Rita Cadillac: The Lady of the People (2007) - full transcript

- I'm not saying anything.
- My baby.

Is that it?

I got in at ten o'clock.

- Gee.
- Out, out, out.

What are you doing?

Done.

Beans, rice, kale, meat.

- I don't want kale.
- Just a little kale.

RITA'S GRANDDAUGHTER
Just a little bit.
Just a little, okay?

Pity it wasn't very hot.

Spray
Spray perfume



An interview with Rita,
doing her nails...

you with her and...

...I'm gonna ask some questions.
- Okay.

- When is this interview?
- Wednesday, 3 P.M.

3:30 P.M. We begin.

- How are you feeling?
- Nervous.

- Today is the first day.
- It is?

DIRECTOR
Yeah. We made an interview...

...with your son.
- Oh, yeah?

Let's come in, guys.

Come closer
Just a little bit closer

A little more closer

I want to kiss you

Come closer
Just a little bit closer



A little more closer, love

I want to love you

"RITA, THE LADY OF THE PEOPLE"

I want you
To keep me warm this winter

And everything else

Can go to hell

Your kiss smells
of orange blossoms

My chest brings
The sun that shines

Your fire, your flame,
The love that catches fire

My body has the dark color
of chocolate

The leaf of the race
The passion that poisons

Two people gave me
the Rita Cadillac name.

One was Franco, a friend of mine
who owned a club in Rio.

When I began work for Chacrinha,
I was just Rita.

Then they told him my nickname
was Rita Cadillac.

She looked like a Cadillac.
But why?

CHACRINHA'S SON
It was the hot car
of those days, get it?

It was the fashionable car,
the it car.

That Cadillac fish tail...

and she had a beautiful body,
a very beautiful butt...

very full,
like she has to this day.

Her mark...
Her trademark was her butt.

And the first time he said,
A sound for Rita Cadillac"...

the idiot here thought
it was another Rita...

and I just stood still.

The third time
realized it was me.

So I danced and I was baptized
as Rita Cadillac...

and from then on there's
ever been another Rita.

A samba for Rita Cadillac.

Fly, little canary, fly

Show to the people
That you are king

Half of Chacrinha's success
at the time...

was because of the chacretes,
the dancers.

It was a show
with 20 women dancing...

My father always knew
who to show off.

He gave her more attention,
showed her off more...

because he took
advantage of that.

So I had to do
something different.

So I decided
was the hottie of the show.

I was the power girl.

I created the character
like that.

"Okay, maestro, a panther
or Rita Cadillac."

And the maestro played
the Pink Panther theme.

There were lots of famous chacretes,
but Rita...

was the one
that really remained.

During all the years
she was with us...

it was over ten,
twelve years dancing with us.

There was the call
for commercials.

They all swung their arms,
very big and wide. And I decided...

I didn't want
to do the same thing.

So I just twirled my finger
to excite people's imagination.

To be a chacrete, you have to
dance well, to photograph well...

you have to be nice,
and you have to look good.

So I imagine the kind of woman
the people at home like.

FORMER CHACRETE
The teenage girls looked at us...

like we were fulfilling
their dreams. Right?

Because in the early Eighties...

being a chacrete
was the best thing.

It was a time of glamour.
Lots of glamour.

I think we had
a lot of glamour.

There was a lot of luxury.

- Lots of sparkle.
- It was a very beautiful thing.

- But...
- It played with their imagination.

We weren't all that
people imagined we were.

- Sure, we were a little daring.
- While people...

were using thongs to the beach,
we were using thongs during shows.

And there were other girls
in other shows.

They did their shows
in bathing suits. You see?

So there was this image of us...

"Gee, they'll do anything."

Nobody was a prude,
a saint, none of that.

But we weren't what
we were famous for.

Who wants some?
Who wants some?

Chacrinha always made fun
of the censorship.

The symbol of the censors
for us was Solange.

Doctor Solange.
I called her auntie.

Before we went on, they wanted
to see...

our bathing suits.

The problem was some of them
used more revealing suits.

They'd pull it up more, see?
They'd show a little more skin.

I was always very naughty.
I wore a size 40, 42.

But I said I was a 38.

I always did that.

Just to show off my butt.

I want to wake up at dawn

RITA WAS CHACRETE FROM 74 TO 83
On the sidewalk

So I won't see your good-bye

Your good-bye

A hand for Rita Cadillac.

I want to see
the head rest in place

ASSUNÇÃO SCHOOL -
SANTA TERESA - RJ

I was born.
My father never knew me.

He died when
I was 13 days old.

Then my mother showed up
at my grandmother's house...

with me in her arms
saying I was her son's daughter.

RITA WAS BORN ON JUNE 13, 1954

She lived for a while with
my grandma and my brother.

One day, my mom left,
took me with her.

And I left.

RITA'S GRANDMOTHER
My grandma missed me a lot...

