MovieChat Forums > Olga (2004) Discussion > Not too shabby in production values, but...

Not too shabby in production values, but...

posted 18 years ago by CamberwickGreen
9 replies | jump to latest

Historically speaking, Olga and Prestes were criminals of varying degree. Olga entered the country illegally with intention to commit crimes against the republic. Prestes...well, he is a totally different kettle of fish. He was a coward and traitor who in the 1920's murdered several of his subordinates in their sleep and went on to lead a revolt that was quickly put out.

Even without knowing this, it is very hard to truly feel for these characters because everything really bad that happens to them -- and lots of really bad things DO happen to them -- is brought upon them by themselves. They make absurdly stupid moves and they get caught. What else did they expect? Entering a country illegally, planning a revolution without the support neither of the population nor of the military, acting as spies for foreign governments...they can't be treated like people who did not know they were taking incredible risks. Yet the film asks us to think "this is all so unfair". It's not. Regardless of political views (and I think it is important to understand that they don't play a part in this review), anyone committing a crime or a series of crimes loses all right to scream "but this is unfair!" when they get caught.

About the fact that Olga was sent to Germany: she was german. The law said she had to be deported. It wasn't the brazilian government's fault that she got sent to the camps when she got there. In fact it isn't clear that this happens only for her being jewish. It seems there were warrants for her already.

The one everyone should feel for is the baby. That child, born in the worst circumstances, had nothing to do with the parents' crimes, the crimes of the brazilian government, the nazis, the communists, etc. After her birth the movie takes a different direction and it is better because of it.

[–] vernetto 18 years ago

well by reading posts in this discussion group one even forgets that
a) Getulio Vagas was a fascist
b) Germany was a nazist country with no respect for human rights
so it was NOT ok to deport her to Germany.
I believe that insurrection against dictatorship is a moral duty for everybody, so I feel sympathy for Olga altough I can't feel too much sympathy for her ideology - not in itself but in the light of the disasters it made when put in practice.
Ah oh yes the movie is quite shabby, its only good side is that it taught me some history.

[–] lucas_woodstock 18 years ago

Finally some good and not-affected or out-there comments about this movie. I still haven't watched because something tells me this is a very soap-opera-esque movie. Not because to the director who is a traditional [and good one] soap director, but that the plot itself smells like shallow-not-subtancial drama.

The star and the director were both on the TV mini-series "A Casa das Sete Mulheres" which is a ridiculous and biased light shed on the Farroupilha Revolution that took place in the south of Brasil. So, this makes me think that this movie is an "A Casa... - Part 2".

One day, however, I'll have to see it.

[–] CamberwickGreen 18 years ago

A) That is a matter of opinion. He was responsible for several advancements in workers' rights.
B) She was from Germany. If you get caught and deported from a foreign country they will send you to your homeland. They will not say "So, dear, where would you like to go today?". She knew the risk, she had no right to protest.

Insurrection against dictatorship is no moral duty if it serves simply to replace the dictator in charge.

No, the movie wasn't too shabby in production values. Maybe in other respects, but not in costume design or set construction. I liked the look of it.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] biskvito 17 years ago

I agree. If the government intention was for her to be in jail, they would keep her away from Germany. But IMO they had other intentions.

[–] SeisCinemaSeis 15 years ago

You are incredibly ignorant, proximo. Olga fought against nazism and fascist dictatorships in Europe and Brazil respectively. As the next poster said, it is a moral duty to fight against fascist dictatorships and ideologies that preaches racism and ethnic cleansing, among other beauties.

I dunno about the human rights in Brazil under the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas, but I suspect that he wasn't quite fond of them. However Proximo, you gotta learn that currently (and probably back then) when somebody is asked to be deported back to his/her country of origin, if in that country he/she could face the death penalty, then he/she CANNOT be deported according to the international law.

I don't understand how come there are so many supporters of nazi-fascism in this site, particularly in a country like Brazil where they have suffered a lot from Fascist dictatorships in the past. Well, perhaps there aren't many, but the few neofascist nutcases like Proximo, feels compelled to post their idiocies on internet boards.

[–] CamberwickGreen 12 years ago

"I dunno about the human rights in Brazil under the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas"

Then you have no idea what you're talking about, kid.

Ron Paul 2012!

[–] panamawonster 12 years ago

Well, I'm Brazilian and I actually know about Getúlio Vargas' government. He was a populist, he guaranteed women and workers some rights (under pressure), but that doesn't make him less of a dictador.

[–] CamberwickGreen 11 years ago

Yeah, because if Olga and her Soviet communist cohorts succeeded in establishing a communist regime, they wouldn't be dictatorial at all...they'd be running a wonderful, gentle government just like Stalin.