Brazil Political and Business Comment - Brazil´s Soap Operas Keep Clear of Politics

One of Brazil’s oddest export successes is the soap opera, known as the telenovela, which has captivated audiences all over the world. These TV serials are avidly followed by Brazilians of all classes and are a staple topic of conversation. While they do not shy from covering controversial topics, such as slavery and homosexuality, politics seldom feature. This is unfortunate because there would be no shortage of material or characters, such as former president Fernando Collor and (perhaps) future President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Some observers even think the novelas are in an important factor in bringing Brazil’s disparate geographic and social groups together. Not only have they made stars of actresses like Sonia Braga but they are also big business for the television networks which produce them such as Globo.

Although telenovelas are constantly compared with US soap operas they are in fact very different and play a much more important social role. With the exception of the contrived “Who shot JR?” fever in Dallas in the early 80s, American soap operas have never gripped people and left them wondering what would happen next in the same way as telenovelas do. It has been reported that one particular novela, Roque Santeiro, achieved an audience of 100% for some episodes when it was shown a decade ago. Neither do US soap operas have nearly as much relevance to the lives of ordinary people. Brazilian telenovelas generally run for an hour every night for around six months and therefore become part of people’s daily lives. The plots are summarized in newspapers and magazines in case viewers miss an episode. There are generally three novelas running at the same time so people can follow more than one and involve themselves in the lives of dozens of characters from all social classes. New novelas are heralded well in advance so people know what to expect when the current ones are replaced. The networks canvass viewers during the run and alter plots and characters if they feel it will have a better impact.

The plots and characters have to be strong and colorful as a large sector of the viewing public is poorly educated; indeed many are semi or totally illiterate. In poorer areas watching television is a communal experience like a cinema with viewers crowded round a single TV set, often in a cafe.

Collor, Lula, Dirceu, Magalhães – Four Characters in Search of a Soap
Although new works are constantly produced, they avoid current or political themes which are too recent. The rise and fall of the young president Fernando Collor would make a marvellous novela. Handsome, dashing Collor, whose politician father once shot a rival to death, was elected after by pledging to end corruption and reduce poverty. Within two years he was enmeshed in a corruption scandal which led to him resignation in the face of impeachment. Last year Collor’s crooked finance manager, Paulo Cesar Farias, was found murdered in bed alongside his mistress. The police version that he was killed by his jealous mistress who then committed suicide was received with universal skepticism. However, there are still too many important people around who do not want too much light thrown on the Collor era. The largest novela producer, TV Globo, was an open supporter of Collor during his election campaign and was accused of blatant electioneering on his behalf.

The PT leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who lost the election to Collor has a biography which could furnish a good novela plot. He was born in poverty in the northeastern state of Pernambuco in 1946. His father abandoned his mother and ran off with another woman to Santos. In the early 50s, Lula´s mother took all her children to Santos on the back of an open-topped truck on a journey that took more than a week. She had received a letter from her husband inviting her but, in fact, the letter had been written by one of her sons who was missing her. Lula ended up living in a single-room flat above a bar with various brothers, sisters and cousins. He earned money for the family by shining shoes and selling peanuts before starting work in a factory at 14. Life was hard. He lost a little finger in an accident at work. His first wife died in childbirth as did the baby. He gradually became involved in trade union activities and politics and founded the PT. He was arrested for organizing a strike and sentenced to three years imprisonment by a military court. However, there was such an outcry that the sentence was set aside. Although he lost to Collor and later to Fernando Henrique Cardoso it is possible that one day he will become Brazil´s first working-class president.

Another superb character for a novela would be another PT leader, Jose Dirceu who was one of a group of leftist prisoners freed by the military after guerrillas had kidnapped the American ambassador. He was flown to Cuba where he lived for several years before returning secretly to Brazil. During his period of exile he had his features altered by plastic surgery and married a woman who did not know his background. When the amnesty law was passed in 1979 he had the plastic surgery reversed and began his political activities again.

Senator Antonio Carlos Magalhães is another politician who would make a great character. Magalhães is a veteran who has held virtually every high office in the land during military and democratic rule. He is loved by his supporters in his home state of Bahia where he is the undisputed “king”. However, he is hated and feared by his opponents and enemies who have accused him of being involved in all kinds of corruption and misdeeds.

