Maria Bethania: Music is Perfume (2008)

Synopsis: Maria Bethânia is a living musical legend whose earthy interpretations of Brazilian film music have inspired generations of fans and musical colleagues all over the world. The power of the music... Maria Bethânia is a living musical legend whose earthy interpretations of Brazilian film music have inspired generations of fans and musical colleagues all over the world. The power of the music gives voice and identity to an entire nationa.

“Samba is sadness dancing”, says Brazilian singer Maria Bethânia, a woman who extols the heart and soul of her nation through song. Maria Bethânia is from a very different world than today's pop singers. A world of arguably very adult passions and sorrows: loss, heartbreak, slavery, and religion.

Concert footage and interviews with the singer's family, friends and peers to create a warm and personal portrait of a woman and her impeccable art are intercut thoughout the film, With an unhurried pace, as easy and leisurely as a ballad, the documentary captures Bethânia in the studio and on stage, providing an insider's look at how musicians discuss phrasing and interpretations.

Often it is the impromptu renditions that are the most glorious, as when three of Brazil's most celebrated singers (Nana Caymmi, Miucha and Bethânia) give a samba siren's call in the dressing room after a concert. The singer speaks candidly and honestly to the camera about her life and her art, both of which are inextricably intertwined. --© Official Site [More]

Starring: Maria Bethania, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Nana Caymmi

Starring: Maria Bethania, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Nana Caymmi, Miucha, Chico Buarque

Director: Georges Gachot

Director: Georges Gachot
Producer: Georges Gachot
Studio: ArtMattan Productions

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