O Cangaceiro

Set in Brazil’s northeast plains in the 19th century, O Cangaceiro follows a bandit who falls for the young schoolteacher that his gang of marauders has just kidnapped. Inspired by American westerns, the film was produced by Vera Cruz, an ambitious but short-lived studio that attempted to produce films in the Hollywood style. One of the most popular films of its era and the first Brazilian feature to receive worldwide distribution, O Cangaceiro was named the Best Adventure Film at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. (91 mins., 35mm)