Madame Sata

Starring:LÃ¡zaro Ramos, Marcelia Cartaxo, Flavio Bauraqui, Fellipe Marques, Renata Sorrah, Emiliano Queiroz, Giovana Barbosa, Ricardo Blat, Guilherme Piva, Marcelo Valle, Floriano Peixoto, Gero Camilo, GlÃ¡ucio Gomes, OrÃ£ Figueiredo, Karine Teles, Sacha Amback, Marcos Roberto Correia, Edson Menezes, Mauro Marques, George Bezerra
Director: Karim Ainouz
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Description

Legendary criminal. Proud homosexual. Cabaret star. Passionate lover. Killer. Devoted father of seven adopted children. Saint…or devil?

Customer Reviews:

Memories of a Bygone Era.......2006-12-26

"MADAME SATA"
Memories of a Bygone Era

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Madame Sata" is a film based loosely on the life of one of the most amazing characters in the popular culture of Brazil, Joao Francisco dos Santos who lived from 190o until 1976. He was a thief, a transvestite, a street fighter, a cook in a brothel, a convict and father to seven adopted children. He was sometimes known as "dos Santos" but was better known as Madame Sata. Likewise he was also a performer in gay clubs who pushed social boundaries during tumultuous times. He film starts in 1932 in the bohemian district, Lapa, of Rio de Janerio when he was about to realize his dream of becoming a star on the stage. Lapa was a sordid place--its inhabitants included hustlers, pimps and prostitutes and the underworld of Rio. Joao was head of a family that included the prostitute Lorita and her baby daughter, a hustler named Taboo, Joao's teenaged lover, Renatinho and Amador who owned the Blue Danube the club where Madame Sata performed.
"Madame Sata" is a movie about a bygone era as it concentrates on the life of a charismatic man who had an interesting and colorful life. Joao was a poor black homosexual man living in a society dominated by masochism. As the movie opens we hear a list of charges against him as he is older and then are taken via flashback to watch his life to see what brought him to that point. He begins his foray into bohemia as an assistant to a third-rate chanteuse and see him aching to take her place.
This was an era where women who were larger than life inspired gays to imitate them. When Joao finally gets the chance to perform in the style of the great divas of that day, his success is unheralded because of an innate talent somewhere within. But tragedy ensues when a loud drunk takes matters to himself and brings about serious consequences and Joao begins a life with the doors of prisons revolving around him.
AS Joao, Lazaro Ramos gives a performance of a lifetime. In portraying a man who was way ahead of his time, Ramos is one reason to watch this film. His performance is subtly nuanced and a real tour de force.
Here is the story that it is inspirational in that it shows the triumph of the human spirit and the victory of love which both can overcome the most sordid of circumstances.
He look of the movie is important and evocative, the mages are dark and you can almost smell the cheap cologne and pomade on the slick hair of the madame and feel the sweat and shed the tears.
Joao is the epitome of tough, resilient, talented black queer who is also attracted to women for stature and to men for sex. He was born to slaves and then sold as a child and was consumed by rage that only performing in public could ease.
As the movie floats through a series of dark and thinly etched vignettes, the subdued lighting causes moments to flicker as if candles have burned away or electricity has failed. At first it appears that there is not much there but atmosphere. Joao, rejected because he is poor and black, uses flamboyant theatricality to emphasize his presence. Every vignette is intense. There is a great deal of energy in the film and also what appears to be a life force that is inextinguishable. The material is unconventional and bold and it is perfectly sensible. The way wild gay life progresses is clear and beautifully presented and this is a movie tribute to an age gone but not forgotten.

Well done bio of an impoverished outre life........2006-12-25

This is a fascinating, extremely well done, documentary style Indie film about the life of a down and out guy who defies narrow definitions.
The story description focuses on the most outré elements of this man's life: Brazillian pimp, street fighter, drag queen, thief, criminal.
The outstanding achievement of this film, though, is to put his life into context, that he is also protector, father, dreamer, artist; but does not airbrush, glamorize nor excuse his life.
This film goes further to put his life into context in the racial mix of Brazil of the 1930s, when slaves were freed but not allowed to hold jobs, the Brazil of Carnival where even the most macho men appear in drag. Deftly touching on all, but not belaboring any one of these elements of bigotry and systemic injustices, we are given a real portrait of an unusual family who are revealed in their entirety, rarely good, not entirely bad, really human.
The performances of the main four characters are simply outstanding and raw, so much so that you begin to wonder if this really IS a documentary. The small supporting roles are all equally strong. A riveting film in all respects; here the art direction and filming styles really augment the gritty reality and emotional perspective of an edgy life in a difficult time and place.
This is a morally complex film, not for children at all, not for those who do not like indie films. If you rent it, DEFINITELY listen to the commentary, the Director DOES achieve what he hopes to convey. This is not a film you "love" - it is one that deserves deep respect.

Good film, but....................2006-08-07

Right away,

I'll admit that this is a really good movie, per se. It is a real-life depiction of João Francisco dos Santos, a man with a complex, troubled life in 1930's Brazil. In spite of being a con-artist, thief, prostitute/pimp, and all-round angry person, Joao is also, believe it or not, a caring individual who displays acts of good in quieter, but no less extraordinary, ways. Throughout his life, he is often misunderstood and he struggles to balance the two extremes of his personality.

