Norma Bengell

Acting

Norma Bengell

Born — Died

1935-09-21 — 2013-10-09

Place of birth

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Known for

Acting

Credits

78 titles

Norma Aparecida Almeida Pinto Guimarães d'Áurea Bengell (Rio de Janeiro, February 21, 1935 – Rio de Janeiro, October 9, 2013) was a Brazilian actress, filmmaker, producer, singer and songwriter. Considered one of the greatest muses of Brazilian cinema and theater in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Norma began her career in the early 1950s, being launched into the artistic world through revue theater by producer Carlos Machado. She acted in 64 films during her career, several of them in Europe.

Known for

Film credits

1990s · 2 titles

1980s · 13 titles

Eros, the God of Love poster
4.8

A man explores the process of formation of sexuality and is looking for a woman that does not exist.

Eros, the God of Love

1981

The Age of the Earth poster
6.0

Drawing inspiration from a poem penned by Castro Alves, this film vividly captures the political, cultural, and intellectual climate of Brazil during the late 1970s. At its core, the story revolves around four distinctive embodiments of Christ's image: a black man, a soldier, an Indian, and a guerrilla fighter. These courageous individuals, hailed as the harbingers of doom in the tupiniquim lands, valiantly combat the insatiable avarice and oppressive "civilizing" brutality propagated by the formidable John Brahms—a foreign exploiter devoid of morals.

The Age of the Earth

1980

Running Out of Luck poster
5.6

A 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

Nuclear Shelter poster
6.4

Our planet was contaminated by many nuclear explosions that left the soil and the air filled with radiation, and now the few survivors of those catastrophic events live under the ground on a shelter controlled by scientists. After an incident inside the shelter, a group of rebellious scientists defy their leadership when they find a good possibility of returning to the surface.

Nuclear Shelter

1981

O Filho Adotivo poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

O Filho Adotivo

1984

Rio Babilonia poster
5.5

A public relations man is invited to guide an American millionaire during his stay in Rio de Janeiro. He gets involved in the most bizarre situations, from orgiastic mega-parties to confrontations with the police, meetings with drug dealers and movie stars, facing corruption and even murder.

Rio Babilonia

1982

Tensão no Rio poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Tensão no Rio

1984

Tabu poster
6.5

The fictional encounter in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (in the 30s) between popular songwriter Lamartine Babo and inconoclast poet and playwright Oswald de Andrade.

Tabu

1983

Eternamente Pagu poster
7.2

Eternamente Pagu is a biographical film about Patrícia Galvão, best known as Pagu, a Brazilian political, literary and artistic activist. An important figure of the Brazilian Modernism, Pagu was also a militant for the Brazilian Communist Party after she married writer Oswald de Andrade. She broke up with Andrade and, as a journalist was arrested by the Dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas. After she left prison, she abandoned Communism in favor of Trotskyist Socialism, married Geraldo Ferraz, and started a career as theatre director.

Eternamente Pagu

1987

No Tempo de Glauber poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

No Tempo de Glauber

1987

The Femme Fatale Meets the Ideal Man poster
6.0

A poor woman is visited by the fairy godmother who turns her into a brilliant movie and TV star.

The Femme Fatale Meets the Ideal Man

1987

Fonte da Saudade poster
4.2

No synopsis available yet.

Fonte da Saudade

1987

The Colour of His Destiny poster
6.1

Teenager and his Chilean parents live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in exile, after his brother is killed by the military government in Chile. Years later, still haunted by the past, he undergoes a crisis when he learns his cousin had been arrested in Santiago, and quarrels with his family when he decides to know his country and the details of his past.

The Colour of His Destiny

1987

1970s · 18 titles

Of Gods and the Undead poster
6.0

In 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

Paranóia poster
7.0

Four thieves enter a house and terrorize a family.

Paranóia

1976

As Confissões de Frei Abóbora poster
7.0

The loving adventures of a priest disillusioned with religion and life.

As Confissões de Frei Abóbora

1971

Na Boca do Mundo poster
4.6

A black fisherman now working at a local gas station, Antônio lives at the small beach town of Atafona. His biggest ambition is to stash enough money to leave to a big city with his fiancee, a mix-raced girl who sells fresh crabs to locals and wishes for a better life. When a rich white woman from the high society arrives to spend a few days away after ending a failed marriage, Antônio soon bonds with her and begins to change his plans.

Na Boca do Mundo

1979

Défense de savoir poster
5.9

When a woman is accused of murder, the investigation slowly reveals numerous political connections. Laubret, the court-appointed defense lawyer, does everything in his power to expose the truth.

