São Paulo, Incorporated
| São Paulo, Incorporated | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Portuguese | São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima |
| Directed by | Luis Sérgio Person |
| Written by | Luis Sérgio Person |
| Produced by | Renato Magalhães Gouveia |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Ricardo Aronovich |
| Edited by | Glauco Mirko Laurelli |
| Music by | Cláudio Petraglia Francisco Alves David Nasser |
Production company | Socine |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | Brazil |
| Language | Portuguese |
São Paulo, Incorporated (Portuguese: São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima) is a 1965 Brazilian drama film written and directed by Luis Sérgio Person.[1] It follows Carlos (Walmor Chagas), a young middle-class São Paulo resident in an existential crisis.
The film was released shortly after the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, and reflects on the Brazilian white middle-class struggles in the years leading into it. It is considered one of the greatest classics of Brazilian cinema.[2]
It was selected as the Brazilian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 38th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[3]
Plot
The plot is set against the backdrop of development of the automotive industry in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Carlos, a young man from a middle-income background in São Paulo, has an existential crisis amidst the industrialization process.
Cast
- Walmor Chagas as Carlos
- Darlene Glória as Ana
- Ana Esmeralda as Hilda
- Eva Wilma as Luciana
- Otelo Zeloni as Arturo
Reception
Writing for the newspaper Jornal do Brasil, the critic Ely Azeredo said São Paulo Sociedade Anônima "for its author – ‘is above all an inquiry, an attempt to research the characteristics of a city whose contrasts and complexity of elements incline us towards a lack of definition, a permanent lack of choice. (...)Person even says that he intended "a diatribe against some of the mechanisms that make man, instead of a free being capable of choices, a cog in a machine whose promises and values he often doesn't even come to know."[4]
In 2015 it was selected by Abraccine (Brazilian Association of Movie Critics) as the seventh-best Brazilian film of all time.[5]
Restoration
In 2025, a 4K restoration produced by the World Cinema Project was completed, being re-released in Brazilian theaters in 2026, commemorating the film's 60th anniversary.[6][7]
See also
- List of submissions to the 38th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Brazilian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ "São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima". cinemaemcena. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ "Opinião: 'São Paulo S/A' captou a pulsação da sociedade paulistana de 1960". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 August 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ Azeredo, Ely (25 November 1965). "Cinema- São Paulo Sociedade Anônima". Jornal do Brasil. pp. B2.
- ^ "Abraccine organiza ranking dos 100 melhores filmes brasileiros". Abraccine - Associação Brasileira de Críticos de Cinema (in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 November 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "'São Paulo Sociedade Anônima' volta aos cinemas em cópia restaurada em 4K | Filmes e Séries - Por Mattheus Goto". VEJA SÃO PAULO (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ Cordeiro (@angelocordeirosilva), Angelo (4 February 2026). "'São Paulo Sociedade Anônima' será relançado nos cinemas em 4K". Rolling Stone Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 7 March 2026.
External links