A few years ago, I went to see O Mgico de Oz on Vivo Open Air. And before the film, a short film called D Accounting License. It showed Paulo Miklos as Adoniran Barbosa. He told some “stories” about Adoniran, which were the basis for his songs. I thought it was great (it’s available on YouTube). This short was the basis for Greetings Maloca, which opens this Thursday in cinemas. Once again, director Pedro Serrano and actor Paulo Miklos come together to show more of the universe of this great name in Brazilian music.
Saudosa Maloca takes place in two periods. In one of them, Adoniram, as an old man, tells his stories of a São Paulo that no longer exists to Cicero (Sidney Santiago), a young waiter at a bar. In the second half, he recalls his experience in the maloca with his friends Mato Grosso (Gero Camilo) and Joca (Gustavo Machado), as well as their passion for Iracema (Leilah Moreno). With the help of samba, the group of friends survives, but their lives are threatened when the Bixiga neighborhood begins to undergo major transformations and the metropolis is slowly swallowed by the “pogress”.
What did I find?
It is clear that the film has an appeal for all those who know Adoniran’s repertoire. The script creates lines and presents characters that were immortalized in the composer’s sambas. This inspires smiles and great sympathy for the entire project. I’m not a great connoisseur of Adoniran’s work, but it’s impossible not to recognize the clues Greetings Maloca, of Samba do Ernesto (this is the most fun)Train of eleven o’clock or Iracema. In fact, it is a tribute not only to Adoniran, but also to a world that no longer exists, of polite and harmless scoundrels. And from a São Paulo that is long gone.
The cast is all very good. Gero Camilo and Gustavo Machado entertain as the two squires Mato Grosso and Joca. He is the counterpoint to Paulo Miklos’ Adoniran. Adoniran was known as a sad clown, and Paulo Miklos embraces this perfectly. It is admirable that he does not try to make a copy of what Adoniran was, but rather shows his interpretation of such a special figure.
The film feels like a film from the past, with a poetry and innocence that is comforting. Worth knowing. And I had the pleasure of talking to Paulo Miklos about the film, about Adoniran, and of course, about music. See the video of our chat here.
Eliane Munhoz
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