My only complaint is that this movie is a meager representation of João Francisco dos Santos' life. We are introduced to only a very short time period of his life; probably not more than a year out of his life of 76 years. We learn more about him from reading the product description than we would ever have known by watching the film alone. We see nothing about his early life nor any references that may have helped us to understand his actions better. We are told that he spent much time in prison ("26 of his 76 years" on earth) but we view one arrest. We are told told that he adopted 7 children, but we only see one. We are told that he was a consumate cabaret/drag performer, but we only see one performance and his beginnings as an "understudy." We are told, at the end of the film, about his many successes in the famed Brazilian Samba Carnivals, but, in regards, we only view a single slow motion, abstract monologue at the end as a wrap-up. In fact, the title "Madame Sata" is only used once, right before closing credits to tell us what he did in later life. We never actually see Madame Sata!

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed; not with the movie but with the way it was presented. If one had no previous knowledge about Dos Santos or had not read the movie description, the viewer would be cheated about knowing the life of a truly remarkable human being. I felt that there was so much more than could have been included in the movie.

However, I enjoyed the movie, as it was. The lead actor is incredible and I've enjoyed seeing him in Carandiru and City of God, two other great Brazilian, real-life movies.

Be aware,
reviews and the DVD cover are going to set you up for viewing the story of an incredibly complex and interesting man, but you're actually going to experience about a third of his life.
It's almost like being served a filet mignon for hors d'ouevres, and then bread and water for the main course. Sadly, the plot synopsis offers more than the movie delivers.

Madame Sata.......2006-03-04

I thought the movie was great. The lead actor is very handsome and I thought he did a wonderul job. I have read the other reviews and yes he is rude and mean, but has a soft side because no matter what he always took care of his extended family. Taboo was timid and I was not suprised by the way Joao treated him. Laurita as well seemed to be in love with Joao even though she new of his life style. She always showed him compassion like a wife would a husband. I thought the movie was great I wish we new more about his child hood and how he really looked. It's a must see!

"I was born an outlaw and that's how I'll live.".......2005-12-02

Joao Francisco dos Santos--also known as Madame Sata--led an extraordinary life. He was born a child of slaves in Brazil, and when he was seven, he was sold for a mule. As an adult, he lived in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, and he spent 26 years of his life in jail. During Joao's checkered career, he was a criminal, a boxer, a cabaret singer, a carnival star, and a murderer.

This background information is on the back of the DVD box, and it was enough to make me want to watch the film...

Director Karim Ainouz's film "Madame Sata" tries to take a deconstructive approach to Joao's life of oppositional contrasts. He was capable of brutish violence, but lived with an extended family that included prostitute Laurita (Marcelia Cartaxo), 7 'adopted' children, and transgendered Taboo (Flavio Bauraqui). Unfortunately, the film's focus is squarely on the violent, ugly side of Joao's life, so by the film's conclusion, we are left only with the impression of a violent man whose hair-trigger temper landed him in jail. Ultimately, the film brings us no closer to why Joao is different from any other petty criminal.

The film begins with Joao working in a club where he assists a singer. While she's out on stage, he's imitating her act, and when she's gone, he's trying on her clothes. These moments of fantasy and beauty are in contrast to the sordid violence of Joao's life. Cabaret allows a brief beauty into Joao's terrible life, and it's easy to understand why he is so drawn to the fantasy it represents. Unfortunately, the film fails to cover details of Joao's life--his childhood is a big blank--and all we see is an explosive street thug. Several scenes show his brutal, harsh treatment of those he professes to love, and Joao is hostile, unpredictable and down right unpleasant.

I watched the film for Joao's story, but little of it was covered here in the bar room brawls, a few bedroom scenes, and the emphasis on violence. It feels like a bit of a swindle to read the cover of a DVD that professes to portray the extraordinary life of an unusual man--only to discover that the film makes few references to the more interesting facts of his life. The DVD extras include more information about Joao than one can garner from the film itself. Extras include: director's commentary, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, and "Seams" a documentary. Although the film is colourful, the acting good, and the music lively and exotic, overall the film is a disappointment. In Portuguese with English subtitles--displacedhuman

Average customer rating:

Madame Sata
Starring: Lazaro Ramos , Flavio Bauraqui , and Fellipe Marques
Director: Karim Ainouz
Manufacturer: Libros Sin Fronterras
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Madame Sata [NTSC/REGION 0 DVD. Import-Latin America]

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Madame Sata [NTSC/REGION 0 DVD. Import-Latin America]
Director: Karin Ainouz
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Average customer rating:

Memories of a Bygone Era
Well done bio of an impoverished outre life.
Good film, but.............
Madame Sata
"I was born an outlaw and that's how I'll live."

Madame Satã
Starring: Lázaro Ramos , Marcelia Cartaxo , Flavio Bauraqui , Fellipe Marques , and Renata Sorrah
Director: Karim Ainouz
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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