"O Fantasma de Glauber Rocha" ("The Ghost of Glauber Rocha") is a highly amusing and fun tribute to the famous director of Cinema Novo movement with the
makers of the film presenting a spoof from the program "Linha Direta", an investigative journalistic show where crimes and mysteries are investigated
in great detail. Here, the director's ghost allegedly appears in Bahia haunting some people or at times giving some strange message to passers by.
Just like the TV show, we have interviews with witness from the event like the cinema janitor who claims to have seen the man's presence inside the dark theater or others who claim that there's an actual reason for the ghost appearance such as cult members who worship the life and work of Glauber (there's a gospel according to "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol" or "Terra em Transe", can't remember which but it was hilarious). Is Glauber returning to scare people or to show his importance in the world of arts? Is he coming back to help us with our daily chaos and inject more works of art to us or he wants to get revenge because we didn't appreciate much of his cinema? Many theories come to life and we wonder and we laugh too.
The idea in itself is already genius and it's execution is quite interesting to follow since it generates not only a reflection about the works of Glauber but it makes you laugh with the scenarios presented. Mr. Rocha wasn't much of a humored writer/director but something tells me he'd be proud of such film, and definitely would find a way to include his own ideas about his own ghost haunting people. 8/10.
Just like the TV show, we have interviews with witness from the event like the cinema janitor who claims to have seen the man's presence inside the dark theater or others who claim that there's an actual reason for the ghost appearance such as cult members who worship the life and work of Glauber (there's a gospel according to "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol" or "Terra em Transe", can't remember which but it was hilarious). Is Glauber returning to scare people or to show his importance in the world of arts? Is he coming back to help us with our daily chaos and inject more works of art to us or he wants to get revenge because we didn't appreciate much of his cinema? Many theories come to life and we wonder and we laugh too.
The idea in itself is already genius and it's execution is quite interesting to follow since it generates not only a reflection about the works of Glauber but it makes you laugh with the scenarios presented. Mr. Rocha wasn't much of a humored writer/director but something tells me he'd be proud of such film, and definitely would find a way to include his own ideas about his own ghost haunting people. 8/10.