Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop
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Vol. IX comparative cinema Fabio No. 16 2021 Camarneiro Tropical Purgatory: Brazil Through 75-92 the Lenses of Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop Writers Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop both lived in Brazil, although in very different circumstances. Their stories served as basis for two films: Maria Schrader’s Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (Vor der Morgenröte, 2016), and Bruno Barreto’s Reaching for the Moon (Flores raras, 2013). This article aims to describe the differences between these two films, and how they can be connected to Brazilian authors such as Gilberto Freyre and Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, whose works attempt to understand Brazil’s social dynamics from the perspective of its violent colonial past. Furthermore, this article aims to question the connections between historical accuracy and political engagement, arguing that the general tone of a film narrative may sometimes be much more politically-oriented than the actual facts it portrays. Date submitted: 15/09/2020 Date accepted: 09/04/2021 Keywords FILM BIOPICS STEFAN ZWEIG ELIZABETH BISHOP GERMAN CINEMA MARIA SCHRADER BRAZILIAN CINEMA BRUNO BARRETO BRAZILIAN SOCIETY TERRESTRIAL PARADISE Fabio Camarneiro [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-1767-3610 Associate Professor at UFES (Federal University of Espírito Santo), Brazil. DOI: 10.31009/cc.2021.v9.i16.05 This article analyses two biopic Antoinette, 2006, for instance)” (Vidal films that portray writers: Stefan Zweig: 2013, 2−3). As discussed below, Farewell to Europe (Vor der Morgenröte, the myth of the “tropical paradise” 2016), by Maria Schrader, and Reaching reveals itself in both films, forcing the for the Moon (Flores raras, 2013), by characters to confront the distance Bruno Barreto. The first narrates four between the myth and the actual travels that Austrian novelist Stefan country. It’s also important to notice comparative cinema comparative Zweig took through the Americas—in that an interface between national Argentina, USA, and Brazil. The second and transnational can be seen either is focused on the troublesome romantic in the Brazilian film about the life of relationship between poet Elizabeth the American writer, or in the European Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de (Austrian-German-French) film about the Macedo Soares. These two writers are travels of the Austrian writer in America. depicted as not very assertive in the Although these transnational way they respond to external demands, aspects tend to be reinforced in and the difficulties in dealing with their international co-productions, they respective problems would finally lead are rare in Brazilian biopics. Reaching Zweig to commit suicide on February for the Moon stands as an exception 22, 1942, and Bishop to become an because of its concern for transnational alcoholic. In other words, the characters aspects, and also for its focus on the life obey a much-repeated cliché that of a writer. In recent years, the country claims that artists suffer when the produced biopics focused mainly on world around them suffers: Zweig during musicians (We’re So Young [Somos tão World War II, and Bishop during the first jovens, Antonio Carlos da Fontoura, 76 moments of a coup d’état in Brazil in the 2013], Tim Maia [Mauro Lima, 2014], Elis mid-1960s. [Hugo Prata, 2016]), TV personalities It is possible to identify Farewell to (Bingo: The King of the Mornings [Bingo: Europe and Reaching for the Moon as o rei das manhãs, Daniel Rezende, 2017], examples of a specific sub-genre with Chacrinha: o velho guerreiro [Andrucha specific narrative traits, dedicated Waddington, 2018], Hebe: a estrela do to the lives of famous writers. Both Brasil [Maurício Farias, 2019]), and even films could be analyzed in comparison sports figures (Heleno [José Henrique with biopics of other writers who also Fonseca, 2012], Stronger Than the World committed suicide—Virginia Woolf in [Aldo: mais forte que o mundo, Afonso The Hours (Stephen Daldry, 2002) or Poyart, 2016], 10 segundos para vencer Sylvia Plath in Sylvia (Christine Jeffs, [José Alvarenga Jr., 2018]). Besides 2003)—or became alcoholic, as we see Bishop in Reaching for the Moon, only with Charles Bukowski’s alter-ego Hank one other writer has been depicted in a Chinaski in Factotum (Bent Hamer, recent Brazilian biopic: Paulo Coelho in 2005). However, our goal here is to The Pilgrim: Paulo Coelho’s Best Story analyze Zweig and Bishop through the (Não pare na pista: a melhor história de notion of national identity. In both films, Paulo Coelho, Daniel Augusto, 2014). the main action takes place in Brazil, But, since Coelho served as lyricist for and the way the country is depicted rock and roll singer Raul Seixas, the reveals how, as Vidal puts it, “the biopic film may also be