BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL (
Portuguese:
Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol,
translit. God and the Devil in the Land of Sun) is a
1964 Brazilian film directed and written by
Glauber Rocha. Considered Rocha's masterpiece, the movie stars
Othon Bastos,
Maurício do Valle,
Yoná Magalhães, and
Geraldo Del Rey. It belongs to the
Cinema Novo movement, addressing the socio-political problems of 1960s Brazil. The film is being released on
DVD in
North America for the first time by
Koch-Lorber Films. The film starts in the 1940s, during another drought in the
sertão, when ranch hand Manuel (Geraldo Del Rey) is fed up with his situation. His boss tries to cheat him of his earnings and Manuel kills him, fleeing with his wife, Rosa (Yoná Magalhães).
Now an outlaw, Manuel joins up with a self-proclaimed saint who condones violence and preaches disturbing doctrines. It is now Rosa who turns to killing and the two are on the move once again. And so it goes, the two running from one allegiance to another, following the words of others as they attempt to find a place in their ruthless land. Blending
mysticism,
religion, and
popular culture in this symbolic and realistic drama, Rocha insists that rather than follow the external and obscure dogmas of culture and religion, man must determine his path by his own voice.
Glauber Rocha was 25 years old when he wrote and began to direct the film.
