Feb 16 2008

Tropa de Elite wins Golden Globe

By John Baeyens | Share This Brazil

Tropa the elite won the Golden Bear in Berlin, great news.  I've written previously on the movie and its reward of giving an objective view on the roots of violence in Rio.  I also wrote that the movie is a pamflet for the legalisation of drugs, at least, that was my conclusion after seeing it.
The bad news of Tropa de Elite winning the Golden Bear is that the movie now has an English title: "The Elite Squad" -horror-.  The good news is that the movie will now become as famous as Cidade de Deus and that you'll be able to see the movie soon in a theatre near you.  If you can't wait till then: beam me a mail and I'll send you the DVD.

 

Comments

  1. Neo Molamu

    Neo Molamu said:

    Hi there John.

    Cool website.

    I'd appreciate a copy of the DVD.

    Thanks, Neo

    Posted 17 years ago

  2. Jeffry Degrande

    Jeffry Degrande said:

    I think tropa de elite doesn't come anywhere near the cinematographic piece of art cidade is. When I first saw the movie I got the impression it was a totally exagerated Rambo clone. It was only after starting to watch globo news I realized the pointless ultraviolent behaviour of bope in the movie is pretty much authentic. Which is pretty sad.

    Posted 17 years ago

  3. John Baeyens

    John Baeyens said:

    Absolutely. I saw Cidade de Deus 3 times and eager to see it a fourth time. Apparently it had a magic effect on both of us; since we opened up to the magic of the country. I had the same experience as you during the opening minutes of Tropa de Elite: get out of here. The trailer says it all. Yet, having lived 2 years in Rio the movie makes yous see the life of the police in a different dimension. It makes you realise drugs is not the main problem (the amount of drugs per capita used in Rio is a fraction compared to the amount used per capita in the US. and Brazil is not a big drug manufacturer), it makes you see there's good and bad in every brick of the wall. And especially; the movie learns Brazilians that the only force which is strong enough to change whatever people would like to be changed is the individual conscience of each. For a huge unfirom hater (in general and especially in Brazil), the movie also learned me that 1 in a 1000 cops in Brazil are not so bad. Which we happened to experience on a trip in Belo Horizonte where my wife realised that she didn't have her car enter the yearly check-up for the last 2 years, which meant her license plates were no longer licensed. Individual conscience of the cop (or the faked tears and sexy glasses of my wife) did the trick eventually.

    And last but not least: "Morro de dende" is an unmatched track ! Carioca funk rules.

    Posted 17 years ago

  4. John

    John said:

    Dear Sir,

    Would you by chance know where/how I could get a Tropa de Elite DVD with english captions?

    Posted 17 years ago

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