1946: O ?brio (The Drunkard) (+ scenarist/scriptwriter, producer). 1949: Pinguinho de Gente (Tiny Tot) (+ scenarist/scriptwriter). 1951: Cora??o Materno (A Mother?s Heart) (+ role, scenarist/scriptwriter, producer). 1977: Can?ao de Amor (Song of Love) (short).
Films as Writer: 1955: Chico Viola N?o Morreu (Chico Viola Didn?t Die) (Vinoly Barreto). 1974: Mesti?a, a Escrava Indomavel (Perroy).
With her husband, staged light operas with their own production company; she also performed as a singer and actress in theater, radio, and the cinema; 1946?directed her first film , The Drunkard, which became a box-office success; 1951?formed film production company, Pro-Arte.
1905.
Married Vicente Celestino.
June 1979 .
A standard introduction to Brazilian cinema cannot begin without mentioning the important role that women have played in the industry, not only as actresses, but as writers, directors, and producers. Gilda de Abreu?s contributions include producing, writing, directing, screenwriting, acting, songwriting, and singing.
A multitalented performer, Abreu acted and sang in radio, theater, and film. She wrote novels, plays, and songs in addition to adapting other authors? novels and plays for the stage and screen. With her husband Vicente Celestino, Abreu staged light operas in Rio de Janeiro through the couple?s production company.
Abreu?s directorial film debut, O ?brio seemed to position her for instant stardom within the industry. An adaptation of a play by Celestino, O ?brio, a musical melodrama and biopic, was wildly popular in Brazil and a record five hundred prints were struck in order to meet theatrical exhibition demand for the film.
The 1940s, however, were a difficult time to be a woman producing and directing films in Brazil. The famed Brazilian ?machismo? made it difficult for Abreu to gain the respect of her crew, largely male, who had a hard time taking orders from a woman. Abreu wore pants on the set of O ?brio, reportedly to minimize her female appearance in an effort to gain her crew?s confidence. Despite the success of O ?brio, Abreu was hindered by this gender divide and found it nearly impossible to round up a crew and financing for her second feature. This film, Pinguinho de Gente, was not nearly as well-received as her first. Consequently, Abreu?s problems as a woman in the film industry continued.
Abreu took matters into her own hands by producing herself a third feature, A Mother?s Heart. In addition to producing, writing, and directing the film, Abreu acted in it, proving once again her versatility.
A combination of factors, including machista attitudes and Brazil?s economic situation, caused Abreu to quit filmmaking after A Mother?s Heart. She was persuaded in 1955 to write the script for Chico Viola Didn?t Die and later, in 1973, Lenita Perroy talked her into adapting one of her own stage plays for the screen.
The incredible box-office success of O ?brio and the relative success of her third feature and her screenwriting efforts leave the aficionado of Brazilian cinema wondering how much more she might have contributed to the evolution of a national art form had she not been thwarted because of her sex. As late as 1979, just before her death, Abreu continued writing novels and plays, proving that her diverse talents remained vital even though she was out of the public eye.?ILENE S. GOLDMAN