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oman
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 201
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 Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:39 pm Post subject: OLGA (on DVD) |
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Just watched the fairly recently released DVD about the life of the woman who became Prestes wife before becoming "Vargas gift to Hitler".
I really liked the movie but from what I understand it received very mixed reviews (was bashed by critics) when it came out in the theatres.
Any idea as to why? |
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PeterB
Joined: 23 Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Belgium/UK
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:31 pm Post subject: Re: OLGA (on DVD) |
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| oman wrote: | Just watched the fairly recently released DVD about the life of the woman who became Prestes wife before becoming "Vargas gift to Hitler".
I really liked the movie but from what I understand it received very mixed reviews (was bashed by critics) when it came out in the theatres.
Any idea as to why? |
I haven't seen it, but since nobody else answered -- the main complaints seem to be a supposedly unconvincing portrayal of Luís Carlos Prestes and a supposed "soap-opera" feel to it, as well as phony-looking winter scenes.
Again, this is what I have heard. No idea whether such criticisms are just. |
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oman
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 1:28 pm Post subject: Re: OLGA (on DVD) |
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| PeterB wrote: | I haven't seen it, but since nobody else answered -- the main complaints seem to be a supposedly unconvincing portrayal of Luís Carlos Prestes and a supposed "soap-opera" feel to it, as well as phony-looking winter scenes.
Again, this is what I have heard. No idea whether such criticisms are just. |
Thanks Peter.
Prestes himself was not the main character of the movie (as the title suggests) and is seldom talked about, so I can see how some people may have been disapointed. I was mostly wondering if ppl were upset by the content (that the Brasilian govt sent a woman to die in a conc. camp). |
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Macunaima
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 785
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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People weren't upset by the content. Brazilians are used to looking at unappealing aspects of our history.
The film was shot right across the street from my house, btw.
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Brazil is the country of the future and always will be! |
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oman
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 201
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Macunaima wrote: | People weren't upset by the content. Brazilians are
used to looking at unappealing aspects of our history. |
Doesn't mean that some don't get offended, choose denial or to pass the buck to someone else.
| Macunaima wrote: | | The film was shot right across the street from my house, btw. |
Not the scenes that were supposed to take place in Ravensbruck I hope!!!  |
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PeterB
Joined: 23 Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Belgium/UK
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:48 pm Post subject: Re: OLGA (on DVD) |
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| oman wrote: |
I was mostly wondering if ppl were upset by the content (that the Brasilian govt sent a woman to die in a conc. camp). |
If it had been a foreign movie about Brazil that had addressed this, perhaps. But Brazilian filmmakers are even expected to be critical/cynical about Brazilian governments. Moreover, most people who care about such matters know that Vargas was a dictator.
I suppose that the film doesn't show that Prestes had no scruples about making a political alliance with Vargas afterwards. |
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oman
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 201
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:42 am Post subject: Re: OLGA (on DVD) |
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| PeterB wrote: | | But Brazilian filmmakers are even expected to be critical/cynical about Brazilian governments. |
Good point!
| PeterB wrote: | | I suppose that the film doesn't show that Prestes had no scruples about making a political alliance with Vargas afterwards. |
It is briefly mentioned in the film conclusion. |
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AkuTyger
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Salvador, BA, Brasil
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:50 am Post subject: |
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There are many of these films that deal with Brasilian history - I have seen a few, like Baron Mauá. What are the others? It seems prudent to bone up on this stuff since I live here, but I cannnot seem to get through the Portuguese versions of a lot of it (ADHD or perhaps my tendency to skim texts and not actually read them - college habit), and English versions are in short supply.
