Weekly Film Review: Noel Rosa – Poeta da Vila (2007)

By Fabio Pires

Noel Rosa – Poeta da Vila (2007)

In his first feature Noel – Poeta da Vila (2007), director Ricardo van Steen tells the story of one of the most important songwriters of Brazilian popular music – Noel Rosa.

Born into a Rio de Janeiro middle class milieu in 1910, Noel Rosa was the first musician to unite the favela (Brazilian shantytowns) rythms with the European musicwork of the time. As such, Noel Rosa helped create the carioca (people born in Rio de Janeiro) identity, which is commonly associated with love for good music and the mix of social and cultural signifiers. Mr Rosa’s work now stands as a milestone of the world famous samba music. 

Mr. Van Steen partially succeeds in capturing the marriage between favela and the ‘asphalt’ by showing how Noel Rosa interacts with favela musicians and songwriters who represent the roots of Brazilian popular music. Noel Rosa’s outsider soul – and his famous disfigured chin – fitted perfectly in his bohemian life, which inspired most of his samba songs.

Even though Mr.Van Steen aces a couple of goals by showing Noel Rosa’s bohemian way of life, much of the songwriter’s prolific and inner inspirational moments are not shared with the audience. Noel Rosa is seen most of the time as an oversexed musician dedicated to binge drinking.

Mr. Van Steen, on the other hand, successfully shows how Noel and other songwriters do the ‘song duels’, a game in which they poke each other with irreverent lyrics. It was also interesting to show the audience how Noel Rosa used the Brazilian national anthem to compose his first hit for the 1929 Carnival called ‘Com que roupa?’

While the film’s narration is conventional and its editing and pace recall a made-for-TV movie, strong acting lifts the film above average - although some of the non-protagonist characters are not fully developed.

For instance, the charcater of Lindaura (Noel’s wife), a sixteen-year-old factory worker, doesn’t help the audience discover anything new about Noel’s personality. His mother is briefly shown as a bitter woman, and his father as an eccentric inventor.  Also, Noel’s music partners, important songwriters like Ismael and Cartola, could have been more integrated to the story as opposed to just be part of subplots.

The story takes a more melodramatic twist when Noel Rosa is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his relationship with cabaret singer Ceci starts to disintegrate, but at this point the confusing timeline and the author’s rush to conclude the story don’t help the audience to completely understand Noel Rosa’s fundamental contribution to Brazilian popular music.

Arto Lindsay’s musical direction is very effective and shows the best songs composed by Noel Rosa in great music performances.