Cartola: The Samba Legend

Cartola was a Brazilian songwriter and composer. His real name was Angenor de Oliveira. He was born in 1908 and died in 1980. He grew up in a poor quarter of Rio. While still young he was among the founders of a samba school. The school was Mangueira. His songs fed on everyday life. Love, poverty and the neighbourhood. For many years he did not get the attention he was due. He made his living working at other jobs. His first solo records came only when he was in his sixties. The documentary tells his life and his songs together. The history of samba itself is part of the account. Nelson Sargento and Sérgio Cabral speak in the eighty eight minute documentary, a Brazilian production Lírio Ferreira and Hilton Lacerda finished in 2007.