This is a documentary about one of the masters of 20th century popular Brazilian music, Vinicius de Moraes. The documentary is conducted by two actors and contemporary Brazilian singers (some not even so contemporary) which make an imaginary show, and the stories of Vinicius are retold having his poems and songs as a starting point. Despite its length (124 minutes), lovers of Brazilian music in general and lovers of Vinicius particularly won't feel that the movie was that long, since the histories told by his friends, his lovers and wives and his family are a joy to hear and to know about.
However, the movie doesn't tell only the happy and fun parts of Vinicius' life; one of his daughters remembers the problems with money the family had and the time when Vinicius and her mother divorced. You can feel that this is an uncomfortable subject, as she makes her feelings about it very clear during the interviews. There are also numerous videos of Vinicius, including footage of one of the "Viniciadas" he promoted at his house and touching images from the end of his life, where he is together with Toquinho and his wife at the time.
So, why just 8/10? Well, the rap segment is a failed tentative to show the social worries of Vinicius, and as it is, it just does not fit to the rest of the movie and could be deleted with no problems - a good place for it would be an extra to be included on the movie's DVD. Adding insult to the injury, the wonderful "Poema Enjoadinho" ("Filhos, melhor não tê-los!") was not included on the movie; it just appeared later in the DVD release as an extra, and it could had been one the better and most emotional moments in the movie.
Other thing that really distressed me was that the director chose not to play "Samba da Bênção" on its entirety at the end credits! Why not just show a black screen when the text was over and let the music flow? I would certainly listen to it! For me, this is the ultimate legacy and message of Vinicius, and cutting it abruptly in the half shows a strange lack of sensibility and respect - sensibility and respect which was so well expressed throughout the movie.
Despite these flaws, this movie is highly recommended for everyone who loves Brazilian music and its histories. (Yes, Brasil is written with "s".)
However, the movie doesn't tell only the happy and fun parts of Vinicius' life; one of his daughters remembers the problems with money the family had and the time when Vinicius and her mother divorced. You can feel that this is an uncomfortable subject, as she makes her feelings about it very clear during the interviews. There are also numerous videos of Vinicius, including footage of one of the "Viniciadas" he promoted at his house and touching images from the end of his life, where he is together with Toquinho and his wife at the time.
So, why just 8/10? Well, the rap segment is a failed tentative to show the social worries of Vinicius, and as it is, it just does not fit to the rest of the movie and could be deleted with no problems - a good place for it would be an extra to be included on the movie's DVD. Adding insult to the injury, the wonderful "Poema Enjoadinho" ("Filhos, melhor não tê-los!") was not included on the movie; it just appeared later in the DVD release as an extra, and it could had been one the better and most emotional moments in the movie.
Other thing that really distressed me was that the director chose not to play "Samba da Bênção" on its entirety at the end credits! Why not just show a black screen when the text was over and let the music flow? I would certainly listen to it! For me, this is the ultimate legacy and message of Vinicius, and cutting it abruptly in the half shows a strange lack of sensibility and respect - sensibility and respect which was so well expressed throughout the movie.
Despite these flaws, this movie is highly recommended for everyone who loves Brazilian music and its histories. (Yes, Brasil is written with "s".)