Cinema of Brazil - 1930s and '40s

1930s and '40s

Mário Peixoto's Limite (1930) was poorly received by audiences but eventually regarded as masterpiece of the silent film era, along with Humberto Mauro's Ganga Bruta (1933). Cinédia was founded by Adhemar Gonzaga in 1930 and was dedicated to the production of popular dramas and burlesque musical comedies, a genre which was negatively referred to as chanchada. The chanchada would often include satires of Hollywood movies.

Actress Carmen Miranda gained visibility overseas. In 1946, Gilda de Abreu's O Ébrio, a film very much representative of typical Latin melodrama, became a major hit and drew in around four million viewers. President Getúlio Vargas became aware of film's growth and, in 1939, created a decree that guaranteed Brazilian films an exhibition quota in film theaters, a law which still exists, though it is now largely ignored due to lack of proper control. While Varga's decree may be seen as a positive or nationalistic measure, it has also been interpreted as a means of state control and intervention.