Rocha, Glauber

Glauber Pedro de Andrade Rocha, was a deeply influential Brazilian film director of the mid sixties who was best known for his 1964 film “Black God, White Devil” (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol). Rocha, not only a director but also an actor and writer, was renowned for making films with strong political themes and underlying mysticism and whose cinematography was rich in visual metaphors and seeped in the portrayal of traditional Brazilian folklore.

He was born on March 14, 1939 in the rural Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil and at the age of nine, moved with his family to Salvador. Whilst growing up there, Rocha developed a keen and active interest in the arts, particularly cinema and theatre. He joined a local amateur dramatic society and also became deeply submerged in the world of politics, a characteristic that would influence his film making a lot during his later works.

As he grew up, his keen interest in writing blossomed and he took up a position with a local paper as a freelance film critic at the age of 16. This, coupled with his deep passion for cinema, gave Glauber Rocha an extensive knowledge of films and directors that would ultimately influence his own later films.

In 1957 he attended Law School and during his studies here, Rocha helped as an assistant in a few small cinematic projects until he finally directed his own short début film “Patio”. Then in 1959, and just two years into his education, Rocha decided to quit Law School with the intention of becoming a journalist and film maker.

In 1964 Rocha directed his next movie – a trilogy that was made up of "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol”, his most noted film that was nominated for a Golden Palm award. 1967 saw his next film in the trilogy “Terra em Transe” which won not only the Buñuel award and the international film critics' award in Cannes but also the main award and the film critics´ award in Locarno. Two years later 'O Dragão da Maldade Contra o Santo Guerreiro” won him the prestigious award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rocha became a leading exponent of the 'new wave' of film makers whose films focused on the sociological situations of the time. A lot of his films focus on the land's poverty, violence and social contrasts, unlike films from the big studios, which show Brazil only as a tropical playground for the rich and upper class.

Whilst Rocha was gaining critical acclaim his interest in politics grew and he became an activist in some political demonstrations which led to some of his films being banned for a time. As a protest to the military regime he left Brazil but continued to direct some of his best films such as "Leone Have Sept Cebeças" (1970), "Cebeças Cortadas" (1970), "O Câncer" (1974) and "Claro" (1976) all of which evolved outside Brazil in countries such as Spain, Chile and Portugal.

Whilst working in Lisbon he contracted a lung infection and returned to his home country for the first time in years. Unfortunately his condition worsened and he died in Rio De Janeiro on August 22, 1981, at the age of 43.


Filmography

Pátio [1959]
Cruz na Praça [1959]
Barravento [1961]
Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol (or Black God White Devil) [1964]
Amazonas, Amazonas [1965]
Maranhão 66 [1966]
Terra em Transe [1967]
1968 [1968]
O Dragão da Maldade Contra o Santo Guerreiro (aka Antonio das Mortes) [1969]
Cabeças Cortadas [1970]
O Leão de Sete Cabeças [1970]
Câncer [1972]
História do Brasil [1974]
As Armas e o Povo [1975]
Claro [1975]
Di (aka Di-Glauber and Di Cavalcanti) [1977]
Jorjamado no Cinema [1977]
A Idade da Terra [1980]
História do Brasil [1985]