O Pagador De Promessas ("The Keeper of Promises"; also known in English as The Given Word) is a 1962 Brazilian drama film directed by Anselmo Duarte, adapted from the play of the same name by Dias Gomes.
It is dedicated to the quest of a simple man called Zé do Burro (Leonardo Villar). His beloved donkey was ill and he pledged to the pagan spirit in whom he believes, alongside with a Christian saint, that if it recovered he'd carry a cross on his shoulders from his village into the church of St. Barbara in the capital of the state of Bahia, Salvador. The donkey recovered as if by miracle and Zé set out.
When he arrived in the city with a huge wooden cross and his reluctant wife, Rosa (Glória Menezes), he told his story in detail to the local priest. However, the priest became determined not to allow the candid man to enter the church, not approving of the mix between African rituals and Christian belief Zé engaged in.
Obstinate, Zé remains with his cross just outside the church; various people attracted by the event come to express their opinions both in his support and against him. His wife, who is not really enthusiastic about Zé's promise, starts to lose her temper. The tension rises. Neither Zé nor the clergy are willing to cede.
The movie is executed in the manner of the New Wave cinema, which was all the rage in 1962. Interestingly Anselmo Duarte by no means adhered to the values of the New Wave; he was usually very conservative in his approach.
The film won the Palme d'Or, beating, among others, L'eclisse. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Now, it is often hailed as one of the best Brazilian films ever made, alongside City of God (though it is a lot less known than the latter).
Tropes:
- Beware the Nice Ones: Zé do Burro is never rude or menacing. He just wants to carry his cross into the church; he is polite but inflexible.
- Bittersweet Ending: Zé do Burro is killed. However, his death enrages the crowd, who forcefully bring the cross into the church. Even though the life of a man for the entry of the cross would not appear a fair bargain to a current audience, within the universe of the film, it is implied that Zé wins that way.
- Cat Fight: Rosa and Marli have a knock-down, drag-out fight, first slapping and pulling each other's hair in a bar, then spilling into the street as they wrestle, resulting in a parade getting held up. The reason they're fighting is because Rosa slept with Marli's boyfriend/pimp Bonitão.
- Crucified Hero Shot: In the end, Zé gets shot dead and his supporters put him on top of his cross in the same position as Christ, before carrying him inside the church.
- The Determinator: Zé won't give up his pledge. He is very humble but very obstinate.
- The Hero Dies: Zé do Burro is killed in the end.
- Meaningful Name:
- "Burro" means "dunce" in the figurative sense.
- "Zé" is a very common Brazilian name, almost like "Joe", as in average Joe.
- Not So Stoic: Rosa, who first seemingly stoically follows her husband, ends up leaving him for a seducer, albeit with the husband's permission.
- The Promise: Zé do Burro carries the cross to the church of St. Barbara because he promised he would in exchange for his donkey recovering from an illness. The donkey means a lot to him, so it is hugely important to him to fulfill the promise, even if nobody else takes him seriously.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Zé do Burro manages to accomplish what he set out to do after he gets shot and dies. His supporters carry his cross into the church (with him on top), just as he wanted.
- Untranslated Title: It often remains O Pagador De Promessas in English too.
- The X of Y: The name of this film in Portuguese is syntactically analogous to this formula.
