The Mystery of Samba - Portela samba school documentary (2008, English subtitles)

O Mistério do Samba (The Mystery of Samba) portrays the daily life and stories of the Velha Guarda da Portela (Old Guard of Portela) and the research that singer Marisa Monte carried out recovering previously unrecorded compositions from the 1940s and 1950s. The poetry, musicality and intimacy of these gentlemen and ladies are revealed through the simple everyday life of a small neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio, Oswaldo Cruz. The documentary has the special participation of Paulinho da Viola and Zeca Pagodinho.

• from the back cover

(Two minutes of this film have been removed due to a copyright problem.)