Glauber Rocha facts for kids

Glauber de Andrade Rocha (born March 14, 1939 – died August 22, 1981), known as Glauber Rocha, was a famous Brazilian film director, actor, and screenwriter. He was one of the most important filmmakers in Brazilian cinema. He was also a key person in a film movement called Cinema Novo.

His movies, like Black God, White Devil and Entranced Earth, are seen as some of the best Brazilian films ever made. They are considered the second and fifth best Brazilian films of all time by a group called Abraccine.

Rocha's films were very new and experimental. They often talked about political issues. He especially focused on the difficult situations faced by countries in the "Third World". He called this "hunger" in his important essay Estética da Fome (The Aesthetics of Hunger).

Glauber Rocha won many awards. He won the Best Director award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival for Antonio das Mortes. He also won a special prize for Best Short Film in 1977 for Di. Three of his films were nominated for the top award, the Palme d'Or. Entranced Earth won the FIPRESCI award at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the Grand Prix at the Locarno Film Festival that same year.

Glauber Rocha's Life Story

Glauber Rocha was born in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. When he was 9 years old, his family moved to Salvador. There, he went to a well-known Presbyterian school.

Early Interests and Politics

As a teenager, Glauber became very interested in arts. He especially loved theatre and cinema. He even joined a drama group. He was also very active in politics. This interest in politics strongly influenced his movies later on.

In the late 1950s, he was part of a radical left group in Brazil. This group helped start a political party. They wanted a revolution against capitalism and even suggested getting rid of money.

Starting His Film Career

When he was 16, Glauber started working as a freelance writer for a local newspaper. He also began reviewing movies. He studied Law for about two years. In 1959, he directed his first short film called "Pátio."

After becoming known in Bahia for his writing and art, Rocha decided to leave college. He chose to work as a journalist and a film-maker.

Famous Films and Cinema Novo

Glauber Rocha is famous for a group of three films. These are Black God, White Devil (1964), Entranced Earth (1967), and Antonio das Mortes (1969). Black God, White Devil is often seen as his most famous movie. It was nominated for the Golden Palm award. Antonio das Mortes won him the Best Director award at Cannes.

His films were known for their strong political messages. They often mixed these messages with ideas from mysticism and folklore. His movies also had a very special style and way of being filmed. Rocha is considered one of the best Brazilian directors ever. He was also a leader of the Cinema Novo movement. He once said, "I am the Cinema Novo," like a famous king, Louis XIV, once said.

In an interview, Rocha explained his films. He said, "My Brazilian films belong to a time when my generation had big dreams and hopes. They are full of excitement, faith, and a desire to make a difference. They were inspired by my great love for Brazil."

Later Life and Exile

In 1969, Glauber Rocha was a judge at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1970, he appeared briefly in a film called Wind from the East. He was shown pointing the way for political cinema, like Cinema Novo.

In 1971, during a difficult time in Brazil, he left the country. This was a voluntary exile. He lived in many places, including Spain, Chile, and France. He later moved to the Portuguese Riviera, with help from a friend. He did not fully return home until his last days. He was transferred from Lisbon, where he was being treated for a lung infection, to Rio de Janeiro. Glauber Rocha passed away on August 22, 1981, at the age of 42. He had been married three times and had five children.

Glauber Rocha's Films

Key

Indicates a documentary film (a film that shows real events or people)

Indicates a short film (a film that is shorter than a typical movie)

List of films directed by Glauber Rocha

Year	Original title	English release title(s)	Language(s)	Notes
1958	Cruz na Praça			An unfinished silent short film. It is now lost.
1959	Pátio	Terrace	Silent
1962	Barravento	Barravento / The Turning Wind	Portuguese
1964	Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol	Black God, White Devil	Portuguese
1965	Amazonas, Amazonas		Portuguese	A short documentary about the Amazonas state in Brazil.
1966	Maranhão 66		Portuguese	A short documentary about José Sarney becoming governor of Maranhão state. It also shows the tough lives of poor people there.
1967	Terra em Transe	Anguished Land / Land Entranced / Land in Anguish / Entranced Earth	Portuguese
1968	1968		Portuguese	A short documentary about the March of the One Hundred Thousand protest.
1969	O Dragão da Maldade Contra o Santo Guerreiro	Antonio das Mortes	Portuguese	Made with France, Germany, and the USA.
1970	Der Leone Have Sept Cabeças	Der Leone Have Sept Cabeças, The Lion Has Seven Heads	Portuguese, French, German, English	Made with Italy, France, and Congo.
1970	Cabezas Cortadas	Cutting Heads	Spanish	Made with Spain.
1972	Paloma, Paloma		Portuguese	A film diary of Glauber's trip to Punta del Este. It shows his family reunion.
1973	História do Brasil	History of Brazil	Portuguese	Co-directed with Marcos Medeiros. Made with Cuba and Italy. A documentary about the history of Brazil.
1975	Claro		Italian, French, English	An Italian film production.
1975	As Armas e o Povo		Portuguese	A film made by many directors together. Glauber directed it with others. It's a Portuguese documentary about the 1974 Carnation Revolution.
1977	Di		Portuguese	Also known as Di Cavalcanti and Di-Glauber. A short documentary about artist Di Cavalcanti during his wake and burial.
1977	Jorge Amado no Cinema		Portuguese	Also known as Jorjamado and Jorjamado no Cinema. A short documentary about writer Jorge Amado.
1980	A Idade da Terra	The Age of the Earth	Portuguese
1982	Câncer	Cancer	Portuguese	Filmed between 1968 and 1972.
2015	A Vida É Estranha		Portuguese	Co-directed with Mossa Bildner. Filmed in 1973. A short documentary about Rocha and Bildner's trip to Essaouira city in Morocco.

Famous Sayings by Glauber Rocha

About art:

• "Art is not only talent, but mainly courage."
• "Art is as hard as love."
• "Every artist should be crazy and ambitious."
• "The artist's goal is to outrage."
• "The camera is an object that lies."
• "Cinema Novo is the creative mix of Brazilian and international popular cinema."
• "Cinema Novo stood with the Brazilian dream. Even if it is ugly, messy, dirty, confusing, and chaotic, it is also beautiful, shining, and revolutionary."

About politics:

• "The revolutionary truth lies within the minorities."
• "Dreaming is the only right one cannot forbid."
• "The State is stronger than the poet."
• "Stronger than anything is the people's power."
• "This country needs poets."

About himself:

• "I'm a single peasant from Vitória da Conquista."
• "I'm very famous and pretty poor."
• "You're all misunderstanding my madness!"

See also

In Spanish: Glauber Rocha para niños