I was all that was left
of her son.

And she went to get me
while I was still a baby...

and I went back...

to her and never
saw my mom again.

RITA'S MOTHER

The image I have of my father
comes from my grandmother.

Constructed. She said he was
a man of character...

an honest man, a war hero.

CARLOS D'EÇA - RITA'S FATHER

RITA WAS 13 DAYS OLD
WHEN HER FATHER DIED

I created the image
of the perfect father.

Sure, he had his flaws.

The biggest one was
not marrying my mother...

not giving me his name.

My grandmother said
I had his eyes.

Kind of sad, kind of pulled down.
But they were very expressive.

Here is the Assunção School.
Where I studied.

A nun's school. It was a prison
for me. It was a boarding school.

The nuns were very strict,
there was a lot of discipline.

Wake up at five in the morning,
having cold showers.

It was awful. Having to pray
all the time. It's terrible.

Having to eat what you
don't like was terrible.

And the abandonment too, because
Mother's Day, there's no mother.

The Father's Day party,
there's no father to come.

This is what I had.

I couldn't see from here on down.
I couldn't see the rest.

This was all I saw.

I saw the sea in the distance,
the Sugar Loaf.

But that's
the only view I had.

This was my prison.

GRAVE OF RITA'S FATHER -
CAJU CEMITERY - RJ

She came from Alagoas state.

Through a theater company,
running away.

She came to Rio,
became a seamstress.

My grandmother was a very happy
woman. She sang all day.

She drank a lot.

It was a bottle
of whiskey every day.

She carried me to games,
she played all night.

She went to play
at friends' houses.

And she took me with her.

And despite that,
she educated me...

a very strict education,
very formal.

I didn't even know
what sex was.

During the dictatorship, she was
arrested, and I only found out...

several years later.

She hid a lot of people
in our house, because she'd say:

"You can't tell anyone...

there's someone
here at home."

And I kept quiet. And we lived in
front of an army barracks.

DOWNTOWN - RJ
Here was the barracks,
they closed this street.

It was in the Seventies, right. Imagine,
because of the repression and all.

Because of the repression.
So everything here was closed.

There wasn't all this noise,
this movement?

Not, not at all.

There weren't all
these cars and buses.

And where did you live?
Show me.

I lived here.
Lucy building.

49, Evaristo da Veiga, 503.

What memories
this place brings you?

Good things.
This is where I grew up...

my childhood was here,
this is where I...

had a home.

The walls are the same.
The door is the same.

But I lived here. Look.

- Your apartment was in the back?
- In the back.

This was a small room.

- Were you naughty?
- Very much.

I'd run up the stairs,
ring other people's doorbells...

tried to play with my dolls
in the hall, on the stairs.

Hi, Rita, how are you? Everything's
fine? Pleasure to meet you.

They're doing a documentary for
our TV channel and for her movie.

Yeah? That's great.
Wow, the story of a life.

It's the spotlight.

Hey, there, honey?
Let's go clubbing?

I'm ready to dance.

Hey there.
I think I want the mother-in-law.

- Paola.
- Hi, Paola, how are you?

- Nice to meet you.
- How are you? The pleasure is mine.

I'm talking to Marcião,
but I don't know.

You think I'm over the hill?

Not at all, lady.

I think you're all good.

Are you taking me out
to dance or not?

You want to see
what's good for you?

Or are you going to stay there
until you grow leaves?

- Roots.
- Roots.

Or are you going to stay there
until you grow roots?

- Are we going or not?
- Let's go.

I don't now how to imitate a horse.

Let's go?

Me, you, both of us

We have a past, my love

A guitar put away
That flower

And many other things

"ASA BRANCA" - 1981
DIRECTED BY DJALMA BATISTA

It was a film about
a popular soccer player.

I didn't want
a famous actor for the lead.

Edson Celulari was launched
in the film...

he was totally unknown.

So there would be no conflict
with the audience.

I wanted a pure character.
And I called the TV stars.

Eva Wilma, Walmor Chagas,
Gianfrancesco Guarnieri...

Geraldo Del Rey.

FILMMAKER
But there was something missing
and that was the rule breaking...

character, the wife
of the team owner...

from the capital. I had done a lot of
research. And it happened to be her.

I was watching TV and I thought:

"This girl can do this,"
and I called her for an audition.

She arrived after lunch.
It was a cold day...

but she wore a T-shirt,
tennis shoes...

Tennis really...
Pants like this...

Very shy,
her hair tied together.

She came, people looked at her
and they were disappointed.

Everyone expected a monument,
a Cadillac.

They expected
the Cadillac.

It was disappointing.
Except for me.

"Let's do a screen test.
You just do...

what you always do
for Chacrinha.

Just move so we can see
how you move."

And I coached her. Everybody came
to watch, their jaws dropped.

Here was the myth
she had become...

the sex symbol
she'd become spontaneously.

