Product Description Murderers, rapists, stool pigeons, drug addicts. They were the feared ones, the criminals who really ran Carandiru, Brazil's largest correctional facility: Ebony, an honorable thief and respected leader; Highness, a smooth operator with two families to support; Ezequiel, an ex-surfer turned crack addict; Dagger, a brutal killer with God on his side. They were among the prison's elite, the select few who ruled Carandiru by their own codes and laws. A rule that would end in bloodshed when 300 policemen stormed the facility and brutally murdered 111 unarmed inmates. This is the true story ofthat infamous day in October 1992, a day that shocked the world. The day of the Carandiru Massacre. .com The setting is grim, but Carandiru is easily one of Brazilian filmmaker Hector Babenco's most living, thriving works, with scores of powerful performances and an engaging style underscoring the cathartic power of storytelling. Based on a bestselling novel, Carandiru concerns an oncologist (Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) who treats patients at Sao Paulo's House of Detention, a terrible place largely policed from within by longtime prisoners. The doctor is specifically interested in collecting blood samples for an HIV study, but the more prisoners open up to him, the more compassionate and committed he becomes about their survival. Babenco's episodic structure gives Carandiru a dimension of memory and constant shots of energy, so that even the most horrifying events--drug-related murder, rape, revenge--can't drive this tale into abject misery. Based on actual events, the drama's climactic police raid on the prison (a reconstruction of a 1992 riot called the Carandiru Massacre) is a tour de force. --Tom Keogh
K**G
Flawed in pieces, but very powerful as a whole
Sometimes I wish there was a 4.5 star rating...There are flaws - the doctor at the center of this prisonstory stays a grinning Buddha- like cipher, some of the prisoners feellike tattered clichés or soap opera characters.Yet, in the end, the total effect is amazingly powerful.Spoilers ahead!By coming to see these men as real human beings with families andstories, before watching the insane storming of the prison by riottroops who killed 111 of them, the film has a real visceral power.Manipulative, one-sided, hokey at moments and some performances betterthan others, but ultimately that rare piece of agit-prop filmmakingthat really succeeds in making you see things in a different light
W**R
WASTE OF MONEY
Long and boring. Cameos/flashbacks of various prisoners as they explain to the doctor how they ended up in prison. Nothing extraordinary. Lousy filming/directing. Should never have received awards. I don't make movies but give me a camera and I could film it, asleep. No real tension in the riot, and I wish I could get my money back. (City of God,((about life in the slums of Brazil)) is one of the best movies you will ever see/real-to-life/with DVD option to see real footage). Powerful/natural acting/doesn't even seem like they're acting.When you view the documentary, you'll see that their characters were true to life, 100%. Note Interview of the Chief of Police who is very upfront and remarks that the police force is admittedly corrupt and exists only to protect the rich. Buy it, and you will enjoy and witness advanced/top notch/creative cinematography. This is for a collection.
A**G
An overwhelming masterpiece by Hector Babenco
I saw this film at Cleveland Film Festival and then purchasedDVD from Amazon.The picture traces the background of various prisoners andhow they became to be inmates of Carandiru.Some of these stories are extremely amazing and I wonder ifI am missing something in my life.I seem to be jealous of macho Highness with his 2 fightingwomen that want him.Like his Kiss of the Spider Women,this is an adventure.
R**Y
top notch docudrama
one name hector babenco. truly an artist in all of his films from his academy award winning "pixote" and "kiss of the spiderwoman" as well as award winning "at play in the fields of the lord" this artistic genius takes us deep into the world of prison life in this harrowing film. a must see for fans of unique cinema.
J**.
One of the best prison movies
this story is based on the book Carandiru Station. Brazil's best actors light up the screen portraying well written roles based on real prisoners and their families. Rodrigo Santoro , Wagner Moura are great in this film. If you like good acting then you will like this film.
T**R
Nice.
Great movie.
B**N
DVD impossible to play on european equipment!
The dvd was impossible to play on European Equipment. No information on this limitation was available from Amazon. A great disappointment!Any surgestions?!
