Stuff You Gotta Watch: Dzi Croquettes
Four years were more than enough for dance and theatre group Dzi Croquettes to make their mark in Brazil. From 1972 until 1976—with the country under a strict (and often violent) military dictatorship—the androgynous troupe defied Brazil’s traditionalist system and a strangling censorship that menaced each and every alternative cultural paradigm.
The name, of course, says it all: drawing inspiration from the San Franciscan legendary Cockettes, 13 men regularly put on outrageous shows that mixed musical revue, Broadway, and a great dose of humour in order to bring much needed colour to Brazilian society. Their contagious energy spread abroad, too: “I was knocked out!,” exclaims Liza Minnelli, who later supported the group during their exile in Paris, where they wowed Josephine Baker and collaborated with Claude Lelouch in his film Le Chat et la Souris.
Gathering testimonies from almost every living member of the group, as well as several well-known names from the Brazilian artistic universe such as Ney Matogrosso, Betty Faria, Gilberto Gil, Miguel Falabella, and Cláudia Raia, this documentary details the spectacular rise and fall of Dzi Croquettes, from their Rio de Janeiro beginnings to unexpected glory in Europe and a disgraceful ending involving drugs, AIDS, and even murder.
Review by Ana Leorne. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.