Where were you?

Edson was 22, very young...

was very excited about doing...

a sex scene with Rita.
She sat on the bed, observing.

She looked him over,
measuring him.

She's very perceptive.
One of her qualities...

is knowing
to sense her surroundings.

Know where she is,
how to act, and she looked at him...

measured him up.
And I watched them both.

When they had to take off
their clothes...

I asked the crew to leave
to create...

some intimacy between them.

Edson couldn't stop talking
and tried to be playful...

and he made
some rude jokes.

She sent him a message
that I can't tell you...

because it's a secret between her
and me, but it shut him up for good.

To always sing out of tune
Sing out of tune, sing

After all that theory...

how about
a little practice?

Me, you, João

Turning on the record player
On and on

I took Rita to the Gramado
and Brasília festivals.

She caused a great scandal,
but she always behaved like a lady.

She is a lady. A lady of the people.
I always said that to her.

She became a sex symbol in Brazil.
And she maintained that...

after so many decades.

She is still there after AIDS,
After globalization.

I think she's a Brazilian myth.

I played soccer on the beach
and I had a girlfriend.

RITA'S FIRST BOYFRIEND
I was like 15 years old.

And a cousin of hers
came with Rita to Copacabana.

I must have been 15 years old.
Fifteen.

What happened?

The thing is I fell for him.

I think he fell for me, too...

and that was the romance
that was my big first love.

To this day he's
a great love of mine.

When Rita came to
the beach she was...

She was kind of...
I remember... this red bikini.

In those days, it was...
Who is this woman?

Not woman. Who is this girl?

Where did she come from?
She's got it all.

Really, this amazing body.

A body with no defects,
no defects.

Truly, a perfect body,
on the beach.

Once it almost happened.
We'd make out a lot.

In those days,
we'd make out a lot.

But nothing happened,
because I was afraid.

My grandmother always said,
women...

who give up their virtue
cheapened themselves.

- So you were a virgin, then?
- I was a virgin.

Virgin, saint, chaste, pure.

And he also
respected me a lot.

But there came a day when
the respect didn't hold up.

The love was too great,
the heat was too great...

the fire really came.

They were going to start things
when I walked into the room.

- We were almost naked.
- Rita was...

very angry at me, she called me
names, argued with me.

MÁRIO'S SISTER
And I said, "Not here. Out."

Vera walked in.

She had her shirt off,
was almost doing it...

when I walked in.

- And Rita?
- Poor Rita.

"Now you come in?"
"What did you want?

The door was closed,
you didn't want me to come in?"

It was a cold shower.
It was a cold shower.

And she managed
to put an end to it...

because I never wanted
to do it with him again.

It was hard to land
a girl like that. She was amazing.

Man, we got these awful
women at TV Rio.

Roberto Carlos would go in,
we went to the beach.

Man, to land
a girl like that.

When Mário and I broke up,
I heard he was dating...

Sandra, who was part
of the gang, too.

I decided I was going
to provoke him.

I said, "I'm going
to provoke that man."

Maybe if I show up
with a boyfriend...

he'll think, hey, wait a minute.
She's the one I like...

she's the one I want.
I thought that.

RITA'S FIRST HUSBAND
Then I met Cezar in October.

She met Cezar and decided
to marry because of him.

I married out of anger. I wanted
to quit on my wedding day.

I left the church, went
to my bridesmaid's house...

RITA'S MARRIAGE
JANUARY 11, 1971
that was across the street
from the church.

I went to the room to see the
presents and Mário came.

And I took him in my arms.

And I responded
with great pleasure.

It was really a kiss
and I got worried.

I wasn't alone at the party.
If I didn't go...

she said she'd go
to my house.

I did that
in my wedding dress.

It's a scene,
a scene I can't forget.

And he didn't
say anything.

Cezar was a salesman I met.

One week of honeymoon
and I didn't do it.

He wanted to
and I said no.

But you're married now.
No.

I didn't want to have sex, I didn't
want to consummate the marriage.

After we came
from the honeymoon...

he got me drunk.

I don't remember anything
that happened...

and a month later I found out
I was pregnant.

CARLOS CEZAR BIRTH -
OCTOBER 16, 1971

After three months of pregnancy,
I caught my husband...

with a bridesmaid
from his wedding.

At her house.
She was even married.

He really wasn't a man.
He wasn't a man of character.

He wasn't the man
my grandmother thought he was.

In the end, it looks like
the guy was after...

her grandma's money.

It's what I...
I never told Rita that...

but I was sure of it.

RITA, HER GRANDMOTHER
AND HER SON CARLOS CEZAR
My grandmother found out
she had lung cancer...

and was admitted
to the hospital.

She died soon after.

And I saw myself adrift,
with nothing, because...

I still had her.

I felt depressed,
became self-destructive.

I wanted to die...

I felt awful, I was even admitted
to a hospital...

