Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Excellent, a Must See

Charming and brutal

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Elis Regina was a Brazilian pop/jazz singer. She died in 1982 aged 36 and deserves to be remembered internationally because she was a natural singer with grace and precision; she had a lot of charisma and a disarming smile. This black-and-white television show is in parts and runs two and a quarter hours, at the end of which Ms Regina looks tired but happy. She has a boyish haircut and wears lots of jewelry with which she fiddles nervously at times, but the overall atmosphere is relaxed and intimate with a lot of close ups. The show was recorded in a studio without an audience, the lighting is high contrast like film-noir, and the sound is good enough for all but the extremely fussy – this is TV after all. Ms Regina is accompanied by her regular rhythm section: Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano) Luiz 'Luisao' Maia (bass guitar) and Paulo 'Paulinho' Braga (drums). The 17 songs include a couple of my favourites: 'Upa Neguinho' and 'Aguas De Marco'. Her happy songs will make you smile; her sad songs will break your heart. In between numbers she speaks - sometimes at length - in Portuguese. The only DVD version of the show so far (published by Trama in 2004) does not include subtitles, but the menu offers the option of playing only the songs.