Overview
A gripping tale of crime and survival in the Brazilian hinterlands.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- visceral
- poetic
- serious film study
- arthouse cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a startlingly original and poetic political work, especially for its black-and-white imagery, cultural fusion, and mythic treatment of Brazilian history.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film is a major Cinema Novo work using rural banditry and religious violence to confront Brazilian inequality and oppression.
Its exquisite black-and-white photography turns the sertão into an austere, symbolic environment of violence and survival.
Antonio das Mortes, Corisco, and the rural bandit world are presented between historical account, folk ballad, and contemporary myth.
Manuel's descent into crime, the rival bandit factions, and the Pedra Bonita Massacre connect personal survival to systemic rural oppression.
Films like Black God, White Devil, and why
Antonio das Mortes
shared Cinema Novo political allegory, rural oppression, mythic western imagery, and revolutionary intensity
Barren Lives
shared Brazilian Cinema Novo tradition, black-and-white rural landscapes, social realism, and oppressed protagonists
The Battle of Algiers
shared poetic political filmmaking, bandit mythology, historical violence, and stark black-and-white visual style
The Wild Bunch
shared revisionist western form, folk-ballad atmosphere, class conflict, and morally unstable outlaws
Movie Details
- Director
- Glauber Rocha
- Release Date
- 1964-03-13
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (169)
Cast
- Geraldo del Rey
- Yoná Magalhães
- Othon Bastos
- Sonia dos Humildes
- Maurício do Valle
- Lídio Silva
- João Gama
- Antônio Pinto
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Black God, White Devil about?
- A stark Cinema Novo western turns rural banditry, religious fervor, and class oppression into a violent Brazilian folk epic.
- What is Black God, White Devil like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black God, White Devil as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Black God, White Devil violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Black God, White Devil as brutal.
- What did critics think of Black God, White Devil?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a startlingly original and poetic political work, especially for its black-and-white imagery, cultural fusion, and mythic treatment of Brazilian history.
- Which films are like Black God, White Devil?
- Films with a similar feel include Antonio das Mortes, Barren Lives, The Battle of Algiers, and The Wild Bunch.
- How long is Black God, White Devil?
- Black God, White Devil runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch Black God, White Devil?
- In United States, Black God, White Devil is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
