# Roque Santeiro (1985)

> A poor Brazilian town's power brokers scramble to manage the return of a supposedly dead folk saint who threatens their control.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/41729

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 209
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Dias Gomes, Aguinaldo Silva
- Network: TV Globo
- Cast: José Wilker, Regina Duarte, Lima Duarte, Paulo Gracindo, Yoná Magalhães, Ary Fontoura, Eloísa Mafalda, Lucinha Lins
- TMDB rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138258/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: satirical, comedic, melodramatic, colorful, sardonic

## Synopsis

Roque Santeiro (1985-1986) is a Brazilian telenovela produced by TV Globo, created by Dias Gomes and Aguinaldo Silva. Set in the impoverished town of Asa Branca in Brazil's Northeast, it follows Roque Santeiro (José Wilker), a local man worshiped as a saint after he was supposedly killed years earlier. Local leaders, including landowner Sinhozinho Malta (Lima Duarte) and mayor Florindo Abelha (Ary Fontoura), built their hold on the credulous population around his martyrdom, and they even invented a widow, Porcina (Regina Duarte), to lay claim to him. The engine of the show is the scramble of these power brokers when Roque turns up alive and intends to help his people, forcing them to explain away their lies while protecting their own fortunes. Episodes braid this political maneuvering with comic subplots, a film crew shooting a movie about the legend, and mysterious happenings that keep the town unsettled. Across a single season of 209 episodes, the show stays a sly, colorful satire of religious faith and local authority, with a warm, theatrical tone. Fans of Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, Vale Tudo and Monty Python's Life of Brian will find resonance in its mix of melodrama, broad humor and sharp social mockery.

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