Défense de savoir

1973

OSS 117 Takes a Vacation poster
4.6

OSS 177 goes on holiday to Brazil, but is called into action when he finds himself being stalked by a double.

OSS 117 Takes a Vacation

1970

Paixão na Praia poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

Paixão na Praia

1971

Assim Era a Atlântida poster
8.1

No synopsis available yet.

Assim Era a Atlântida

1975

The Palace of Angels poster
5.8

Bárbara, a French girl living in São Paulo, and two friends transform a small apartment into a luxury bordello, "The Palace of Angels", at first securing money and success, but...

The Palace of Angels

1970

O Capitão Bandeira Contra o Dr. Moura Brasil poster
10.0

Successful manager is haunted by a sinister character who enters his dreams, Dr. Moura Brasil.

O Capitão Bandeira Contra o Dr. Moura Brasil

1971

The Demiurge poster
6.0

A colorful feature film that mixes exile with the figure of the poet Rimbaud and the feminist revolution. "It's super-intellectual. A fable-musical-philosophical-chanchada", Mautner says. He also affirms that the work focuses a lot on the longing for Brazil, on the will that the exiled had to return to their homeland. The idea came from conversations between the musician and his old father, "always talking about the pre-Socratics", he recalls. Glauber Rocha states that "The Demiurge" is the best film "of" and "about" exile.

The Demiurge

1972

Mulheres de Cinema poster
10.0

Documentary on famous Brazilian actresses, female directors and the role of women in Brazilian film history.

Mulheres de Cinema

1978

Cinéma 16   Une vieille maîtresse poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Cinéma 16 Une vieille maîtresse

1975

Maria Gladys, Uma Atriz Brasileira poster
NR

The artistic career and daily life of actress Maria Gladys.

Maria Gladys, Uma Atriz Brasileira

1979

The Suns of Easter Island poster
6.4

Six people find a mysterious mark in the center of their left hand and all independently go to Easter Island in hopes to uncover the mystery.

The Suns of Easter Island

1972

The Murdered House poster
4.9

Nina, a typical woman of the big city, marries a powerful farmer and goes to live in the countryside of Minas Gerais. There, however, she is faced with a decomposing, decadent family who seems to dislike her.

The Murdered House

1971

Sea of Roses poster
7.3

A woman runs away in the company of her daughter, the ultimate brat, in a journey full of bizarre events.

Sea of Roses

1977

Freedom of Inês Etienne Romeu poster
NR

August 29, 1979, Talavera Bruce Penal Institute, Bangu, Rio de Janeiro. After serving eight years in prison, Inês Etienne Romeu, the only survivor of the "House of Death" in Petrópolis and the first political prisoner sentenced to life in prison in Brazil, left prison benefiting from Amnesty. Norma Bengell filmed this moment: from the prison door to her home with her family, Inês was welcomed by family, friends and members of the Brazilian Amnesty Committee, in what marked the first act of the historic denunciation that Inês would carry out against her tormentors and the Military Regime.

Freedom of Inês Etienne Romeu

1979

1960s · 20 titles

The Given Word poster
8.1

Zé is a very poor man whose most prized possession is his donkey. When his donkey falls terminally ill, Zé makes a promise to Saint Bárbara: If his donkey recovers, he will carry a cross - like Jesus - all the way from his city to Saint Bárbara's church, in the state capital. Upon the recovery of his donkey, Zé leaves on his journey. He makes it to the church, but the priest refuses to accept the cross once he discovers the context of Zé's promise.

The Given Word

1962

Planet of the Vampires poster
6.4

After landing on a mysterious planet, a team of astronauts begin to turn on each other, swayed by the uncertain influence of the planet and its strange inhabitants.

Planet of the Vampires

1965

Mafioso poster
7.6

When a good-natured factory supervisor living in Milan with his Northern wife returns to his native Sicily, a decades' old oath forces him to fulfill a nightmarish obligation.

Mafioso

1962

The Hellbenders poster
6.5

A Southern Colonel, his three sons, and a card shark embark on an odyssey through the Southwest carrying a coffin full of stolen money with which the Colonel plans to revive the Confederacy.

The Hellbenders

1967

Men and Women poster
6.9

Two friends take two prostitutes for a night of pleasure. But the night turns out to be frustrating for all involved, as much bitterness is revealed in their conversation and attitudes, uncovering their anguish and deeper feelings, and the emptiness of their lives.

