Bye, Bye Brazil: An Ambivalent Allegory About Third World Development

BYE, BYE BRAZIL: AN AMBIVALENT ALLEGORY ABOUT THIRD WORLD DEVELOPMENTBy Peter C. Rollins In examining the problems of a Third World nation in transition, Bye Bye Brasil follows the road of allegory and symbolism rather than the expected route of documentary realism. Traditionally, allegories are created by artists who either wish to avoid censorship of unpermitted views or by those who feel deep ambivalence about the subject they treat: the vehicle of symbolism and allegory helps them to present their mixed feelings, providing them with a richer palette of colors than the blackand -white/good-and-evil spectrum of social documentary. Such artists were Nathanial Hawthorne and F. Scott Fitzgerald, men both amazed and wary of developments in their times; such a man is filmmaker Carlos Diegues, a Brazilian who is at once saddened and optimistic about the social and cultural changes which have accompanied development in his country. Because Bye Bye Brasil is a picaresque allegory, who the principal characters are and what they do is of great importance. At the opening, a traveling road show called "The Caravana Rol i dei" visits a rural town where inhabitants are still untouched by "progress." Leading the troupe is a Magician who proclaims himself to be the "King of Dreams." He is supported by a slatternly rhumba dancer named Salome and by a mute strongman named Swallow. A local boy, Ci co, is restless to leave his village and joins the troupe, bringing with him his pregnant wife, Dasdo. The remainder of Bye Bye Brasil follows the Caravana Rol i dei as it travels through contemporary Brazil. While conscious of the rapidity of social change and aware of the injuries done by such change, Bye Bye Brasil is ambivalent toward the dislocations it investigates. Diegues seems more than ready to grant that rapid industrialization, massive population shifts, and the influx of advanced communications have negative side effects; on the other hand, he does not believe that the traditional society offers a desirable Petex C. Rollino ÌA in the Ve.pt. o{ English at Oklahoma State. UnivexAity. He ii> the, PfieAide,wt oi the. Populan. Cultuxe. AAAociation. 90 or viable alternative. Bye Bye Brasil is dedicated "To the Brazilian people of the 21st Century: "--the goal of the film is to expose the limita^tions of the past, to describe the pangs of the present era of development , but also to show that there is hope for the future. The values of traditional society are shown to be irrelevant to present challenges. The film opens with a montage of simple, lovely images associated with the rural culture: sails, bags of coffee, and perfect bowls convey a sense of a society with roots in the earth. Unfortunately, thepeopleof the land are extremely gullible: the Magician plays upon their superstitions and now television has them entirely in its thrall. In addition, the land cannot hold its young: Ci co shows respect by asking his father permission to leave the countryside, but the father's posture, the dry land, and the hovel which serves as a home all underscore the exhaustion of old ways. It seems only natural that the young Cico should want "to go to the sea" in search of a better life. Although filmmaker Diegues is critical of traditional society, he is not blind to the costs of change. Earth-moving caterpillar tractors cut highways through the Amazon jungle, bringing exploiters of raw materials to once protected enclaves. Indians who get in the way are either killed or deracinated. Early in the film, a truck driver describes how dynamite is dropped from airplanes to frighten primitive peoples: "They ran into the forest, thinking it was the end of the world." Later, on the road to Altamira, a group of converted Indians hitch: a ride with the Caravana Rol i dei. Dressed in jogging outfits and a hodgepodge of discount store clothing, the Indians are dazed by the trauma of change. Later, after tasting ice cream and pepsi,.the Indians hunker down by a fire and chant laconically for their loss. The mechanical civilization has crushed a people. The generation which will survive the strains of development is symbolized by the young couple...