I couldn't even take care
of my son...

but I got over the crisis.
Then I found out he was arrested...

with his gang...

because of credit card fraud
and other things.

But he'd already
been released.

And when I came back, he'd
invaded the apartment by force.

Then I told him
what had happened...

that I didn't think
that was right...

and that we should separate.

He got his gun and said
he wouldn't accept...

a separation...

that he'd kill me
if I left him.

I said he could kill me...

but I was leaving, that he'd
only kill me if he were a man.

And I left.

After I left,
I went through hard times.

I had no skills, I had no money,
I had to pay for my pension room.

And I couldn't be with my
son at the pension room.

A girl who lived at the pension said:
"The only thing you can do is work.

Are you getting a job?
What do you do?"

Nothing, I told her. I never
worked, I never did anything.

So she said there was a way.
I could turn tricks.

I asked her
what was that.

I really didn't know
what that was.

Then I had my first john.

It didn't last a year.
That I won't say.

Thank God it wasn't.
It was less.

Because another angel
appeared in my life.

And it was Ledão...

who took me to do a test
with Haroldo Costa.

Let's surprise Haroldo?

Let's go.

Can we come in?

Hi, Mary.

I didn't know you were coming.

Look who I brought here as a surprise.

CHOREOGRAPHER
Are you okay?

Boss, my boss. How are you, boss?
That's great.

Thanks, thank you.

Hi there. How are you?
Are you okay? Everything's fine.

We were doing a series of shows
about folklore and carnaval...

ARTISTIC PRODUCER
and we had some girls with us.
And Leda...

would be part of the show.

One day she showed up
with this girl...

we later found out
it was Rita.

Once, twice, three times.

But Rita just came
as a friend.

The show was over,
they'd go out.

That was the first time
I saw Rita.

And she hung out with Leda...

until the day Mary, my wife...

invited her to participate,
if she wanted to do a test...

to be part of the group,
or someone didn't show up...

one of those things
that happen in shows.

We're missing a girl. And Rita came
in. She came in and stayed.

I started holding...
as a chorus girl.

Holding up the Afro decoration.
I'd hold up the totem.

And I learned the choreography,
I started in the back...

then I kept coming forward, forward,
forward. Then I was in the front.

Of all the dances,
that's how I ended up.

I first saw Rita in a meeting...

with Haroldo Costa and Mary,
who's his wife and choreographer.

A shy girl...

PERFORMANCE ARTIST
with this lovely ass.

That boy ass, you know?

Because the most perfect ass
is a man's ass...

which is very firm,
it won't fall.

Rogéria showed up
in one of the shows...

when we were going to travel...

we were going to Puerto Rico.
She showed up in my life...

and said,
"Look, you're a very beautiful...

hot, sexy girl, but you don't
know how to use that."

First thing, change the hair.
I changed my hair color...

She basically
taught me makeup.

Rogéria, is my eye right? Did I
get this okay? Am I stopping okay?

She had a lot of talent, it was very
easy, and I taught her the glamour.

Because I learned
a very important thing:

A woman is touch,
a woman is mind and feelings.

And she taught me to be sexy...

to use the eyes, to use...

my sexiness,
to use the body.

She encouraged me to be...

a feminine copy of her.

CENTRAL AMERICA AND
USA TOUR IN 1973

We were in Puerto Rico.

We'd go then to New York.
I said, "Come here, dear.

I'm not against prostitution...

but there are
some guys running after you...

not hustlers...

guys that are
American millionaires.

Why don't you take some
100 million from these guys?"

She said, "Rogéria,
that's not my thing."

And I couldn't believe that. Because
there were many men interested in her.

Beautiful Puerto Rico men.

I would play
"Land me your ass".

And she gave me a big
help with one thing.

She pushed me into Pelé's arms.

Because there were over
40 women there.

I don't know how many there were.
And he got interested in me.

I didn't want...

and she'd say
"Go. You are hot.

He wants you".
So I went.

Let's see what happens.

We went out, had diner
and then we had a night of love.

Two nights of love,
and that was it.

But what really called
my attention about Rita...

was that she had
that amazing body...

but she talked non-stop
about her son. My son...

I have to make money for my son,
his schooling.

When I got the job
with Haroldo Costa...

I took Carlos Cezar to stay
with his father...

and told him I'd be back
to get him.

He said okay.

But it wasn't okay, because I only got
my son back...

when he was nine.

If Chacrinha was on,
they changed the channel.

RITA'S SON
They told me she was dead...

then I answered the phone
and it was her.

So I had conflicts
with my father from early on.

It was a huge fight.
I wanted to be with my mother...

I didn't want to be with my dad.

I was forbidden to see him,
and when he let me see my son...

it was at the door to his house,
his mother's house.

And one day
I kidnapped Carlos Cezar.

My husband came after me,
then we reached an agreement.

You're not going
to say I died...

you won't say
I abandoned him.

