The death of the filmmaker, historian and teacher Silvio Tendler, at 75this Friday (5), moved colleagues by profession and alumni. Jorge Ferreira, Full Professor of History of Brazil at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) and author of the book João Goulart: a biography (2015), remembers when he watched the documentary Jango In 1984, “in the last year of the military dictatorship and in the package of the Diretas-Já campaign.”
“Entering a cinema to watch the documentary about the Goulart Government, 20 years after the coup d’état that deposed him from the Presidency of the Republic, was a political act, a protest against the military dictatorship. Silvio Tendler set up the documentary with emotion. His goal was to inform but also thrill. And did it,” he recalls.
The film had 1 million viewers. In an interview with Brazil agencyJorge Ferreira remembers the impact. “I watched the movie, with crowded cinema, and witnessed people crying and other red eyes. Student heart. Silvio Tendler certainly did not imagine the movie Jango It would be a success of the public, much less that would become a work of the greatest relevance in Brazilian cineography. ”
The importance of the documentary filmmaker for the formation of visions about Brazil is also highlighted by filmmaker Sérgio Machado.
“Silvio Tendler was absolutely fundamental, not only in my formation as a filmmaker. But (especially) in my political formation. [O filme] Jango Marked my life, it was a turning point. I remember watching with my mother, who cried during the entire session. It was from his movies that I understood the horrors of the dictatorship and how essential it was to fight it. ”
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On Instagram, anthropologist and historian Lilia Moritz Schwarcz highlights the documentary’s knowledge and understanding of the country. “He was, above all, an engaged filmmaker, with his films featuring a clear political background – the best and only senses. Like many and many national filmmakers, Tendler was, along with his films, a privileged interpreter of Brazil.”
The same predicates are recognized by the Brazilian Academy of Letters. In a statement, ABL states that Silvio was among the best documentary filmmakers in Braziland left its mark in Brazilian cinematography.
“Always with a critical view of society and concerned with social justice, his works have raised important debates about our identity. He worked with historical biographies, author of important documentaries such as the Chibata revolt, about Jango and the 1964 coup, The Angels of the Sun, JK, Carlos Marighela, among others.”
Magical moments
On social networks, personal memories about the filmmaker were also shared. “My beloved Master Silvio Tendler dies. I had the privilege of being his student in the PUC-Rio film course. I learned a lot about cinema and especially about life in his classes. I had the honor of attending his home and living magical moments. Today is a deeply sad day,” lamented, for example, the former student of Tendler Leo Arturius, today pedagogue and filmmaker.
The affectionate interactions are also cited by Sérgio Machado. “In addition to a fundamental filmmaker, [Silvio Tendler] was a sweet and attentive man, ”he says Brazil agency. “I remember I participated in a debate with him when he was starting, and he was already a consecrated documentary filmmaker. I learned a lot from him and his movies. ”