Suspending Belief
Perhaps a reason for keeping politics at a distance is because in some cases the TV fantasy becomes real. About four years ago, for example, a young actress Daniela Perez, was found stabbed to death on a beach near Rio. She had been appearing in a novela during which she had argued with her onscreen boyfriend and split up. The actor who played the boyfriend was arrested along with his wife and charged with the murder. This case has still not been resolved with the actor accusing his wife and the wife accusing her husband of the murder. The legal developments have been followed as avidly as any novela. One of the most successful actresses, Maite Proenca, comes from a background which could easily fit into a novela. While she was still a teenager her jealous father stabbed her mother to death in a row over her alleged infidelity.

Appealing to such a wide audience means there is little subtlety and dialogue has to be to the point. It also leads to appalling overacting as characters are constantly losing their tempers, shouting at each other, storming out of rooms and slamming doors all to get the message across. By comparison, romantic scenes (as opposed to sex which we will come to in a moment) are excruciatingly corny. Cameras close in on big eyes brimming with adoration and stay interminably on love-struck faces. Music fills the dialogue gap to let viewers know they are watching a tender moment. Tracey Chapman’s song “Baby Can I Hold You Tonight” became a huge hit in Brazil in the late 80s as it was played nightly during scenes like this in one novela.

While there is an element of escapism, of course, in these series they generally present a plausible picture of Brazil past and present. They do not cover up the past and in fact use the rich story of Brazil’s history to retell history. For example, Brazil was the last country in the world to abolish slavery in 1888 and to mark the centenary a novela called Abolicao was shown. Indians have so far not featured in any major novela although they sometimes appear in smaller roles. However, as Brazilians become more curious about the indigenous inhabitants this is bound to change and no doubt a novela with an Indian theme will be produced soon.

Sexual Bait Keeps Male Viewers Switched On

As for sex, it is used quite blatantly to keep the male audience in front of the set, especially during the maddeningly frequent advertising breaks. The sex is not as strong as, say, on British television but much stronger than anything seen on tame US television. Bare flesh is never far away. Historical series provide good opportunities for heaving bosoms and lots of cleavage while contemporary dramas, particularly set in Rio, can always work in beach scenes.

The emphasis on sex is quite blatant and at times quite distasteful and cynically exploitative. For example, the most popular recent novela, Xica da Silva, told the story of a glamorous, young black slave who becomes the mistress and wife of a noble and turns the social situation upside down. The main character was played by an actress called Thais de Araujo who turned 18 during the shooting. Her birthday was heavily publicized in advance because at the age of 18 she could legally take her clothes for the camera. Hardly had the candles gone out on her birthday cake than she was filmed in the nude having a makeshift shower under a waterfall. Just to make sure the voyeuristic audience got its share of thrills, the shower sequence lasted four minutes. Still photos were later published in newspapers and magazines.

Outdoor bath scenes are a favorite way of getting the actresses (and occasionally actors) stripped. A similar outdoors bathing scene was used even more cynically in another novela, Pantanal, when it appeared not only at the beginning and end of every episode but to mark the breaks for advertising. Actresses are used to appearing naked and market their physical attractions. Maité de Proenca, one of Brazil’s classiest actresses, who appeared (riding a horse naked) in one of the most successful novelas, Dona Beija, was recently on the cover of the Brazilian edition of Playboy.

It is easy to see the attraction for a Brazilian audience but it is the overseas success of these novelas which is surprising. The most successful novela producer TV Globo began selling novelas abroad in 1980 and now exports its products to over 130 countries. Due to the not so subtle story lines, action, music and casts of all colors the stories have been very successful in countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia where viewers can identify themselves with the characters and scenes. When President Fernando Henrique Cardoso visited China last year he took a heavyweight political and business delegation with him. However, the star of the visit was actress Lucelia Santos who is immensely popular because of her leading role in a novela called Escrava Isaura which had been shown on Chinese TV. It’s difficult to imagine Chinese Communist leaders being addicted to novelas but no less a person than the Chinese president himself made a beeline for her. The actress herself was astonished.