You're going to let me
have him back.

My life began to change...

My life began to change
when I started living with her.

That's when my childhood began...

IN 1991 CARLOS CEZAR
RETURNED TO LIVE WITH RITA

when I had a mother.

There were times when Rita Cadillac
opened my mind to the world...

she explained everything to me,
what happened out there.

She was my friend. But Rita de Cássia
was the one who got angry...

sent me to my room,
told me to study, gave sermons...

she was the mother.

Me turning into a singer. It was
Luis Andrade who thought that up.

That was before
I left Chacrinha.

At the time
I was Gretchen's agent.

Rita's first agent
I had launched her too.

There was this film
called "Aluga-se Moças"...

that Rita starred in.

I saw the movie and thought
Rita was good in it.

And I remembered that.
She wasn't the star...

she was a supporting actress.
I thought her image was interesting.

I thought it was interesting
she was very photogenic.

I met him on the street...

and he made the invitation,
and I accepted.

She said, "Gee, Luis,
Chacrinha isn't well.

I think everyone's going
to be fired. It's going to end...

he's going to the hospital.
He's very sick."

I said, Rita,
I have a huge market...

for work like yours
as a model. Do you sing?"

I told him it wouldn't work,
that I didn't know how to sing.

He said, "No, no,
you don't have to know.

Come over and we'll start."

I told her I had a house at Recreio,
I had some caretakers there...

and I would take her
to live there.

She would only have to do
the Chacrinha shows...

and I would begin
to prepare her.

It was funny, he taught me
to behave...

on stage. Until then
I was just a dancer...

I didn't have the responsibility
of being on stage...

of commanding the show.

She had everything. Dance lessons,
singing lessons, stylist.

He wanted me to be Rita Cadillac
24 hours a day.

That's not what I am.
To this day...

I can't be her all day long.

I can't wake up,
put on high heels...

put on makeup, get dressed...

and go for a stroll,
walk, go shopping.

Everything I did had
to be like that.

I had to get up
and sleep like that.

The funny thing was
rehearsing the show.

What were we going to do?
We had two songs.

You have to help yourself
Don't let it grow cold

Leave it all for later
Just think of us two

It's good for morale

Don't say anything to anyone
But in this coming and going

We know how we do it
And always want more

It's good for morale

She grows when
she gets on stage...

and people fall
in love for the game.

RITA'S AGENT
Luis made up a game.

The game was like this.
They put four guys on stage...

and eliminated one by one.
The guys would dance.

Who danced the best?
Then only the best would stay.

And this one got
to kiss her ass.

It was a simulation
of the erotic, not pornographic.

I remember I had
some chocolate asses made.

Get it? So she came to the show
and gave everyone an ass.

The chocolate ass.
And the guys...

and that game
and all worked.

It was the time, right? The thing
worked, that kind of thing.

So I said, that's the gold mine.

What does Brazil likes?
It likes an ass.

It was sexy, just real sexy.

I didn't even have to sing, really.
It was just moaning and dancing.

Her name was stronger
than any song.

The marketing was in the eroticism,
the supposed eroticism.

People thought she'd be naked.

There'll be a festival,
she'll do a strip-tease.

And that wasn't it. People like it,
clapped...

hired us again, because it was
a hoot, a celebration.

A party, see?

And she would do
30, 40 shows a month, see?

It was a radical change
in her life.

And now the transformation.
The artist on stage.

Our star up close,
Rita Cadillac.

Come
Come closer to me

We were made to do it

Sujinho...

I have to go to work.

I know we're missing some
products. Like that smell.

- Fennel.
- It's not that.

It's Stilus.
One more of that one.

Ok. Are you going for a walk?

- No. Going to work.
- Ok. Bye.

When I accepted, it was because
I knew that the Rita Cadillac...

shows couldn't go on
for much longer.

I couldn't go much further.

I didn't have many miles more,
so the damage was minimal.

I wouldn't be risking much.

I wasn't risking a whole life.

It wasn't vanity.
It would be vanity if I said...

I have a movie with this guy,
that guy. But a porn movie?

No. That was strictly
for the money.

The money they offered...

was the money I needed then.

For my home,
my son's home...

to have another apartment
to have some income...

that could pay
at least some bills.

I looked her in the eye
and said, "You're over 50, man.

Nobody pays your bills.

You want to do it?"

I applauded her.
I told her to do it.

Do it, because this is your chance.
Stop making it easy for everyone else.

But of course
she'd have to do it.

You really have to do it.
We talked a lot.

Lurdinha was the only one
who objected.

But she did
that as a mother...

she did it as a manager.

Yeah, that's not
what I wanted.

I didn't want that for her
and I did my best...

I tried all I could,
but there's no condemnation.

I said, "Rita, you've carried
the name for so long.

If you can sleep easy,
then do it."

The first scenes were easy,
I just had to dance...

be sexy.

