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Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands

Catalog Number
FLV1901
-
Primary Distributor (If not listed, select "OTHER")
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VHS | N/A | Slipcase
N/A (NTSC)
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Second Distributor
Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (1976)

Additional Information

Additional Information
Based on the novel by Jorge Amado, this Brazilian comedy follows the strange events that befall Doña Flor (Sonia Braga) after she is left a widow by the death of her wild, irresponsible husband. (He died after another wanton night of carousing) Attempting to marry more wisely the second time around, Doña Flor weds a stable, but boring, pharmacist who has no interest in sex. When she discovers that her new sex life is less than satisfying, Doña Flor is visited by the sexy ghost of her late husband. This film is in Portuguese with English subtitles.


Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Portuguese: Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos) is a 1976 comedy film directed by Bruno Barreto. Based on the novel of the same name by Jorge Amado, it takes place in 1940s Bahia. It stars Sônia Braga, José Wilker, and Mauro Mendonça in the leading roles. The screenplay was adapted by Barreto, Eduardo Coutinho, and Leopoldo Serran.
When initially released, Dona Flor became the most successful film in Brazilian history. Its box office was only reached by a Brazilian production 35 years later by the 2010 blockbuster Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. Internationally, Dona Flor received nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award.
In 1982, an American remake titled Kiss Me Goodbye, starring Sally Field, James Caan, and Jeff Bridges in the leading roles, was released.


Vadinho (José Wilker), Flor's irresponsible husband, drops dead while dancing in a street carnival party. Only Flor (Sônia Braga) expresses remorse after his death. Flor's friends and family see Vadinho's death as a chance for Flor to find happiness after the misery brought upon her by Vadinho's spendthrift ways and near total lack of respectability. Roughly the first half of Dona Flor recounts Flor's marriage with Vadinho in an extended flashback. What is made clear is that Vadinho was a great lover who admired his wife's respectability, but enjoyed protracted foreplay until she begged him to continue. He might not paint the house or leave her savings alone, but he changed this inhibited girl into a wife who experienced carnal joy regularly.
The second half of Dona Flor involves Flor's meeting the respectable but extraordinarily dull pharmacist Teodoro (Mauro Mendonça), his courtship of her, and her marriage to him. Flor's friends consider Teodoro the exact opposite of Vadinho. Teodoro belongs in superior circles within Bahia's society, dresses elegantly, and treats Flor like a lady. What Flor's friends do not know is that Teodoro is also the opposite of Vadinho in one more respect: in bed, Teodoro is as lacking as Vadinho was accomplished.
On the anniversary of Vadinho's death, Vadinho reappears to Flor in the nude and explains that she called him to "share her bed" with him. Only Flor can see and hear the nude spirit of Vadinho. She protests because she is now remarried and has pledged to be faithful to Teodoro, but after Vadinho laughs during Teodoro's pathetic attempts at love-making that night, Flor gives in and lives happily with both husbands. A shot toward the end of the film shows Teodoro lying in bed next to Flor, who kisses him on the cheek. The camera then pans to the left to show Vadinho on Flor's other side and she kisses him on the cheek too.


Release Date: February 26, 1978


Distrib: Carnaval Films/New Yorker

Related Releases2

Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (1976)
Release Year
Catalog Number
1002
Primary Distributor (If not listed, select "OTHER")
Catalog Number
1002
Format
Packaging
106 mins (NTSC)
Country
Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (1976)
Release Year
Catalog Number
34002
Primary Distributor (If not listed, select "OTHER")
Catalog Number
34002
Format
Packaging
105 mins (NTSC)
Country

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