Anselmo Duarte wrote and directed Pagador de Promessas (Keeper of Promises), a Brazilian drama based on the stage play of the same name by Dias Gomes.
Shot in Salvador, Bahia, it stars Leonardo Villar.
Keeper of Promises won the Palme d’Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, thus becoming the first film by a Brazilian director to achieve that feat.
It also became the first Brazilian and South American film nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Zé do Burro (Leonardo Villar) is a landowner from Nordeste, whose best friend is a donkey. When his donkey falls terminally ill, Zé promises to a Candomblé orisha, Iansan, that if his donkey recovers, he will give away his land to the poor and carry a cross all the way from his farm to the Saint Bárbara Church in Salvador, Bahia, where he will offer the cross to the local priest. Upon the donkey’s recovery, Zé leaves on his journey, a distance of 7 léguas (46 km; 29 miles).
Followed by his wife Rosa (Glória Menezes), he arrives outside the church. The local priest (Dionísio Azevedo) refuses to accept the cross once he hears about Zé’s “pagan” pledge.
Others also attempt to manipulate the innocent and naïve Zé. The local Candomblé worshippers want to use him as leader against the discrimination they suffer from the Roman Catholic Church.
The sensationalist newspapers transform his promise to give away his land into “communist” call for land reform (controversial issue in Brazil).
When Zé is shot by the police to prevent his way into the church, the Candomblé worshippers put his dead body on the cross and force their way into the church.
Cast
Leonardo Villar as Zé do Burro (Donkey Jack)
Glória Menezes as Rosa, Zé’s wife
Dionísio Azevedo as Olavo, the priest
Geraldo Del Rey as Bonitão (Handsome), a pimp
Norma Bengell as Marly, a prostitute
Othon Bastos as the Reporter
Antônio Pitanga as Coca, the capoeira player
Credits:
Directed, written byAnselmo Duarte
Based on O Pagador de Promessas by Dias Gomes
Produced by Oswaldo Massaini
Cinematography: H. E. Fowle
Edited by Carlos Coimbra
Music by Gabriel Migliori
Production company: Cinedistri
Distributed by Cinedistri Embrafilme
Release date: August 6, 1962
Running time: 91 minutes
Brazil; Portuguese
