Cabeza(s) cortada(s) by Glauber Rocha: power and poetics of an adrift Latin American filmmaker

Abstract

This article aims to outline some notes on the film Cabezas cortadas (1970), by Glauber Rocha, made in Spain during the Franco dictatorship. This film marks the filmmaker's international phase, which, together with four other movies (O leão de sete cabeças — 1970, História do Brasil — 1974, As armas e o povo — 1974 and Claro — 1975) make up what the cinematographer called tricontinental cinema. The methodology focuses on an internal analysis of the work, a survey of the historical context and the references presented in the film, associated with a careful reading of the texts by Glauber Rocha himself and by his scholars. The theoretical references are based on Cardoso (2017), Rocha (2004), Xavier (2001), Rancière (2009) and Fonseca (2017). The final considerations, undertaken here, show the extreme artistic and political relevance of Glauber Rocha's work, especially Cabezas cortadas, as well as the tensions with the cinematographic field that brought about an irregular production, full of digressions, and a short career.