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O Pagador de Promessas

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox film

| name = O Pagador de Promessas

| image = Pagador-de-promessas-poster01.jpg

| caption = Original poster in Portuguese

| writer = Anselmo Duarte

| based_on =

| starring = Leonardo Villar
Glria Menezes
Norma Bengell
Dionsio Azevedo

| director = Anselmo Duarte

| producer = Oswaldo Massaini

| music = Gabriel Migliori

| cinematography = H. E. Fowle

| editing = Carlos Coimbra

| studio = Cinedistri

| distributor = Cinedistri
Embrafilme

| released =

| runtime = 91 minutes

| country = Brazil

| language = Portuguese

}}

'O Pagador de Promessas' (, 'Keeper of Promises'The title translates literally as 'The Payer of Promises', but the film has been known by several other names in the English-speaking world, such as 'Keeper of Promises', 'The Given Word' and 'The Promise'.) is a 1962 Brazilian drama film directed by Anselmo Duarte. Duarte adapted the screenplay himself from the famous stage play written by Dias Gomes. Shot in Salvador, Bahia, it stars Leonardo Villar.

It won the Palme d'Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first (and to date the only) film by a Brazilian director to achieve that feat. A year later, it also became the first Brazilian and South American film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Plot



Z do Burro (Leonardo Villar) is a landowner from Nordeste. His best friend is a donkey. When his donkey falls terminally ill, Z promises to a Candombl orisha, Iansan, that if his donkey recovers, he will give away his land to the poor and carry a cross all the way from his farm to the Saint Brbara Church in Salvador, Bahia, where he will offer the cross to the local priest. Upon the recovery of his donkey, Z leaves on his journey, a distance of 7 'lguas' (46 km; 29 miles). The movie begins as Z, followed by his wife Rosa (Glria Menezes), arrives outside the church. The local priest (Dionsio Azevedo) refuses to accept the cross once he hears about Z's "pagan" pledge and the reasons behind it. Everyone attempts to manipulate the innocent and nave Z. The local Candombl worshippers, for example, want to use him as a leader against the discrimination they suffer from the Roman Catholic Church. The sensationalist newspapers transform his promise to give away his land into a "communist" call for land reform (which still is a very controversial issue in Brazil). When Z is shot by the police to prevent his way into the church, the Candombl worshippers put his dead body on the cross and force their way into the church.

Main cast



*Leonardo Villar as Z do Burro (Donkey Jack)

*Glria Menezes as Rosa, Z's wife

*Dionsio Azevedo as Olavo, the priest

*Geraldo Del Rey as Bonito (Handsome), a pimp

*Norma Bengell as Marly, a prostitute

*Othon Bastos as the Reporter

*Antnio Pitanga as Coca, the capoeira player

Awards and nominations



'Academy Awards'

*Best Foreign Language Film (nominated)

'Cannes Film Festival'

*Palme d'Or – Anselmo Duarte (won)

'Cartagena Film Festival'

*Special Jury Prize – Anselmo Duarte (won)

'San Francisco International Film Festival'

*Golden Gate Award for Best Film – Anselmo Duarte (won)

*Golden Gate Award for Best Musical Score – Gabriel Migliori (won)

See also



* List of submissions to the 35th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

* List of Brazilian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References




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