
Acting
Ruy Polanah
Born — Died
1922-01-01 — 2008-09-03
Place of birth
Brésil
Known for
Acting
Credits
54 titles
Known for
7.0No synopsis available yet.
Bicho do Mato
2006
6.0Screenplay was a drama anthology television series, broadcast on BBC between 1986 and 1993. Numerous episodes were produced including one named "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands" starring Robbie Coltrane as English writer Samuel Johnson who in the autumn of 1773, visits the Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. That episode was directed by John Byrne and co-starred John Sessions and Celia Imrie.
ScreenPlay
1986
6.6For ten years, engineer Bill Markham has searched tirelessly for his son Tommy who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that's when Bill's adventure truly begins. For his son is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful-but-dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to "rescue" him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill's idea of true civilization and his notions about who needs rescuing.
The Emerald Forest
1985
7.6Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.
Fitzcarraldo
1982
5.9In a dark and decadent area of São Paulo, the exiled Americans Rosso and his son Paul own a brothel. Paul is a compulsive gambler addicted in cocaine and his father is married with the former prostitute Angie, and they have a little son. When a client is killed by his wife in their establishment, they find a suitcase with drugs.
Journey to the End of the Night
2006
5.5The young warrior indian Tainá must now battle against biopirates, and is joined by a new boy from the big city and an indian little girl who wants to follow her steps as a protector of the jungle.
Tainá 2 - A New Amazon Adventure
2004
Film credits
2000s · 6 titles
5.9In a dark and decadent area of São Paulo, the exiled Americans Rosso and his son Paul own a brothel. Paul is a compulsive gambler addicted in cocaine and his father is married with the former prostitute Angie, and they have a little son. When a client is killed by his wife in their establishment, they find a suitcase with drugs.
Journey to the End of the Night
2006
5.5The young warrior indian Tainá must now battle against biopirates, and is joined by a new boy from the big city and an indian little girl who wants to follow her steps as a protector of the jungle.
Tainá 2 - A New Amazon Adventure
2004
4.9A brave and bold indigenous girl, protector of her jungle and its wild life and guided by her shaman grandfather, pairs with a boy from the big city, against animal traffickers in the Amazon forest.
Tainá: An Amazon Adventure
2001
5.7The old servant and chronicler Dom Sabas tells how his desolate South American town is the scene of a ruthless power struggle. The landowning Assis family, reduced to a widow and son, tries to hold out against the young, despotic mayor. No less effective then actions are anonymous rumors and accusations, which often stir the inhabitants' moves.
In Evil Hour
2006
6.8The writer Pia and the painter Gil live by the Rio Negro deep in the Amazon jungle. One night, during a lunar eclipse, Pia is murdered. Her death plunges Gil into a world of shadows. He leaves the town by the river and does not return to the house he shared with Pia until two years later. There, Pia is present in the flood of memories that keep coming back to him, and also lives on deep in his heart. This love, the comfort it brings him, and the girl Elsa lead him out of the darkness and back into the light, back to life. And he will meet Pia's murderer. 'Eclipse' is a love story set against the background of a crime: compelling, poetic, and delicately told.
Eclipse
2002
4.1Adaptation and unification in a single story of several stories by the writer Rubem Fonseca, where the theme of violence in contemporary society is explored.
Cobrador: In God We Trust
2007
1990s · 9 titles
6.6Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster?
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
1991
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Sand Bride
1998
5.6Matteo is a Roman barber whose business is full of debts. He decides to escape from this depressing reality by accepting his sister's invitation to Brazil.
Il barbiere di Rio
1996
9.0When Cunda, a man living deep in the Brazilian rainforest, is bitten by a snake, he has a hallucination of four chimpanzees. Once he recovers, he is shocked to find the four chimpanzees waiting for him at home, and, believing them to be special, decides to take them to the city in order to sell them.
The Fifth Monkey
1990
6.2Following the clues of a map, a boy and some adventurers go into the forest in search of treasure from the pioneers, and end up going back two centuries in time, in search of the legendary Minas dos Martírios.
No Coração dos Deuses
1999
5.4Orfeu is a popular composer from a samba school. He lives in the favela and falls madly in love when he meets Euridice, a newcomer to the neighborhood. But the local drug boss Lucinho stands between them and will drastically change both their lives.
Orfeu
1999
7.0No synopsis available yet.
O Círculo de Fogo
1990
7.0No synopsis available yet.
O Lado Certo da Vida Errada
1996
8.0A young boy escapes from an orphanage to find two magical creatures in the jungle. As he bonds with the younger one, he discovers that poachers are out to kidnap the creatures and he strives to rescue them.
Tummy
1995
1980s · 19 titles
6.6For ten years, engineer Bill Markham has searched tirelessly for his son Tommy who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that's when Bill's adventure truly begins. For his son is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful-but-dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to "rescue" him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill's idea of true civilization and his notions about who needs rescuing.