Something I'd always done.
I thought, okay.

But then the director
looked at me and said:

"Now we have
the sex scenes."

That's when the reality sank in.

And a guy grabbed me
and penetrated me.

And I saw that, and the director
with the camera...

Open the leg more,
close the leg now.

The feeling I had then...

was that they were sticking
a knife in me and cutting me open.

I felt bad...

I felt dirty,
I felt everything.

Every bad feeling
a person can feel...

I felt at that moment.

Let's go, Angel.
Run, run.

"AMAZON GOLD" -
DOCUMENTARY BY BBC

And Luis took me
to the mining camp.

And he went with me on the tour
to the camp...

when the plane crashed
with us both.

We went there
on a single engine plane...

and there was a problem. The plane
fell and she was terrified on my back.

She was in front of me.

And I was behind her, holding her.
We're gonna fall. We're gonna fall.

The plane turned and turned
and fell on a tree.

We walked in the middle
of the jungle.

I put a cap on her head,
some cloths on her head.

We managed to walk a lot
in the mud, in the rain.

Luis carried by suitcase
on his head.

Me in tiny shorts
and sandals in the mud.

Then a truck came by,
with pigs and everything.

And there's Rita
in the middle of the pigs...

till we got to Serra Pelada,
where no women went.

The first thing I saw was all these
men taking a bath, naked.

I saw those statues of men...

those big brutes.

All covered in mud.

I looked at them and said,
"I'm done, I'm dead."

There were 300,000 men.
No women.

We stayed
in the federal police barracks.

A bunk bed, she on top,
me on the bottom.

She couldn't leave there.

But they were so shameless,
so shameless...

that a week before the show...

they screened the movie
"Aluga-se moças"...

the one with the car scene,
the first one.

So when I got there,
the guys were at their limit.

They were really hungry.

The show was set up inside...

this circus tent.

I froze on the first show.

When Luis said,
"Now the show's on. Go on."

I said, "Okay.", and went on.

I went on, looked and said
I wanted to leave.

I was the only woman there, half
naked, wearing this tiny bathing suit...

with some fringes, surrounded by who
knows how many thousands of men.

I thought, "Man, I'm done for."

He turned on the music,
told me to dance. I danced.

In the middle of the song,
I began to feel these...

I looked, turned to Luis, said...

they weren't liking it.
They were throwing stones at me.

And he, "Idiot, that's gold.
It's gold nuggets."

She must have made a lot
of gold in Serra Pelada.

All those gold camps...

all the camps in Mato Grosso.
And that was it.

Taking a message
to a very needy people.

Lurdinha went
to several mining camps.

The one with Barba was very funny...

because we got there
and Barba was the sheriff...

he like owned the camp.

So we did the show
and during the show...

there was the game
where I called four boys...

to dance with me.
But the guys had to dance...

send kisses.
They had to repeat all I did.

And I was naughty.
I would make those men...

Those big men, all sweaty
to dance...

shake their asses.

And the one who won...

could chose his present...

and there was one who asked
for a night with me.

But this guy was new there.

So during the show he began
to be cute...

say some things.

And the game was over
and he thought he was taking me.

He was taking me right then.
I told him:

"No, let me finish the show,
or I won't get paid."

The bottom line, he was quiet, but he
drank a lot. And he started shooting.

And the guy was,
you put out or you die.

Man, the guy began to shoot.

We had to duck into a cabin...

until they calmed him down.

Then Barba heard about the mess,
went there, got the guy...

disappeared the guy.
I never saw him again.

Mangos on offer!

I told you I'd come.

- He won't eat these kind of things.
- Yeah, the kids are like that.

Everything I like,
he won't eat.

It's the same at home.
That's how it is.

Tell me, honey.

Where are your daughters?
How's everything?

- More ripe or more green?
- No. Halfway.

- Not green and not ripe.
- From tomorrow on it's okay?

- From tomorrow on, yeah.
- Can it be the whole bunch? Fifteen?

- Sure. Why not?
- Fifteen, twenty. Three reais.

Real cheap.

Strawberry and cashew,
1.50 now.

Tell me, honey.
It's too much, it's good.

You've got the keys?

- You have the keys there?
- Yeah.

I'd seen her around
and after a while...

she came to live nearby.
And we became friends.

During one of her birthdays,
maybe...

the one before last...
I think she was turning...

I'm not sure if she
was turning 50.

But at night,
with everyone at the party...

I was talking with the gang...

RITA'S FIANCÉ
and she called me inside
to help with something.

I had to help her with
the gas or something.

But she really
didn't want any help.

I called you, grabbed you
and you...

"Hey, everyone's here,
we can't do this," and you left.

- That's a lie.
- And you left the party, too.

I didn't know what to do.

I didn't expect it.
I wasn't expecting that.

So you don't know
what to do.

- Embarrassing, huh?
- So I went back...

to the party.
But I didn't leave.