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PeterB
Joined: 23 Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Belgium/UK
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 12:06 am Post subject: |
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| AkuTyger wrote: | | There are many of these films that deal with Brasilian history - I have seen a few, like Baron Mauá. What are the others? It seems prudent to bone up on this stuff since I live here, but I cannnot seem to get through the Portuguese versions of a lot of it (ADHD or perhaps my tendency to skim texts and not actually read them - college habit), and English versions are in short supply. |
The director of "Mauá", Sergio Rezende, has made a few films on Brazilian history. I have seen "Mauá" and "Guerra de Canudos". I think both are good but the latter is a superior film. "Mauá", trying to tell a complex story, ends up using dialogues that are didactic and unrealistic. But some BBC series are like that, too. He also made a film about Lamarca - an army captain who joined the guerrilla groups during Brazil's military regime - but I haven't seen it.
A guy named Silvio Tendler made two documentaries - "Os Anos JK" (on the Kubitschek years) and "Jango" (on Goulart and the 1964 coup). I think only the former is available on DVD. It is also a much superior documentary. "Jango" is very heavy-handed in its political views and its use of the soundtrack. Still, it remains a good political documentary, not a Michael Moore film.
A (good) actress, Carla Camurati, directed a film about Carlota Joaquina - I don't know its exact title - about the Portuguese queen that came to Brazil in 1808 in the events that led to Brazil's independece. No idea as to whether it's any good.
Finally, there is "O que é isso, companheiro" - in English, "4 days in September" - about the kidnapping of the American ambassador in Rio, in 1969, by terrorist groups. It's quite good. |
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AkuTyger
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Salvador, BA, Brasil
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting Peter! I will check those out ASAP, as soon as my dvd player is working here. I can't figure out how to hook it up to the television and Fuzzy can't remember how he did it. Either way, everything is still in black and white since our television is older than me. A dvd player has become necessary here, as most video rental stores are only stocking dvd new releases, and many of them are selling all their video tapes (we are getting quite a collection). It makes me wonder what those who still don't have the money to buy a dvd player will do now... We would still be one of them, except my father brought one as a graduation gift for Fuzzy from the U.S. when he came.
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PeterB
Joined: 23 Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Belgium/UK
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| AkuTyger wrote: | | Either way, everything is still in black and white ... ....except my father brought one as a graduation gift for Fuzzy from the U.S. when he came. |
Aku, have I got it right -- you're connecting an American DVD player to a Brazilian TV set?
If that's the case, then everything will indeed be in black and white.
In terms of their transmission parameters (frequency etc) tv systems vary widely over the world. The US uses a system called NTSC. Brazil's is called PAL-M, which is a unique mix of some of NTSC's and some of the European PAL's features.
A Brazilian PAL-M tv set does work with NTSC transmissions, but only not for the colors. If you take a Brazilian tv to the US, you won't get any colors - and the same goes for American tv sets in Brazil.
Due to historical reasons, the videotapes and DVDs made in Brazil are actually recorded in NTSC, so Brazilian videos and DVDs can easily be taken to the US and watched in color there.
However, for them to be played in Brazilian tv sets, the VCRs and DVD players have a built-in device that converts the NTSC signals recorded into PAL-M ones that the Brazilian tv sets can understand.
And that's what your American DVD player lacks: it doesn't convert the NTSC signals into PAL-M; so your Brazilian tv set can only get the NTSC recording - therefore, in black and white.
There's nothing you can do by simply fiddling with the settings. You have the following alternatives:
1) there are devices that can be installed between the DVD player and the tv set to convert the NTSC into PAL-M; try to get one (image may lose a bit of quality; though)
2) a good technician maye be able to do install one inside your DVD player
3) get an US tv, just for the purpose of watching DVDs in your player
4) get a Brazilian DVD player.
There is another issue, of course, of the regions -- is your US DVD player multi-region, or just region 1? |
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Macunaima
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 785
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:11 am Post subject: |
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Lamarca was an OK film, but a typical Resende work: i.e. a fairly predictable and ho-hum reading of Brazilian history.
I suggest that EVERYONE RUN to see "Quase Dois Irmãos", out in the cinemas right now.
Better than City of God, IMHO.
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Brazil is the country of the future and always will be! |
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oman
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 201
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:06 am Post subject: |
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| Macunaima wrote: | | I suggest that EVERYONE RUN to see "Quase Dois Irmãos", out in the cinemas right now. |
Yeap!