The Emerald Forest
1985
7.6Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.
Fitzcarraldo
1982
5.6A rock singer goes to Brazil to shoot a video, but winds up getting kidnapped and enduring a number of seemingly bizarre and hilarious events.
Running Out of Luck
1987
4.7After witnessing the assassination of her parents, Luzia is raised by a cowboy and starts behaving like the men of Brazilian "Sertão". As a grown-up, she sets out to find her parent's murderer, but ends up discovering love.
Luzia Homem
1988
4.2A Nazi scientist, wanted as a war criminal, develops a spider serum that turns people into fascist Nazi zombies. A pair of investigators who have devoted their lives to hunting down Nazi war criminals set out to stop him.
Hell Hunters
1988
4.5The film shows the drama of the young and fragile Lalinha. After being abandoned by her husband, who ran away with another, the girl seeks comfort on the farm where the two in-laws live and the widowed father-in-law. There, the girl discovers a new world.
Noites do Sertão
1984
5.8After arguing with his ex-girlfriend, truck driver Jorge hits the road again, while remembering the past and questioning his friendship with his manipulative boss.
Jorge, um Brasileiro
1988
6.2According to an amazonian legend, every month, during the full moon, a brazilian fishing village receives a mysterious guest: the Dolphin, who transforms into a human to seduce and be loved by women and hated by men. One of her conquests is the daughter of a fisherman, who has a son with the Dolphin. He constantly reappears to seduce her, and even when she marries, he continues to look for her. This provokes the ire of the husband, who wants to kill him anyway.
The Dolphin
1987
6.3Poor people who live in the slums in Rio de Janeiro decide to occupy an empty apartment building in the rich part of the city. Meanwhile, a rich girl falls in love with a poor composer. Based on the musical play "Pobre Menina Rica", by Vinícius de Moraes and Carlos Lyra.
Para Viver Um Grande Amor
1984
4.6This epic Brazilian film was based on the equally epic novel by Antonio Callado. Set between 1954 and 1964, the film's focus is the saga of Jesuit priest Nando. Fed up with civilization, he ventures deep into Amazon country to live with and work among the Xingu Indians.
Kuarup
1989
6.9Quilombo dos Palmares was a real-life democratic society, created in Brazil in the 17th century. This incredibly elaborate (and surprisingly little-known) film traces the origins of Quilombo, which began as a community of freed slaves. The colony becomes a safe harbor for other outcasts of the world, including Indians and Jews. Ganga Zumba (Toni Tornado) becomes president of Quilombo, the first freely elected leader in the Western Hemisphere. Naturally, the ruling Portuguese want to subjugate Zumba and his followers, but the Quilombians are ready for their would-be oppressors. The end of this Brave New World is not pleasant, but the followers of Zumba and his ideals take to the hills, where they honor his memory to this day. Writer/director Carlos Diegues takes every available opportunity to compare the rise and fall of Quilombo with the state of affairs in modern-day Brazil.
Quilombo
1984
5.0A military man picks up a Native Brazilian woman and heads to a gold panning site where he has undisclosed business to attend to.
Índia, a Filha do Sol
1982
6.5Mr. Kapa and his assistant meet Iara, a mythical being, in a river with purple waters. Geléia, the assistant, fills a bottle with this magic water and makes three puppets turn alive.
A Dança dos Bonecos
1986
8.0The Amazonian jungle, Brazil, 1987. Ruthless landowners are evicting peasants from their land. The peasants look to the priest for help, and are contemplating taking up arms. A stranger arrives who provides an answer to their plight.
Land
1987
4.0Tereza tries to leave her past and forge her own destiny and happiness by going through several affairs.
After Eight... Forever
1987
9.0A three-episode anthology film based on short stories by Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos.
Insônia
1982
6.2A group of eccentric people gather at a popular bar in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro.
Bar Esperanza
1983
7.0In Rio de Janeiro's bohemian district called Lapa, during the '40s, a stylish and popular scoundrel exploits a cabaret singer, and earns his living by means of petty swindles. But then he meets Ludmila, the cabaret owner's daughter, who wants to get rich smuggling goods in times of war.
Malandro
1986
A documentary about the artist Aloísio Magalhães.
Memória Viva
1987
1970s · 13 titles
6.0In the 1930s, in the South of State of Bahia, Brazil, an adventurer with no name or history, who has already been shot seven times, gets involved in the battle for land and cacao plantations. His plan is to take the place of "Colonel" Santana, taking his wife and money. He starts a bloody conflict, in which many simple people and landowners die.
Of Gods and the Undead
1970
No synopsis available yet.
O Homem do Corpo Fechado
1972
7.0Unable to endure the idea that he would go without punishment, a criminal's victim chases him the length and breadth of Brazil for a showdown.
