Black God, White Devil

A landmark film of the Brazilian Cinema Novo movement, this underseen 1964 Cannes Competition western returns to the screen in a stunning 4K restoration.

In the 1940s, during a drought in the Brazilian sertão, or hinterlands, fed-up ranch hand Manuel (Geraldo Del Rey) kills his deceitful boss and goes on the lam with his wife Rosa (Yóna Magalhães). Together, they venture to the holy site of Monte Santo, where, now outlaws, they align themselves with the violent, self-proclaimed holy man Sebastião (Lídio Silva), who is leading a revolt against wealthy landowners. The mercenary Antônio das Mortes (Maurício do Valle), hired by the church and rich locals, is sent to kill Sebastião – and, in turn, the bandit Corisco (Othon Bastos) is out to stop Antônio.

Causing a sensation at Cannes when it premiered in Competition in 1964, Black God, White Devil won the FIPRESCI Prize and further established the career of director Glauber Rocha, who was only 25 years old at the time. A sweeping, urgent political allegory suffused with mythmaking and history, Rocha’s second film was described by Luis Buñuel as “the most beautiful thing I have seen in a decade, filled with a savage poetry”. “Rocha’s hectic drama is, in effect, a political western that rages at Brazil’s governmental corruption and plutocratic oppression [with] raw, grand, urgent images.” – The New Yorker

4K restoration from Metropoles Productions, based on original 35mm materials preserved by the Cinemateca Brasileira. Restoration by Cinecolor Digital and JLS Studios.

Content: Melbourne International Film Festival