Lábios sem Beijos

Virgin Lips
Film still
Directed byHumberto Mauro
Written byAdhemar Gonzaga, Arlindo Muccilo
Produced byCinédia
StarringLelita Rosa
Paulo Morano
Didi Viana
Production
company
Cinédia
Distributed byParamount Pictures (Brazil)
Release date
  • November 10, 1930 (1930-november-10) (Rio de Janeiro)
Running time
59 min.
CountryBrazil
LanguageSilent (Portuguese intertitles)
The film Lábios sem Beijos

Lábios sem Beijos (English: Virgin Lips or Lips without Kisses) is a Brazilian silent romantic comedy film directed by Humberto Mauro who was also the cinematographer, and produced in 1930 by Cinédia at the end of the silent film era. It was Written by Adhemar Gonzaga and Arlindo Muccilo with Lelita Rosa, Paulo Morano, and Didi Viana in the main cast.[1]

Plot summary

Lelita, a young woman from a wealthy family who is courted by her cousin Paul, but she has reason to believe that he is also having an affair with Lelita's sister, which causes problems of jealousy, until everything becomes clear and true love prevails.[2]

Cast

  • Lelita Rosa as Lelita
  • Paulo Morano as Paulo
  • Didi Viana as Didi
  • Gina Cavalieri as Gina
  • Augusta Guimarães as Perpétua
  • Alfredo Rosário as Rosário
  • Tamar Moema as Tamar
  • Décio Murilo
  • Máximo Serrano
  • Carlos Eugênio
  • Adhemar Gonzaga
  • Antonio Paes Gonçalves
  • Martins Kito
  • Fernando Lima
  • Leda Léa
  • Luiz Gonzaga Martins
  • Humberto Mauro
  • Celso Montenegro

Production

In an interview with the Brazilian magazine A Ordem during the period prior to the film's release, Gonzaga stated:

"My company was founded to build true Brazilian cinema. It was launched exclusively with our effort and our capitals. Let us show that we can create a new and legitimate art, capable of turning the smile of the pessimists into a cry of enthusiasm. "[3]

At the time it was released, each state in Brazil enforced its own censorship standards, resulting in different cuts to scenes.

Reception

The first film from Cinédia,[4] it is regarded as among Mauro's most significant films,[5] and a classic of Brazilian silent film.[6] It has been described as "a landmark in Brazilian comic film... a biting take on daily life, an ironic vision ... that still makes us laugh today".[7] Some contemporary critics objected to its sensual imagery.[7]

It won the 1930 Journal do Brasil award for Best Brazilian Film.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Peter H. Rist (8 May 2014). Historical Dictionary of South American Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 399. ISBN 978-0-8108-8036-8.
  2. ^ "Cinemateca".
  3. ^ "Director Interview". 30 March 1930. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  4. ^ Willemen, P. (1985). "Chronicle of Brazilian Cinema". Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media. 28 (28): 144–69. JSTOR 44111107.
  5. ^ Amaral, A.; Hastings, K. (1995). "Stages in the Formation of Brazil's Cultural Profile". The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts. 21: 9–25. doi:10.2307/1504129. JSTOR 1504129.
  6. ^ Maria Fernanda Baptista Bicalho (1993). "The Art of Seduction: Representation of Women in Brazilian Silent Cinema". Luso-Brazilian Review. 30 (1): 21–33. JSTOR 3514194.
  7. ^ a b Lisa Shaw; Stephanie Dennison (2014). Brazilian National Cinema. Routledge. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-134-70210-7.
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