O Pagador de Promessas (internationally known as The Given Word ), released in 1962, remains one of the most significant achievements in Brazilian cinema history. Directed by Anselmo Duarte and based on the play by Dias Gomes, it is famously the first (and only) Brazilian film to win the at the Cannes Film Festival. The Narrative: A Struggle of Faith and Bureaucracy
The story follows Zé do Burro, a humble farmer from the Brazilian Northeast. When his beloved donkey falls terminally ill, Zé makes a promise to a Saint: if the animal recovers, Zé will carry a heavy wooden cross on his back from his lands all the way to the Church of Saint Barbara in Salvador, Bahia. O.Pagador.de.Promessas.AKA.The.Given.Word.1962....
: It was the first Brazilian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. O Pagador de Promessas (internationally known as The
: In 1962, the film beat out legendary directors like Michelangelo Antonioni and Luis Buñuel to take the top prize at Cannes. When his beloved donkey falls terminally ill, Zé
: As Zé waits outside the church, the media and local politicians manipulate his story for their own agendas, turning a private act of devotion into a public circus.
: The film highlights the unique blend of Catholicism and African traditions in Brazilian culture, and the friction that occurs when institutional religion tries to "purify" folk faith.