A Estrada 47 (2013) User Reviews

One Moment of Participation of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 16 August 2016]

During the World War II, a small minesweeping and demining team from the Brazilian Expeditionary Force - BEF is in an outpost in Monte Castello. The group is not well prepared for combat and does not speak any foreign language; therefore they have difficulties to communicate with the American Army. Out of the blue, they have a panic attack and scatter on the mountain. Later, the soldiers Guimarães (Daniel de Oliveira), Tenente (Julio Andrade), Piauí (Francisco Gaspar) e Laurindo (Thogum) meet each other on the base of Monte Castello. They become afraid to go to their base of command and be considered deserters and face court-martial; and also afraid to die if they return to their post. They stumble with the journalist Rui (Ivo Canelas) that tells that the important Road 47 is mined preventing the American force to proceed. They also stumble upon an Italian and a German deserters. They decide to demine the road to justify their retreat from the post.

"A Estrada 47" is a film depicting one moment of participation of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II, which is unknown for many foreigners. For those interested to learn about this campaign, here is the link to the Wikipedia: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Expeditionary_Force) . "A Estrada 47" is based on a true story. Unfortunately the limited budget makes the film boring and talkative with little action. It is funny to see only one German soldier speaking and the other one answering "ya, ya". However the intention of promoting the participation of Brazil in WWII is valid. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Estrada 47" ("The Road 47")

In a book it would be better than in a movie!

[Edward_A_Gall · 6/10 · 15 October 2021]

The film is cool, I thought it would be really bad, but it's not, the costumes are good, the direction is simple, but the reason for my 6th grade is because the film lacks in one thing, being boring, I know the proposal it's not about showing the FEB's achievements in the war but the union between the members in the war, it's good and interesting, but the way the film approaches it would work better in a book than in a movie, because in a movie it became boring, almost nothing happens, the dialogs are legalzin but not enough to arrest the viewer. If it were a book, this proposal would go down very well, but in a movie it became boring, in terms of morale, it was about to close the player. I don't really recommend seeing it, I don't know, in fact I recommend reading it, Google Campaign in Italy. It will show Brazil in the second war there and it has very top stories. I highly recommend reading about the FEB in the Italian Campaign and its greatest achievement in Monte Castello.

A contemplative view of the human side of the war

[iclesrodrigues · 8/10 · 13 March 2020]

Recently I had the opportunity to interview the director of this movie, and he told me he didn't want to make a movie about battles, but about peace. The story is ficticious, inspired by a literature book called Mina R, and 3 interviews he did with two old Brazilian WW2 veterans and a German veteran who was forced to fight in the Hitlerjugend against the Soviets and came to Brazil after the war, falling in love with our indigenous people. Each one of those real guys influenced a character in the movie.

Is a movie about fear and mercy in a war so distant to the Brazilian soldier. Even today Italian people from some of the cities liberated by Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) remember with affection how Brazilian soldiers treated then better than other Allies, 'cause they arrived late in war and didn't had to fight against the Italians. There was no resentment that other troops had against the Italians for the loss of their colleagues in combat against Mussolini's soldiers, for example.

It is not an action or battle movie. It's a film about being displaced in a distant war, with characters who wonder what they are doing there, if they should have gone, what to do in the face of the need to kill the enemy, and the fear of death. It's more contemplative and makes justice to the everyday life of the Brazilian soldier in Italy outside the battles. Veterans from all over the world say the war is a long period of boredom punctuated by moments of terror, but the moments of terror are what tend to sell movies. Lost Patrol starts in a moment of terror, but is more focused on the boredom of war, when soldiers revaluate their actions and decisions.

For those who expect the typical American war movie (which I personally like a lot), it is a film that can disappoint. For those who value films that take place in war, but with different approaches, such as Come and See (1895), this may be a film that will please you.

War drama about soldiers getting a second wind

[drystyx · 8/10 · 20 October 2021]

This is a more grueling, workmanlike war movie than a battle driven one.

A Brazilian unit that specializes in disarming mines and is not as battle hardened yet as more veteran troops, struggles through the deep snow near Christmas time in Europe to get a second wind after a botched mission.

The acoustics aren't very good, and the subtitles aren't clear against the backdrop, and it has a slow pace, but those are the only complaints about this film. Otherwise, it's a a very credible war drama.

I believe this movie has a long shelf life, and will be one to survive the test of time in the future. Although there is much "traveling" which is tough to do on stage, this looks to be a nice stage drama.

A drama showing the forgotten ally: Brazil.

[caldeiraaraujoyuri · 10/10 · 4 March 2021]

There are not many movies about our soldiers in WW2. This wasn't the action movie I expected to watch when I looked for a film about our soldiers.

But it did not disappoint. It features a story about how the protagonist is questioning himself about why he was sent to fight this war in a distant land.

Meanwhile the movie does a great job at showing the humane side of the brazilian soldiers for which they came to be known for by the italians.

I came looking for an action movie and instead I found myself watching a drama. But to me, a brazilian descendant of a WW2 soldier, it did not disappoint.

It also bears a touching message of how, in the end, our soldiers were forgotten and our feats may never be told.

Therefore I give this a 10/10. For being an unique piece, for being well-made, and for telling a nice story with a relatable message to any brazilian that cares about our participation in the war and our 25.000 forgotten soldiers.

A national film about the second war, beautiful...

[RosanaBotafogo · 9/10 · 2 November 2021]

A national film about the second war, I could not imagine, where was this film hidden, all this time, a great production, given all the adversities and difficulties in filming a war in the middle of the snow, it can be said that it is a great work, mainly because it focuses on Brazilians, our little soldiers, rural poor, and the panic that engulfed them, young people with their fears and fears, deserters of other nationalities, the other side of the war...