Movies Similar to Noel: The Samba Poet

Stories of Samba(2024)

At a bar table, old samba singer and composer Adoniran Barbosa tells a young waiter stories about a São Paulo that no longer exists. He fondly remembers the maloca where he lived with Joca and Mato Grosso, their passion for Iracema and other characters eternalized in his sambas, chronicles of a metropolis swallowed up by the voracious appetite of progress.

Black Orpheus(1959)

Young lovers Orfeu and Eurydice run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death and Orfeu's vengeful fiancée Mira and passing between moments of fantasy and stark reality. This impressionistic retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice introduced bossa nova to the world with its soundtrack by young Brazilian composers Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Chica de Río(2001)

Discovering your wife is sleeping with your boss can make a man do strange things. For a Samba-obsessed London clerk, robbing a bank and boarding the first flight to Rio are just the beginning.

Cidade do Samba(2007)

Maria Bethânia e Zeca Pagodinho: De Santo Amaro a Xerém(2018)

Saravah(1969)

Documentary about Brazilian music circa 1969, with extremely rare scenes, such as the only color footage of Pixinguinha, images of João da Baiana, one of the fathers of Samba, Maria Bethânia rehearsing at Barroco nightclub, Baden Powell playing his acoustic guitar, Paulinho da Viola showing his masterpiece "Coisas do Mundo, Minha Nega", that he had just finished, and Márcia, a singer from São Paulo.

Madonna: The Celebration Tour in Rio(2024)

Madonna celebrates her four-decade career in a special concert for over 1.6 million people at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Mussum, o Filmis(2023)

The trajectory of Antônio Carlos Bernardes Gomes, known as Mussum, from Trapalhões. His poor childhood, his military career, his relationship with Mangueira and his success with the group Originais do Samba, as well as behind the scenes as a member of Trapalhões.

The Naked Sun(1984)

An Italian businessman travels to Brazil looking for a new job. When things don't go his way, he becomes despondent until he meets a beautiful woman who reveals Rio de Janeiro's most magical, secret locales.

Where Are You, João Gilberto?(2018)

Where are you, João Gilberto? sets out in the footsteps of German writer Marc Fischer who obsessively searched for the legendary founding father of Bossa Nova and last great musical legend of our time, Brazilian musician João Gilberto, who has not been seen in public for decades. Fischer described his journey in a book, Hobalala, but committed suicide one week before it was published. By taking up Marc Fischer's quest, following his steps one by one, thanks to all the clues he left us, we pursue João Gilberto to understand the history, the very soul and essence of Bossa Nova. But who can tell whether we will meet him or not?

Jorge Aragão - Ao Vivo Convida(2002)

Grupo Revelação: Ao Vivo No Olimpo(2005)

Chega de Demanda(1973)

Documentary addressing the composer Cartola and the transformations that took place in Morro Carioca and in Samba during his life. Founder of the Escola de Samba Estação Primeira de Mangueira, Cartola has his life and his music marked by his community and his School, far from the city His school, created as a playful and expressive center for the mangueirense, has now become a point of tourist attraction. This made work possible for the inhabitants of the hill, but it transformed the spirit of samba and its aesthetics.

A Jornada do Valente(2023)

A pictorial portrait of the legendary sambista, Assis Valente. The film traces his biography in a sensorial way, capturing a world divided between joy and despair.

Paulo César Pinheiro - Letra e Alma(2021)

A prolific composer and one of the most celebrated poets in Brazilian music, Paulo César Pinheiro is the author of Canto das Três Raças and O Poder da Criação, among other samba, samba-enredo and song classics. Partner of Baden Powell, Tom Jobim and Edu Lobo, was created by Elis Regina, Clara Nunes and Maria Bethânia. Here, sitting on his couch, he reflects on human nature and leads a journey that evokes and involves big names in MPB, covering half a century of music, from the height of the festival era to the period of protest songs against the military dictatorship.

Emílio Santiago - O Melhor das Aquarelas(2005)

Do Útero Ao Túmulo(2022)

Seu Jorge - América Brasil(2007)

Alcione - Duas Faces(2011)

Nelson Cavaquinho(1969)

A short film of lovely poetic, observational elements and interviews with the famed samba singer/songwriter Nelson Antônio da Silva, whose adopted last name ‘Cavaquinho’ refers to the small guitar-like instrument that he played and used to compose his songs.