Men and Women

1964

The Ballad of Husbands poster
6.0

Giulio and Armando, both married, attempt an escape from their respective married lives, invent a secret mission and leaves for the south.

The Ballad of Husbands

1963

Edu, Coração de Ouro poster
7.0

A volatile young man, Edu is a typical Rio de Janeiro middle-class kind, who flirts with multiple women at the same time. None of them, however, had managed to make him fall in love, until he met with mysterious Tatiana.

Edu, Coração de Ouro

1968

I Do Not Forgive... I Kill! poster
7.5

Don Ramon, a wealthy patron, receives his son back after he has sent him away to medical school, only to have him fall in love with his new young wife.

I Do Not Forgive... I Kill!

1968

Conceição poster
10.0

An engaged couple discovers the corpse of a woman killed by strangulation in the Santo Amaro dam. Inspector Castro and his assistant, Pedro, start the investigation, collecting testimonies, and find a phone number with the name Conceição in the victim's pocket.

Conceição

1960

Desesperato poster
7.0

Directed by Sérgio Bernardes Filho, "Desesperato" tells the story of a writer (Raul Cortez) who leaves his home to carry out literary research in the country's most obscure settings. Unhappy with the current national situation, the historian joins a guerrilla force with serious consequences.

Desesperato

1968

Before, the Summer poster
7.2

A middle-aged man builds a summer house in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro. Married to a beautiful woman, father of two and with a successful career, the house is a symbol of his personal achievements. But as the wind, the salt and the sand threaten to invade the breaches of the house, their marriage begins to crumble. And, like a bad omen, a mysterious murder takes place in the vicinity.

Before, the Summer

1968

A Espiã que Entrou em Fria poster
8.0

A scientist discovers a breakthrough formula for harnessing nuclear energy and becomes the target for numerous secret agents around the world.

A Espiã que Entrou em Fria

1967

The Reckless poster
5.7

In the figure of Ettore Zambrini, a small industrialist with a dream of opening a factory overlooking the Autostrada del Sole, Montaldo offers us an effective narrative transposition of the 'animal spirits' that governed the economic boom in Italy at the time. He is a character of contradictory humanity: capable of handling business, overdue bills, trade union relations, marital betrayal, but also the passion that binds him to his wife with equal unscrupulousness.

The Reckless

1965

Violence and Love poster
10.0

The nature of love and marriage is studied in two episodes.

Violence and Love

1965

The Captain from Toledo poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

The Captain from Toledo

1965

The Constancy of Reason poster
6.3

Florence, early 1960s. Bruno aspires to be hired at a prestigious factory, but his Communist ideals — instilled by Millo, a father figure and family friend in love with Bruno's widowed mother Ivana — are an obstacle. His relationship with Lori, a beautiful and tormented young woman who has just returned from Milan, reshapes his convictions. Freely adapted from a minor novel by Vasco Pratolini.

The Constancy of Reason

1964

O Último Homem poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

O Último Homem

1969

The Angel Was Born poster
6.8

Santamaria and Urtigo are two bandits on the run, one is white, the other black. Santamaria is a mystical visionary and believes in the imminent coming of a purifying angel. Urtiga, his inseparable companion, is a simple-minded and ingenious man who follows Santamaria around and participates in the crimes he commits. The two bandits take over a house after kidnapping its owner and his girlfriend.

The Angel Was Born

1969

I cuori infranti poster
5.0

Two surreal/satirical comedy episodes.

I cuori infranti

1963

The Unscrupulous Ones poster
6.2

Upon learning that his rich dad is on the brink of bankruptcy, spoiled Vavá summons his friend Jandir with a plan to get some quick cash: they will blackmail an uncle of Vavá by taking compromising photos of his lover, Leda.

The Unscrupulous Ones

1962

Series credits

Celebrity poster
7.7

A successful businesswoman in the music industry sees her life fall apart after a young and mysterious woman starts work as her secretary. The scheming girl is totally obsessed by the famous businesswoman and she tries to steal everything from her, including her career.

Celebrity

2003

Os Imigrantes poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Os Imigrantes

1981

O Sexo dos Anjos poster
6.2

Diana, the Angel of Death, assigns an Emissary to retrieve Isabela from Earth. Upon meeting her, however, he becomes enchanted by the young woman and hesitates to take her.

O Sexo dos Anjos

1989

Partido Alto poster
8.5

No synopsis available yet.

Partido Alto

1984

Toma Lá, Dá Cá poster
8.0

Brazilian comedy about two couples living next to each other in the same building. This show explores the antics between the two couples.

