Elis Regina: MPB Especial (1973)
Recorded in 1973, this TV show brings Elis Regina in an 'ensaio' (improvisation). The programme aired by TV Cultura rescues the living memory of the greatest MPB star through her testimonials on composers and performers. The images are black and white and with camera close-ups, it denounces the restless, strong-willed hands of Elis.
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The greatest movie ever made..!
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Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Elis Regina was a Brazilian pop/jazz singer. She died in 1982 aged 36 and deserves to be remembered internationally because she was a natural singer with grace and precision; she had a lot of charisma and a disarming smile. This black-and-white television show is in parts and runs two and a quarter hours, at the end of which Ms Regina looks tired but happy. She has a boyish haircut and wears lots of jewelry with which she fiddles nervously at times, but the overall atmosphere is relaxed and intimate with a lot of close ups. The show was recorded in a studio without an audience, the lighting is high contrast like film-noir, and the sound is good enough for all but the extremely fussy – this is TV after all. Ms Regina is accompanied by her regular rhythm section: Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano) Luiz 'Luisao' Maia (bass guitar) and Paulo 'Paulinho' Braga (drums). The 17 songs include a couple of my favourites: 'Upa Neguinho' and 'Aguas De Marco'. Her happy songs will make you smile; her sad songs will break your heart. In between numbers she speaks - sometimes at length - in Portuguese. The only DVD version of the show so far (published by Trama in 2004) does not include subtitles, but the menu offers the option of playing only the songs.