CLACS Media Collection

Catalog Information

In the bleak parched lands of northern Brazil, a poverty striken cowhand called Manual (Geraldo Bel Dey) kill his abusive boss. Fleeing with his wife, Rosa (Yona Magalhaes) as outlaws, Manuel joins up with a self-proclaimed saint (Joao Gama) who condones violence and preaches disturbing doctrines. The movie then follows Manuel's journey into a life of crime, joining Antonio's gang (Mauricio do Vale) and eventually meeting Corisco (Othon Bastos) a hired assassin who is paid to kill both the priest and Antonio. Folk songs combine with the music of Villa Lobos and Bach to create a stirring backdrop. The film became a sensation at Cannes and launched the CINEMA NOVO movement."It hit Western viewers in 1964 like a clap of thunder."

---