional English subtitles - see sample below - on their Region 'A' Blu-ray disc.

Aside from the many short films included the supplements consist of a 16-page booklet with photos from the individual films and an essay by Fabio Andrade.

This is a fabulous introduction to Cinema Novo. Joaquim Pedro de Andrade's films are frequently allegorical, funny, educational, and inventive in the backdrop of Brazil's burgeoning national ethos in the 60's and 70's. There is some impressive cinematography showcased evocatively by Kino's restored Blu-ray transfer. Keen cinephiles have our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze

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