Glauber Rocha’s 1964 Brazilian Cinema Novo classic Black God, White Devil is brought to Blu-ray for the first time by Radiance Films/Mawu Films. The film follows ranch worker Manoel (Geraldo Del Ray), a humble guy who tires of his menial work and dreams of owning a plot of land of his own. Soon he is forced on the run with his wife Rosa (Yoná Magalhães) and the pair become outlaws, but when they fall into the company of Sebastião and his cult the danger heats up again.

This film has a powerful historical reputation as being one of the greatest films to be made in Brazil, often appearing on lists alongside films like City of God, Elite Squad and Pixote. It’s a movie which defines the Cinema Novo movement and is easily the film which is most remembered from that period. I have a preexisting connection to this film as I studied it during my time at university, in a module exploring films as a mode of political protest. And that is perhaps the best way to view this film, as a piece of political art designed to address the problems of the contexts surrounding it. This was the most difficult facet of the film for me- since my knowledge of Brazilian history is like that of most people in the UK; severely limited. But with a bit of research, with additional help from the great special features on this release, I found myself understanding the content and focus points. So I'd say a little bit of research may be needed to fully understand Black God White Devil.

The first hour of Rocha’s film plays out almost as a parody of a classic American western, with bandits and our hero standing up against a villain driven by greed. Much of the visual language heavily inspires some Spaghetti Western classics like Leone’s Man With No Name series, ultimately allowing the film to parody this idea of these capitalistically driven institutional social issues (such as the power businessmen have over their workers) through a commercial language which has been hitherto associated with stories about white American cowboys taking land away from native peoples. These parallels are drawn with a biting irony, even into the second hour where the style is blended with that of European art cinema and more surrealist influence. When the hitman Antonio, played with great menace by Mauricio del Valle, is introduced there is a stark silhouette which hangs in contrast with everything else. Rocha naturally focuses the gaze of the view on the rifle which seems attached to Antonio at all times, drawing comparison to the fear of lawmen which exists during a time of Brazilian dictatorship.

Black God, White Devil easily has one of the strongest suites of bonus features seen on a Radiance Films release to date. There’s a gorgeous new 4K restoration based on the original 35mm print of the film, nicely accompanied by a new commentary track from restoration supervisor Lino Meireles. A newly commissioned video essay titled Intimacy & Distance: The Political Visual Style of Black God, White Devil by Manuela Lazic and Alessandro Luchett is included on the disc and explores the use of space within the film, both literally with the framing but also with how relationships are formed with the Brazil presented in the film. But the main attractions are the pair of feature-length documentaries included here, both of which lean into making this release a definitive introduction to the Cinema Novo movement.

Firstly is Silvio Tendler’s 2003 portrait of Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil- compiled with interviews from numerous collaborators and paints a pretty vivid picture of the artistic mind of Rocha. There are some pretty vital personal political contexts which enhanced my appreciation of certain elements of the film. Secondly, there is Eryk Rocha’s (the son of Glauber) 2016 documentary on the Cinema Novo movement as a whole. I would really recommend watching this before going into Black God, White Devil, simply because there is extensive context provided for the political intentions of this artistic movement as well as how that affects the release of key films in this period as well as how the wider situation in Brazil causes these film to be made in the first place. Of course, there is also a small selection of promotional trailers as well but they just feel like they have to be there, and the physical edition comes with a new booklet featuring a wide range of academic writings on the film to further enhance the historic nature of this release.

Black God White Devil is a classic for a reason, not just with its historic provenance but with its enthralling Western imagery and strongly drawn characters- which play out a narrative with plenty to say about the world in which it takes place. Radiance’s new release is the definitive way of experiencing this film on home media,  and a celebration of the Cinema Novo moment itself. If you get any of Radiance’s recent releases, get this one!.