C**R
Five Stars
Awesome movie about a sad event, love it
A**.
drammatico e riflessivo!
Come sempre il cinema brasiliano non è mai banale, non si sofferma mai su aspetti inutili della vita reale del proprio paese e questo film dimostra quanto a volte i pregiudizi sono solo frasi e parole che servono a nascondere le proprie paure; in fin dei conti non si conosce davvero una persona o la sua storia se non la si vede con occhi diversi, occhi che in questo caso sono del dottore di una delle prigioni più grandi del Sud-America il Carandiru. Questa prigione che raccoglie tutti i tipi di criminali è come una nuova casa o lavoro per tutte quelli che hanno commesso un determinato crimine e che sono condannate a rimanere li a vivere una nuova vita. Come in tutti i luoghi sovraffolati il rischio di contrarre malattie è altissimo quindi il nostro dottore dovra fare degli esami sui pazienti che sembrano essersi infettati e da qui parte la storia di come il medico inizia a conoscere queste persone e chi sono loro realmente, per un finale che lascia tutto di stucco per la crudeltà di un nemico che in molti casi viene considerato un difensore della giustizia. Il film è tratto dal libro "Estação Carandiru" scritto dal medico Dráuzio Varella dove racconta la sua esperienza come medico volontario proprio nel penitenziario della stazione carandiru a Sao Paulo. Il film ha una critica molto diretta, ma allo stesso tempo è molto comico e sentimentale, quello che riesce a trasmettere è la realtà dei fatti e i costumi di un paese bellissimo. Se un film deve trasmettere un messaggio questo lo trasmette in modo molto chiaro senza cadere sul banale.
S**L
Une pépite brésilienne !
Un très bon film film sur le monde carcéral au Brésil ! Carandiru était la plus grande prison du Brésil, située à São Paulo. Elle a été inaugurée en 1956 par le maire de l'époque, Jânio Quadros. Elle est notamment connue à cause du massacre du 2 octobre 1992 : 111 détenus ont été tués au cours de la brutale répression d'une révolte par la police militaire. L'organisation mafieuse PCC fut créée, selon ses fondateurs, pour venger cet acte. Le 8 décembre 2002, le gouverneur Geraldo Alckmin commanda la destruction des trois pavillons. Un complexe culturel et de détente doit être construit à la place, appelé Parque da Juventude (en français, « le parc de la jeunesse ») A voir !
B**W
Grosses Brasilianisches Kino
Der Film ist voll gespickt mit Geschichten zu einzelnen Gefangenen,was den Film sehr unterhaltsam macht.Die Schauspieler sind in brasilianischen Filmen keine Unbekannten und machen, so finde ich, einen guten Job.Der Film basiert auf wahren Fakten ; Fakten die wohl (und nicht nur in Südamerika) nie alt werden.Gestern noch hat es in Santiago de Chile einen tragischen Gefängnisbrand gegeben...Viele brandheisse Themen wie z.B. AIDS oder der Kampf ums Ueberleben in der Favela und im Gefängnis werden thematisiert. Man wird nachdenklich, jedoch nicht so, dass man nur noch am Grübeln wäre. Denn der gewisse tragische Witz bestimmter Geschichten bringt einen dann doch des öfteren zum Schmunzeln.Brasilianisches Kino ist kein Hollywood und gerade das macht es so sehenswert.Der Film kriegt es hin wahrheitsgetreu,dokumentierend, spannend, witzig, tragisch und abwechslungsreich zu sein.Meine Empfehlung !
C**N
ottimo acquisto
arrivato prima dei tempi stimati. Prodotto usato in buone condizioni. Pienamente soddisfatta
M**S
Réalité brutale
Un portrait fidèle, sans fard, de la précarité d'un système il y a déjà longtemps déclaré en faillite. Le directeur su adapter l'histoire (originalement raconté par le Docteur dans un livre) d'une forme très réel, en mélangeant des acteurs et des vrais personnages de cette triste passage de l'histoire contemporaine du Brésil. Choquant et inquiétant.
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