Carandiru (www.the-usher.com)

When a new doctor (Vasconcelos) starts work at the infamous São Paulo prison Carandiru, he didn't know what to expect. He is there to introduce an AIDS prevention program but over time got to know many of the prisoners, their problems and the reason why they were incarcerated. As he gains respect within the prison dark halls, the doctor doesn't realise that the slightest little thing can light a fuse that could cause a disaster and during the yearly inter-pavilion football match that spark was lit.

Renown Argentinean filmmaker Hector Babenco takes us into one of the most notorious prisons in South America for an insight into one of the biggest authorised massacres in Brazilian history.

Built to house 4000 inmates, Carandiru prison population exploded in the 90s to over 7500 criminals. The first ninety minutes of the movie shows the infrastructure of the penitentiary. We are introduced to many characters and their roles within the prison walls. You have the drug addicts and their dealers, the workers and their lovers and the leader and his generals. All make up the structure of prison life as the inmates create their own hierarchy within the walls. Each one of them, whatever their station within the prison walls, talks to the doctor and that is where our stories come from.

Based on the novel by actual Carandiru doctor Drauzio Varella, we learn about the main characters of the prison as they talk openly to the doctor about how the actually came to be in prison. Each of these stories is told in a flashback sequence as we see the stupid, honourable, desperate and psychotic reasons why these people ended up in this dreadful place. Here we learn of Highness's bigamy problems, the fate of Zico and Deusdete's sister's attackers and a betrayed husband driven to murder. The doctor also learns about prisoner's personal lives, as they air their problems very openly to the man they completely trust.

To complement these stories are some outstanding performances from the excellent ensemble cast. Caio Blat and Wagner Moura are amazing as Deusdete and Zico. Moura's Zico is a career criminal of some standing within the prison who is slowly been consumed by the crack he sells to the addicts, leading to tragic results. Blat's Deusdete shouldn't even be in the prison if it wasn't for him taking the law into his own hands. These are powerful performances, especially from Moura as we witness his character deterioration into madness. Ivan de Almeida is also good as the leader of the prisoners, Ebony. This is a man who can decide life or death within Carandiru, as he controls all the drugs and most of the biggest thugs on his payroll. Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos as the doctor has little to do except listen to the prisoner's tale but he is an iconic figure within the movie, a conduit and narrator for viewer as to what is going on.

All these elements come together to create a fascinating film that gets you really involved with the lives of the inmates. This investment is thrown into turmoil as the finale kicks into motion however. A huge prison riot explodes with the walls and the Riot Police are sent in by the Governor to quickly put an end to the uprising. This is a brutal assault with many of the characters that you have grown to even like, facing extreme danger and even death. As the brutality ensues, a surviving prisoner reveals their own story of how they escaped death to the doctor. This creates real tension, as you don't know who will live or die.

Carandiru is a first rate prison drama that is made all the more watchable when you find out that it is based on real events. With great performances and amazing visual flare from the director and his crew, this movie reveals that even prisoners deserve compassion and a voice, as this shows the human spirit is alive even within the dark walls of Carandiru prison.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack in Portuguese and Spanish languages, the transfer is very good. The picture quality is crystal clear throughout, even when the drama switches to the darker areas of Carandiru prison. The sound quality is also first rate with strong dialogue and energetic crowd scenes.

BONUS FEATURES

Director's Commentary (subtitled)
Co-writer/director Hector Babenco talks about bringing Drauzio Varella's novel and the story of Carandiru to life. He reveals that he wanted to set the film out like a Greek tragedy and create an element of social diversity amongst the characters. He then goes on to discuss the development of the main players and creating their back stories via flashbacks, which created some problems during the extensive location shoots for them. The director then talks about recreating Carandiru in sets, on location and filming in the actual prison itself. He then talks about the technical aspects of the shooting the riot scenes. This is a very informative track from an accomplished filmmaker.

Deleted Scenes (14.07 mins)
Entitled "Breakfast in the Pavilion", "Miro and Dina's crisis", "Ezequiel before crack", "Rape at the Jail", "The end of Zico and Deusdete", "Party at Mr Chico's Place" and "Mr Chico's Balloons", these seven deleted could have been so easily incorporated into the movie. "Ezequiel before crack" is a highlight as we find out how the ex-surfer came to be in prison.

Historical Footage (8.25 mins)
Here you can watch film from the State Penitentiary from 1928 and the Carandiru implosion when some of the prison was demolished in 2000.

The Making of Carandiru (31.53 mins)
Director Hector Babenco, novelist Dr Drauzio Varella, director of photography Walter Carvalho, production designer Clovis Bueno and stars Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Milton Gonçalves, Ivan de Almeida, Rodrigo Santoro, Lázaro Ramos, Caio Blat, Rita Cadillac and Milhem Cortaz take you behind the scenes of Carandiru. The featurette shows you how key scenes were created and how each actor sees their character and the story.

OVERALL

This excellent prison drama receives a first rate DVD treatment from Columbia/Tristar. The transfer is extremely good and the quality of the extras really complements it. Foreign movies never really get a good release outside of their own country, so it is very refreshing to find that Carandiru has been treated with the respect it deserves. The commentary track is very informative and featurette shows what a great filmmaker Hector Babenco truly is. The only downside is the lack of commentary on the deleted scenes, as we need to know why they where removed, as many of them are extremely good. This an excellent DVD package for all fans and a great way to introduce yourself to foreign language cinema for those of you who haven't discovered anything outside of Hollywood.

DVD

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2003