You disappeared.
I didn't see you anymore.

There were 30, 40 people.

You wanted to find me
with 40 people?

You were the one I grabbed.
I would see you.

- No, I didn't run away.
- Yeah, you did.

You don't expect
someone like her to...

You don't think it'll
happen with you.

I was just a friend.

You don't think a friendship
will become...

something else.
And it happened for me.

Kind of lucky, huh?

The dream I have for us
is to go on until the last day...

of my life.

I have this dream of a family.
That's a great dream of mine.

And now I'm having it.

With him I can have in-laws,
brother-in-law...

niece, uncles, aunts and
all these things...

I never had and that now
I'm beginning to have.

If it's not this,
there's one across the street.

Thank you, okay.

I came back from a trip and
I got a message from my sister.

That my sister had called.
I said, "Sister?"

I called and said:

"I want to talk with Raíra."
And she said, "Yes, it's she."

"It's Rita. You called saying
you're my sister."

She told me that
she was my sister...

that she didn't know, that she'd been
adopted, and her adoptive mother...

died and before she died,
she told her the truth...

that she was Geni's daughter.

- Geni, your mother.
- Yeah, Geni, my mother.

And therefore was my sister.
Not my sister on my father's side.

Raíra? It's Rita.

I'll open so you can come up.

Okay.
She's not in.

- Hi.
- Hi there. Please ignore the mess.

- How are you?
- I'm fine.

- How are things?
- Everything's fine.

- You're the nephew.
- Yeah. How are you?

RITA'S NEPHEW
- Nice to meet you. How are you?
- Fine.

We came to surprise Raíra.
Where is she?

The supermarket.

We came to surprise Raíra,
but Raíra...

surprised us.

Yeah.
And I told her:

"Don't go to the supermarket".
But she went anyway.

It's so hot.

- I don't believe it.
- How are you?

- I'm fine. And you?
- How are you?

Fine. Thank God,
everything's fine.

That's great.
Look at her.

- What do you think?
- We look alike?

RITA'S SISTER
I had blonde hair, now it's black.

Now it's black.

- It's so great to meet you.
- After 64 years, Rita.

- 64?
- I've just turned 64.

Congratulations.
You look great.

- 64 years old.
- That's great.

I loved it, you know why? I have
one, too. I have two of them.

I have two black ones called
Naomi and Angel.

This here is Brisa
and there's Kika, the white one.

I saw them.

- It's really great.
- Let's talk more.

- Because now, friend...
- God's will.

There's no other way, now.

My treasure, my boyfriend.

My love.

Good morning.

- Are you taking the ones for the girls?
- It's better right?

It's more guaranteed.
Because they're coming early.

I'm coming in early, too.

It's lovely.
Look. It's so lovely.

Bye, kids.
Thanks.

Good luck.
See you tomorrow.

- Your official bouquet.
- This is my official bouquet.

This is the one you throw.

- There are for the bridesmaids.
- Bridesmaids.

The groom needs good luck, because
he doesn't know he's getting married.

- He doesn't know?
- No.

The groom doesn't know
he's going to marry tomorrow.

- No?
- No...

...it's a surprise.
- That's quite a surprise.

- He's going to have a shock.
- Thank you, guys.

- Good luck.
- Thanks.

Have a nice wedding.

APRIL 1 ST 2007

- Are you nervous?
- Yeah.

Where's Luis?

Then hold him.
Give me five minutes.

- Yeah. Okay. Bye.
- Let me do it, honey.

Look, I'm just going to leave
the keys in the starter...

because the alarm
starts up alone sometimes.

Are you okay, man?
Are you calm?

I just want to play
a game with you.

Man, that's not nice.

Put on the blindfold,
put the blindfold on him.

Hold on. No one goes in
without a blindfold.

He's coming.

- I just saw him.
- Is he coming up blindfolded?

I don't know.
I couldn't see.

You're beautiful. Beautiful, hear?
God bless you.

My love

Is secret
Is sacred

It's preserved

In my heart

I'll get you.

I didn't suspect anything.

- Did you like it?
- Of course.

O Lord, bless these rings
this couple will wear...

now as a sign of their love.
In the name of the Father...

the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I'm speechless. All I can say is
that I love you very much.

Will you say bow-wow for me?

- Bow-wow.
- No, it's not like that.

Wait. But it's like this.

Bow-wow.

CARANDIRU PENITENTIARY - 1986

Now another animal.

Come on. Come here.
Get on all fours for me.

You on this side.
Get on all fours.

Now you each chose a side
and kiss my butt.

The first time I entered
a prison in my life...

was in Rio. It was terrible.
The feeling was awful.

I cried. I swore I'd never go
to a prison again.

When I went to Carandiru...

there was no sense of death,
no ugly things...

none of that. It was a happy
thing. There were children.

You didn't feel in danger.