Toma Lá, Dá Cá

2007

The Teenagers poster
NR

Four teenagers, each facing a major conflict. Majô, the daughter of separated parents, has fallen in love with her mother Raquel’s husband, the teacher Túlio. Caíto, who is gay, lives in a dysfunctional home where his parents' marriage—Dirceu and Marilu’s—is going from bad to worse. Doca is a drug addict, and his sister Bia has become pregnant by her boyfriend, Michel. Their parents, Odilon and Paula, are deeply unhappy as well. Interwoven with their stories is that of Túlio—a former addict turned upstanding teacher—who encounters a haunting figure from his past: his ex-sister-in-law, Fernanda.

The Teenagers

1981

A Sombra de Rebecca poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

A Sombra de Rebecca

1967

O Canto Livre de Nara Leão poster
9.5

Nara Leão revolutionized Brazilian music, broke prejudices, confronted the military dictatorship, opened paths for women. All this without changing the tone of her voice.

O Canto Livre de Nara Leão

2022

Parabéns pra Você poster
8.0

The main axis of the miniseries is the story of the couple Mendonça and Maria Rita. The plot begins when Mendonça, a Physics teacher, turns 40. Discouraged with life and dissatisfied with his work, he complains about the routine and lack of prospects. His big dream was to do a postgraduate degree outside of Brazil, but he ended up not taking the project forward and suffers because of it to this day. He also doesn't feel happy in his romantic relationship, having settled into a marriage that has lasted several years. Maria Rita, in turn, is a journalist and is on the rise professionally. In his personal life, he knows that his marriage is not going well and he suffers from his partner's discouragement, but he ends up having a great idea thanks to this crisis: creating an interview program on the station where he works.

Parabéns pra Você

1983

Behind the camera

O Guarani poster
5.3

The forbidden love affair between Peri, an Indian, and the beautiful Ceci, a Portuguese white girl, in the 17th century Brazil.

O Guarani

1996

Eternamente Pagu poster
7.2

Eternamente Pagu is a biographical film about Patrícia Galvão, best known as Pagu, a Brazilian political, literary and artistic activist. An important figure of the Brazilian Modernism, Pagu was also a militant for the Brazilian Communist Party after she married writer Oswald de Andrade. She broke up with Andrade and, as a journalist was arrested by the Dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas. After she left prison, she abandoned Communism in favor of Trotskyist Socialism, married Geraldo Ferraz, and started a career as theatre director.

Eternamente Pagu

1987

Eternamente Pagu poster
7.2

Eternamente Pagu is a biographical film about Patrícia Galvão, best known as Pagu, a Brazilian political, literary and artistic activist. An important figure of the Brazilian Modernism, Pagu was also a militant for the Brazilian Communist Party after she married writer Oswald de Andrade. She broke up with Andrade and, as a journalist was arrested by the Dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas. After she left prison, she abandoned Communism in favor of Trotskyist Socialism, married Geraldo Ferraz, and started a career as theatre director.

Eternamente Pagu

1987

Maria Gladys, Uma Atriz Brasileira poster
NR

The artistic career and daily life of actress Maria Gladys.

Maria Gladys, Uma Atriz Brasileira

1979

Maria Gladys, Uma Atriz Brasileira poster
NR

The artistic career and daily life of actress Maria Gladys.

Maria Gladys, Uma Atriz Brasileira

1979

Freedom of Inês Etienne Romeu poster
NR

August 29, 1979, Talavera Bruce Penal Institute, Bangu, Rio de Janeiro. After serving eight years in prison, Inês Etienne Romeu, the only survivor of the "House of Death" in Petrópolis and the first political prisoner sentenced to life in prison in Brazil, left prison benefiting from Amnesty. Norma Bengell filmed this moment: from the prison door to her home with her family, Inês was welcomed by family, friends and members of the Brazilian Amnesty Committee, in what marked the first act of the historic denunciation that Inês would carry out against her tormentors and the Military Regime.

Freedom of Inês Etienne Romeu

1979

The Abyss poster
7.5

Man tries to decipher a manuscript about an ancient civilization and gets involved in strange situations. In fact, the plot is just an excuse to tackle the subjects of mysticism and human condition.

The Abyss

1977

No artwork available
9.5

Documentary about the life and times of Brazilian great pianist Guiomar Novaes.

Infinitivamente Guiomar Novaes

2003

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

J. Carlos - O Cronista do Rio

2015