Sagarana: O Duelo
1974
7.0After assaulting a Hollywood film crew, a group of residents of a community in Rio de Janeiro decided to produce a film that would express the reality of Brazil - with the theme of Inconfidência Mineira.
Sweet Thieves
1977
6.1Life and death of the jesuit who fought for the peaceful relationship between colonists and the indigenous peoples of Brazil.
Anchieta, José do Brasil
1977
6.5A wealthy French promoter living in Rio tries to seduce Alexandra, a young woman of high society, but a prisoner of her strict education. He then shared his project with a journalist friend, who decided to make it the theme of a novel he imagined in 18th century Brazil...
Un animal doué de déraison
1976
8.0Rui arrives in a small town looking for his father, a prospector. Before that, he gets involved with Maria, who is facing problems in the family. Maria's stepfather is the head of a gang and will go to any lengths to prevent Rui from finding his father.
Cristais de Sangue
1975
10.0A Deusa Negra is a love story that spans two centuries. In 18th century Yorubaland, Prince Oluyole is taken prisoner in the course of internecine warfare fanned by overseas slave traders. He is sold into slavery in Brazil. In present day Nigeria, at his father's deathbed, the young Babatunde promises to go to Brazil and search for traces of their once-enslaved ancestors. Beginning with a Candomblé ritual, his journey takes him ever deeper into this culture and, in a dream-like sequence, affords him a deeper understanding of his ancestors' suffering and powers of resistance. Balogun effortlessly links present with past, real with magical worlds and discourse with trance. The hypnotic atmosphere is also heightened by the music of the Nigerian drummer Remi Kabaka, which plays with repetitive patterns and distortions.
Black Goddess
1978
8.3Young robber, son of a prostitute who had killed herself, gets involved with two police informers, who force him to share the loot he gets.
Fish in a Barrel
1977
8.0"Seven women on motorcycles, through Via Dutra, go to the Baixada Fluminense, a microcosm of Brazil. Diving into the memory and questioning the behavior imposed on women, they seek to rescue the strength of the feminine. The new woman, born in the Brazilian land, incorporates the Amazons and Santa Guerreira. At his side, the new man, more loose and creative. Closing the cycle, the initial road is resumed. " (HBH / QC)
Feminino Plural
1976
4.5Joana is a sophisticated, beautiful woman, so she has a choice of lovers, and destinies. She will let down Pierre, the French consul at São Paulo, and with him the frivolity of tea-parties and comfort. Her wild inner-soul will develop into the wild forest surroundings of a landlord's farmhouse. To the extent she will defend her land like a 19th century owner - of lands and men alike.
Joanna Francesa
1973
5.0This adaptation of a classic Brazilian novel focuses on the relations of charismatic characters within a tenement.
O Cortiço
1978
7.0A true friendship develops between Jojô, a prostitute Rosa, and the young Eduardo, who survive on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Everything goes well until ambition takes over the trio, causing friends to aim for bigger goals, planning a big assault that could cost them their lives.
Branded For Life
1977
1960s · 4 titles
6.8In a company trading maté, workers are treated as slaves. Some of them try to escape, but those who are caught suffer severe punishments.
Tragic Jungle
1963
7.5A group of armed soldiers is sent to the Northeast of Brazil in an attempt to stop a famine-struck population from invading and stealing a food deposit in the dry backlands. While the alienation and insanity of people driven to hallucination by their latent hunger is conducted by the predictions of a religious figure, a truck driver observes the situation and remains torn between his friendship with the soldiers and his revolt against the lack of government action in fighting the misery that lingers over the region.
The Guns
1964
6.6The life of a runaway slave who founded the Quilombo dos Palmares, an outlaw community of Brazilian slaves.
Ganga Zumba
1963
Helena, married to decorator Bruno, is a woman dissatisfied with the futility of social life. She rekindles her relationship with her former boyfriend, Clóvis, and discovers how difficult the struggle for happiness is by seeing the example of the less fortunate. After saving herself from the rough seas on the beach, Helena finds herself possessed by a mystical fear. On New Year's Eve, while the people celebrate Iemanjá, Helena and Bruno throw a lavish party. Their employee, Luiz, is arrested as a suspect in the death of a woman found on the beach. Having a disagreement with her husband, Helena leaves the party and throws herself into the sea. She is saved by Umbanda followers and welcomed by Bruno, who tries in vain to comfort her.
Mar Corrente
1967
Series credits
7.0No synopsis available yet.
Bicho do Mato
2006
6.0Screenplay was a drama anthology television series, broadcast on BBC between 1986 and 1993. Numerous episodes were produced including one named "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands" starring Robbie Coltrane as English writer Samuel Johnson who in the autumn of 1773, visits the Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. That episode was directed by John Byrne and co-starred John Sessions and Celia Imrie.
ScreenPlay
1986