On the orig. topic. my suggest. is to read "Olga" from Fernando Morais... |
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AkuTyger
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Salvador, BA, Brasil
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:07 am Post subject: |
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Actually, I think it's a UK dvd player. The company he got it from is online, called codefreedvd.com or something like that. At least the help guys are in the UK. It's supposedly code free, so we should be able to use US and Brasilian DVDs here. The help guy told me to set my television to NTSC to get color, which is what has worked with other non-Brasilian DVD players that I have seen here. Our TV is so old, however, that I cannot change the setting. It only has PAL-M.
We were told about the adapter, which I think is the only option that will work for us, besides buying a new TV that has an NTSC setting. We certainly can't afford that right now or probably ever in the near future for the next 18 years or more...
How practical would it be to have an American TV brought down here? If it was old and used, but still newish looking, what do you think the import taxes would be? I don't see myself doing this now, but it's possible some day, neh?
| PeterB wrote: | | AkuTyger wrote: | | Either way, everything is still in black and white ... ....except my father brought one as a graduation gift for Fuzzy from the U.S. when he came. |
Aku, have I got it right -- you're connecting an American DVD player to a Brazilian TV set?
If that's the case, then everything will indeed be in black and white.
In terms of their transmission parameters (frequency etc) tv systems vary widely over the world. The US uses a system called NTSC. Brazil's is called PAL-M, which is a unique mix of some of NTSC's and some of the European PAL's features.
A Brazilian PAL-M tv set does work with NTSC transmissions, but only not for the colors. If you take a Brazilian tv to the US, you won't get any colors - and the same goes for American tv sets in Brazil.
Due to historical reasons, the videotapes and DVDs made in Brazil are actually recorded in NTSC, so Brazilian videos and DVDs can easily be taken to the US and watched in color there.
However, for them to be played in Brazilian tv sets, the VCRs and DVD players have a built-in device that converts the NTSC signals recorded into PAL-M ones that the Brazilian tv sets can understand.
And that's what your American DVD player lacks: it doesn't convert the NTSC signals into PAL-M; so your Brazilian tv set can only get the NTSC recording - therefore, in black and white.
There's nothing you can do by simply fiddling with the settings. You have the following alternatives:
1) there are devices that can be installed between the DVD player and the tv set to convert the NTSC into PAL-M; try to get one (image may lose a bit of quality; though)
2) a good technician maye be able to do install one inside your DVD player
3) get an US tv, just for the purpose of watching DVDs in your player
4) get a Brazilian DVD player.
There is another issue, of course, of the regions -- is your US DVD player multi-region, or just region 1? |
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PeterB
Joined: 23 Dec 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Belgium/UK
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| AkuTyger wrote: | Actually, I think it's a UK dvd player. The company he got it from is online, called codefreedvd.com or something like that. At least the help guys are in the UK. It's supposedly code free, so we should be able to use US and Brasilian DVDs here. The help guy told me to set my television to NTSC to get color, which is what has worked with other non-Brasilian DVD players that I have seen here. Our TV is so old, however, that I cannot change the setting. It only has PAL-M.
We were told about the adapter, which I think is the only option that will work for us, besides buying a new TV that has an NTSC setting. We certainly can't afford that right now or probably ever in the near future for the next 18 years or more... |
I also got my region-free DVD player through amazon.co.uk, ie the British Amazon. It works fine.
Ok, in that case I guess you should see about the adapter. I'm not sure about the loss of quality, though.
| AkuTyger wrote: |
How practical would it be to have an American TV brought down here? If it was old and used, but still newish looking, what do you think the import taxes would be? I don't see myself doing this now, but it's possible some day, neh?
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Well, if a person physically brings it, if it costs less than US$500 (or whatever the limit is these days) no taxes at all would have to be paid.
I did a quick search in Brazilian sites and it appears that a "Transcoder NTSC-PAL-M", as they call it, is available for about R$40. Most people use it to play games, but it should work for DVD players as well. |
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