O Mistério do Samba

2008 1h 28m PT

🤯

8.5

MASTERPIECE

★8.5TMDB · 3

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A film that depicts the everyday life and the beauty of Portela’s Old Folk – a group of veteran samba musicians who belong to one of Rio’s most revered samba schools, the one with the most first places and accolades in Rio’s Carnaval pageant. These old gentelmen’s and ladies’ musicality and poetry are unveiled through their simple, but rich and meaningful, every day life in Oswaldo Cruz, a quaint neighborhood in Rio’s North Zone, that serves both as set and as a main character in this story.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Paulinho da Viola
Self
Marisa Monte
Self
Jair do Cavaquinho
Self
Monarco
Self
Casquinha da Portela
Self
Casemiro
Self
Argemiro da Portela
Self
Zeca Pagodinho
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Carolina Jabor
Writers: Carolina Jabor, Leonardo Netto, Lula Buarque de Hollanda
Languages: Portuguese
Countries: Brazil

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Carolina Jabor, shot by Toca Seabra. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Natara Ney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Paulinho da Viola and Marisa Monte and Jair do Cavaquinho carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1275952 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Carolina Jabor directs. Toca Seabra behind the camera. Natara Ney cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Brazil. Dialogue in Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 18 years ago.
3Directed by Carolina Jabor, shot by Toca Seabra. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Natara Ney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Paulinho da Viola and Marisa Monte and Jair do Cavaquinho carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1275952 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.