Cinema
They Don't Wear Black Tie
Eles não usam black-tie
Leon Hirszman · 1981
Synopsis
In the industrial suburbs of São Paulo, in 1980, Tião, a young worker, is going out with his colleague Maria; when he learns that she is pregnant, he decides to marry her. A strike breaks out at the factory. His father Otávio, an old union militant, joins it against his son's wishes; Tião, who fears being dismissed and being unable to support his future family, refuses to follow the movement, and the conflict spreads to the family home, where his mother Romana also lives.
Context
Adapted from the play by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, who wrote the screenplay with the director and plays the role of Otávio, the film brings together Fernanda Montenegro, Carlos Alberto Riccelli and Bete Mendes. Lauro Escorel signs the cinematography, Eduardo Escorel the editing and Radamés Gnattali the musical direction; the title song is by Adoniran Barbosa and Guarnieri. Produced by the director's company with Embrafilme, which distributed it, it was released in Brazil on 28 September 1981.
Who it is for
A film of one hundred and twenty-three minutes, in Portuguese, divided between a working-class family and the factory on strike.
Prizes and reception
Special Jury Prize at Venice in 1981, along with the international critics' prize, then awarded prizes at Valladolid, Havana and Nantes.