"BEHIND
THE SUN":
BACKSTAGE OF A SUCCESS
"Abril
Despedaçado/Behind the Sun", by Walter
Salles, was released with success its first 36 prints
in Brazilian theaters on May 1. The least optimistic
previsions project 400 thousand viewers for this new
and rare masterpiece of Brazilian cinema. More than
Walter Salles' previous success "Central Station/
Central do Brasil", Golden Bear in Berlin '98.
The film is completed by the pretty 'journal' book,
written by Pedro Butcher and photographed by Ana Luíza
Muller.
The
willingness to see the film was dammed up since its
first screening at the 58th Venice Festival, on September
5, 2001. It is about the backstage of this success
and of a strange maneuver engendered during Venice
Festival itself that we talk about here.
It
is known that human vanity and greed have surprising
deals, even though the real sociological treats that
we can reinterpret in Shakespeare's legacy. One thing
is the work in itself, with all its contents and humanist
merits, plus the artistic richness of talents that
add to it. But it is not to "Behind the sun"
that we are referring. It is to the equally touching
"The Son's Room" by the Italian actor and
director Nanni Moretti.
"The
Son's Room" won the "Golden Palm" at
the last Cannes Festival last May and seemed to be
with all trails open for a even greater international
consecration, technically assured by the world distribution.
Facing this beautiful panorama comes the breathtaking
"Behind the Sun" and destiny gives to Nanni
Moretti the powerful role of judging it in the quality
of president of the jury in the Venice Festival.
Nanni
Moretti was and still is in a laudable position of
opposing the extreme right wing projects proposed
by Silvio Berlusconi's government. It is one of the
most active voices in Italian intellectuality against
neo-fascism that is taking Italy over and, of course,
its communication media ('Jornal da Mostra' n°
22, 29/01/2002). But fact is that in Venice Nanni
Moretti acted badly in his unlimited attributions.
He called an exclusive press conference with the Italian
press at the same time and day of the press conference
- 10pm on September 5 - scheduled weeks in advance
for "Behind the Sun".
It
might not have been a pre-conceived maneuver, but
fact is that the Moretti's political conference divided
attentions at the time. The flank was open to any
speculations. Even in the evaluation of the week articles
later published by the Italian press about Walter
Salles' film, when, in the rest of the world, only
marvels are said about "Behind the Sun".
It was commented during the festival that they had
been written by second-line Italian journalists attending
Venice.
"Abril
Despedaçado", de Walter Salles, abriu com sucesso
suas primeiras 36 cópias em cinemas brasileiros no
dia 1° de maio. As previsões menos otimistas
projetam um número de 400 mil espectadores para esta
nova e rara obra-prima do cinema brasileiro. Mais do que
o sucesso anterior de Walter Salles ", Central do Brasil",
Urso de Ouro em Berlim'98. Completa o filme o belo livro
'diário de bordo', escrito por Pedro Butcher e fotografado
por Ana Luíza Muller. 