considered among feeds fantasies of national identity to those about musicians, which is evident the international film scene (as seen, from its original title: instead of some for example, in Coco Before Channel, reference to Coelho’s literary work, “Não Article CAMARNEIRO FABIO of the Lenses Through Brazil Purgatory: Tropical Bishop and Elizabeth Zweig Stefan 2009) but also blurs the contours of pare na pista” is actually the name of a national cinemas through transnational song composed by Seixas, with lyrics by 2021 Coelho. Vol. IX IX Vol. encounters and appropriations (Marie No. 16 No. DOI: 10.31009/cc.2021.v9.i16.05 As Vidal puts it, “the fundamental of both films. It is also notable the link to historical fact […] seals the presence of a heritage of sociological generic contract between producers studies by authors such as Buarque de and audiences of biographical film Holanda and Gilberto Freyre, in their fictions, with the attendant pleasures attempts to understand Brazil’s national of recognition” (Vidal 2013, 3). In fact, identity from the perspective of its recognition seems even more important violent colonial past. In what follows, comparative cinema comparative than accuracy, as audiences might be this article also aims to question the more familiar with certain myths and connection between historical accuracy constructions of personae than with and political engagement, arguing that real events. This is the case with the the general tone of a film narrative is two films here, in which historical facts sometimes much more political than are replaced by the myth of a “tropical the actual facts it portrays. paradise.” Since the time of its colonization by Stefan Zweig between Europe and Europeans, the American continent has the Americas been recurrently interpreted by means In February 1934, a few months after of legends and myths based on its many Zweig’s books were banned in Nazi natural beauty and mineral resources, Germany, Vienna witnessed four days among which the most recurrent is of civil war that ended with the victory El Dorado, usually described as a lost by the Vaterländische Front, a political city full of riches and precious stones. party with a fascist inclination. Although In the book Visão do Paraíso (Vision of Zweig was there during this event of Paradise), Sérgio Buarque de Holanda social turmoil, he described in his 77 highlights the way in which mythical autobiography that almost nothing in descriptions appear in several texts the city center reflected the battles that written by those who first described took place in the outskirts (Zweig [1942] the continent, and draws the attention 2014, 330). On the other hand, some to a possible common origin of such chapters of this book are a testimony descriptions: the medieval idea of the of how the situation in Austria became Terrestrial Paradise (Holanda [1959] increasingly tense, particularly for Jews. 2000, 21). At that time, many decided to leave the In the 20th century, two writers—the country, including Sigmund Freud and Austrian Stefan Zweig and the North Stefan Zweig himself. Both decided to American Elizabeth Bishop—had to move to London, where Freud died in learn the differences between the September, 1939. A few weeks after his myth and the actual reality of Brazil. death, Poland was invaded by Germany Zweig and his wife, Lotte, managed to and the United Kingdom declared war escape the Nazi persecution to Jews on Germany. just before the Second World War, while Therefore, Zweig ran the risk of being Bishop arrived at the port of Santos in arrested, or worse, deported. As his life in her wish to spend a few months getting Europe became increasingly unbearable, to know the country. After five months fleeing was one of the few possible living in Petrópolis and unable to forget options. Zweig and Lotte soon crossed the devastating events in Europe, the the ocean to the United States. Months Zweigs committed suicide. On the other later, they decided to live in Brazil, more hand, Bishop stayed in Brazil for more specifically in Petrópolis, a small town in Article CAMARNEIRO FABIO of the Lenses Through Brazil Purgatory: Tropical Bishop and Elizabeth Zweig Stefan than fifteen years. the hilly countryside of Rio de Janeiro. The encounter of these writers Maria Schrader’s film portrays none with the myths created from the idea 2021 of these episodes. Instead, its narrative Vol. IX IX Vol. No. 16 No. of a tropical paradise is at the core DOI: 10.31009/cc.2021.v9.i16.05 has as its focus four different trips that Such details define the tone of the Zweig made through the Americas, each film and place it between elegy and one of them announced by an intertitle: irony, as if the Zweigs had been dead the first episode takes place in 1936, from the very beginning, but still had three years before the Second World to attend the different ceremonies and War, in a PEN Congress held in Buenos official formalities shown throughout Aires, Argentina.