Nayara Henriques
After the first screenings of "Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol," Martha Alencar published an interview with director Glauber Rocha in the "Letreiro" column of the Jornal do Brasil. By that time, the film had already been chosen to represent Brazil at the Cannes Film Festival, together with "Vidas Secas" (1963), by Nelson Pereira dos Santos.
It was in that interview that the words that would define the Cinema Novo movement for the following decades were recorded. When asked whether cinema could be considered an art form, the filmmaker didn't hesitate: "Of course." And he finished: "Art, just between us, is basically camera in hand and an idea in the head."
The image of the "handheld camera" represented the abolition of traditional cinema, without the rigidity of using tripods and with greater creative freedom, while "ideas in the head" took productions into the realm of subjectivity, political meanings, and social criticism.
The famous Cinema Novo slogan came from an account by filmmaker Paulo Cezar Saraceni. After his film "Arraial do Cabo" (1960) received an award in Rome, Saraceni came into contact with the experience of filming with a "camera in hand." Glauber, a friend of Saraceni's, adopted the expression and the concept, and popularized them.
Still in March, Glauber Rocha departed for France, but the film did not receive the Palme d'Or. Under the translated title "Black God, White Devil," the feature was acclaimed by audiences and critics, and marked Brazil's presence at Cannes.
Image description: The image shows an old newspaper with an interview titled "Letreiro" by M. Alencar about Glauber Rocha and Cinema Novo. The page contains text in two columns, with a central photo of two men sitting, apparently in a rural setting. The man on the left is wearing a white shirt and black pants, while the man on the right wears a straw hat and a blue shirt. Both are holding a musical instrument, possibly a guitar. The background of the photo shows a rural landscape with trees and a clear sky.Coluna Letreiro com a entrevista concedida por Glauber Rocha.
Rio de Janeiro, 22 de março de 1964. Biblioteca Nacional.