The convicts decided
to call her a godmother.

During the graduations
of the courses for the inmates...

FORMER CARANDIRU EMPLOYEE
many inmates didn't have
a godmother...

a family member to get
the diploma with them.

And she would go with them
because they had no families.

Move your tush

Let's dance

It was a strange relationship.

On one side, they were
very aroused by her.

When she performed,
you could see that...

she provoked this desire
in the men.

A carnal temptation.

But they also felt
great respect for her.

And she really
provoked them.

You couldn't believe
she could do that.

I once saw Rita
in a tiny dress...

DOCTOR
handing out autographs,
at this gallery...

kneeling in a way that...
She wasn't wearing any.

I watched the men's reactions.
They would have a quick...

embarrassed look...

pretend they hadn't,
smile a little.

But she had their respect.
She had their total respect.

I never was in any danger
in the prison.

Never. They said,
"You don't worry in here.

You're more protected here
than out there."

I met Rita on a hot afternoon
in December.

We had a contest in prison
talking about AIDS.

The show began
with this group...

called "Together by Chance".

They played and Rita
came on, dancing.

She danced and the hall...

was in total silence.

Then they began to cry out,
"Turn, turn."

She pretended she didn't understand.
She threatened to turn...

then didn't. And the cries got louder.
Turn, turn!

Then it was marvelous.
She turned and began to dance.

She would turn and bend lower
and lower, and suddenly get up.

And when she got up,
the place came down.

At the time, 17%
of the inmates had HIV.

The medical wards were full.
We lost 2, 3 inmates...

a week in the prison.

People who died
and never got out.

And she got interested
in doing these messages.

Talk about condoms.

The things now is
to use a condom.

Because AIDS is getting ugly.
The thing is to wear a condom, okay?

Did you use any objects like
I saw in the movie, "Carandiru?"

The bottle? No. That was something
Hector Babenco made up.

I talked with Drauzio
and he told me no.

FILMMAKER
That Rita was one thing
and the sexual education...

thing in the prison was separate.

I didn't want to make that part...

very didactic...

so let's talk of entertainment
and of...

sexual education.
I brought the two together...

and that was really
a creation of mine.

I was afraid people
would think...

that was what I did at Carandiru.

And I never did that.
And to make it very clear...

I never received any pay.

My only reward
was the love I received.

Voulez, voulez
Dance, dance

Forward, back

For all her shows,
Rita went prepared with panties.

During the show,
she'd take off the panties...

and throw them to the inmates.
The inmate...

who caught the panties would
celebrate. There was even a raffle.

Those panties would be
around for months.

One year, instead of just
throwing it, what did she do?

She decided to change the show.
She called an inmate...

to the stage. He came up to
participate in the show.

He'd have to take off
the panties with his teeth.

What happened?
She realized...

the inmate was toothless.
He had no teeth.

- He used his tongue.
- She turned to me...

and said "He has no teeth."

But he managed to take it off
with his tongue.

This woman intrigued me a lot.
Kind of androgynous...

half car, half human being.

I thought it was funny,
a woman of her age...

unmentionable, of course...

wearing those strong
Lycra pantyhose...

the color of darker skin
to hold together...

that physical presence.

And it's something very
shameless, very Brazilian...

and incredibly naive.

So a person who gets up
on a stage...

that is up there and is capable,
a woman with a thousand people...

like I saw, capable of doing
an erotic dance like that one...

and call the attention
of all those people...

with the greatest respect is an artist.
If she's not an artist, who is?

I think the work she does is
of a beautiful stimulus.

So naive,
so elementary...

so basic that I really give her
a hand. I really give her a hand.

When I come back,
I want to be Rita Cadillac.

- Hi, Rita? How are you?
- Hi. The kids came today.

They came.
Today I'll see my babies.

- Good night. How are you?
- How are you?

Today is an unusual day.
The kids came with me.

Let's go, girl.

It's her. The super lady.
Rita Cadillac.

When will I stop
making shows?

When they let me.

I'll stop when they let me.

But I think
it's close, very close.

I'm in that kind
of position.

I have the hand
on the lock to open...

to stop the shows.

There's no point
in being perfect and empty.

It wasn't talent,
it wasn't my voice...

that opened doors.
It was my body.

Like Rita Lee said...

"It's the only ass that thinks."
So it's my ass that thinks.

My brain is here.
There's no other way.

I have to face that,
I have to accept it.

I accept that my body
made me.

I, Rita Cadillac, live off my body.

There's a little
Rita de Cássia here.

Now there's a lot
of Rita Cadillac here.

IN 2009, AFTER 2 YEARS OF
MARRIAGE, RITA DIVORCED.

SHE LIVES IN PRAIA GRANDE WITH
HER POODELS ANGEL AND NAOMI.

I WANT TO BE BURRIED ON MY BACK
TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE PEOPLE

Recovered by (c) dCd / March 2019