简介：Aformerpoet,journalistandfilmcritic,CarlosDieguesemergedasoneoftheforemostproponentsofBrazil'sCinemaNovomovement(akintotheFrenchNewWave).Sincemakinghisfirstfeaturesintheearly1960s,hehasexploredvariousaspectsofBrazilianlifeinpolitical,socialandhistoricalcontexts,withparticularemphasisonslaveryanditslegacytohisnativeland'sculture.Dieguesisnothingifnotpassionate,butthatpassioncomesataprice.Perhapsthemostcommoncriticismofhisworkisthathisfilmsarenotaudiencefriendly;theydemandscrupulousattentionbuttothosewillingtomakethecommitment,theyyieldmanyriches. Thissonofanthropologist/sociologistManuelDieguesJr.studiedlawinRiodeJaneirobeforesegueingtoacareerasajournalist.Hisfather'sinfluencecoupledwiththedetectiveskillsneededtoferretoutstoriesdovetailinhisscreenplayswhichoftentakeactualhistoricaleventsandusethemasbackdrops.Dieguesbeganexperimentingwithfilmmakinginthelate1950s,producingahandfulofamateurshortsandmarkinghisprofessionaldebutwithasegmentofthe1961omnibusfeature"Cinovezesfavela". Hisfirstfull-lengthmovie,"GangaZumba"(1964)isconsideredalandmarkinCinemaNovoandintroducedsomeofthedirector'srecurringthemes,notablyslaveryandpolitics."GangaZumba"wasafact-baseddramaaboutthefirstslaveuprisingintheNewWorldwhichledtotheformationofanindependentstate.Dieguesexaminedsimilarideasin1966's"EarthEntranced",inwhichanidealisticpoetdiscoversthattheeliteandthoseinaradicalmovementhavemoreincommonthanmightbepreviouslythought. Hishistoricaldrama"OsHerdeiros"(1969)tracedtheriseinpowerofajournalist'ssonthatwasbookendedbythe1930scoffeecrisisanda1964coupd'etat.Dieguesenjoyedaninternationalsuccesswith"ByeByeBrazil"(1980),whichtrackedatroupeoftravellingperformersinnorthernBrazilandlovinglydetailedthelandscape.Hereturnedtothehistoricalepicwith"Quilombo"(1984),whichmarriedhismajorthemesasitrecountedyetanothertruetaleofaslaveuprisingandthesubsequentformationof"thefirstdemocraticsocietyweknowofintheWesternHemisphere".Formany,thisfilmsranksasoneofthedirector'sbest. SeveralofDiegues'filmshavebeenbuiltaroundstrongcentralfemalefigures."JoannaFrancesca"(1973),forexample,tracedhowaFrenchwhore'smarriagetoawealthylandownerledtoruinanddestruction,and"XicadaSilva"(1975)followedthefortunesofaformerslavewhorisestothepositionofunofficialEmpressthroughseductionandothermachinations."DiasMelhoresVirao"(1990)followedastrugglingactresswhile"Tieta"(1996)detailsthehomecomingofavillagegirlnowthewidowofawealthyindustrialist. Onoccasion,Diegueshasattemptedmoreeclecticfare,like"Rio'sLoveSongs"(1994),ananthologythatusedfourpopularsongsasthebasisforthestories.ThreeofthefourtalesinvolvedcouplescomingtorecognizelovewhilethefourthfocusedonstreetkidsinRiodeJaneiro.Thewriter-directorrealizedalong-helddreamwith"Orfeu"(1999),basedontheVinciusdeMoraes'playwhichinturnretoldtheGreeklegendofOrpheusandEurydice.whilenotaremakeofMarcelCamus'"BlackOrpheus"(1959),itdidsharesomesimilaritiesastheybothutilizedthesamesourcematerial. Diegues,whofirstsawtheplayin1956,hascalledthedrama"themyththatbestexplainsthedestinyandfrustratedvocationoftheBraziliannation."Forhistakeonthematerial,DieguesreturnedtotheoriginalandstresseditsemphasisonOrpheus'familialandcommunalrelations.SetincontemporaryBrazil,"Orfeu"hasanedgetoit,includingunscrupulousandviolentcharacterslikedrugdealersandcorruptpolicemenandamusicalscoreencompassingsamba,loveballadsandhip-hop.Brazilianaudiencesembracedthefilm,makingitacertifiedbox-officehitwhichpartlyrestoredDiegues'reputation,whichreceivedanaddedboostwhenBrazilselected"Orfeu"asitsofficialentryforthe1999AcademyAwardforBestForeign-LanguageFilm.…