The Fall (1976)
A landmark of Brazilian Cinema Novo, co-directed by Nelson Xavier and Ruy Guerra, winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The Fall - Movie Information
- Original Title: A Queda
- Release Year: 1976
- Directed by: Nelson Xavier, Ruy Guerra
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama
- Runtime: 1h 46m
- Original Language: Portuguese
- Spoken Languages: Portuguese
- Release Date (Theatrical): August 20, 1976 (Brazil)
- Production Companies: Zoom Cinematográfica, Daga Filmes
- Production Countries: Brazil
The Fall - Plot
An accident at a construction site, resulting in one death, sets one worker off on a struggle for justice that exposes the mechanisms of exploitation and the class relations of a country that had undergone one decade of fast-paced 'conservative modernisation' at the hands of the military. As a sort of sequel to the classic The Guns (1964), following the fate of those characters as they move from enforcers of exploitation to exploited, it offers more than a snapshot of the period: the correspondent time lapses in fiction and reality capture the passage of a chunk of Brazilian history between the two films, and, therefore, also the transformations in cinematographic approaches to the social and political between the two moments. Equally daring in content and form, and in the originality of the adequacy of one to the other, it won the Silver Bear at Berlin.
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The Fall - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Nelson Xavier
- Ruy Guerra
Main Cast
- Nelson Xavier
- Lima Duarte
- Isabel Ribeiro
- Maria Silvia
- Hugo Carvana
- Leina Krespi
- Fernando Peixoto
- Helber Rangel
- Luis Pellegrini
- Álvaro Freire
Writers
- Ruy Guerra
- Nelson Xavier
Producers
- Nei Sroulevich
The Fall - FAQs
What is The Fall (1976) about?
The Fall follows a construction worker who pursues justice after a fatal accident on a job site, uncovering the deep mechanisms of class exploitation in Brazil under military rule. A spiritual sequel to Ruy Guerra's The Guns (1964), the film traces how the exploited and the exploiters trade places across a decade of forced modernisation.
Did The Fall win any major awards?
Yes. The Fall won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious prizes in world cinema. The award recognised the film's daring formal approach and its unflinching political examination of Brazilian society during the military dictatorship era.
Is The Fall a sequel to another film?
The Fall functions as a thematic sequel to Ruy Guerra's landmark 1964 film The Guns (Os Fuzis). It revisits characters who were once enforcers of exploitation and shows them transformed into the exploited, tracing a decade of Brazilian political and social history between the two films.
Who directed The Fall (1976)?
The Fall was co-directed by Nelson Xavier and Ruy Guerra. Ruy Guerra is a celebrated figure of Cinema Novo, the Brazilian new wave movement, while Nelson Xavier also stars in the film as the lead character Mário, making this a rare dual role of director and protagonist.
Who are the main actors in The Fall?
The principal cast includes Nelson Xavier as Mário, Lima Duarte as Salatiel, Isabel Ribeiro as Laura, Maria Silvia as Lindalva, Hugo Carvana as José, Helber Rangel as Alfredo, Fernando Peixoto, Leina Krespi, Luis Pellegrini, and Álvaro Freire.
When was The Fall released?
The Fall was released in Brazil on August 20, 1976. The film emerged during a period of intense political repression under the Brazilian military dictatorship, lending its story of worker exploitation and the pursuit of justice an immediate and charged social resonance.
How was The Fall received by critics?
The Fall earned strong critical acclaim, particularly for its bold fusion of political content and formal innovation. Its Silver Bear win at Berlin cemented its reputation as a landmark of Brazilian cinema and of Cinema Novo's legacy, praised for the originality with which form and subject matter reinforce each other.
What are some films similar to The Fall?
Viewers who appreciate The Fall's blend of social critique and cinematic ambition may also enjoy Liquid Truth (2017), American Beauty (1999), and Joker (2019), all of which examine systemic injustice and individual rebellion. The Godfather (1972) and Shutter Island (2010) are further editorial recommendations for fans of the film.
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