We have been waiting for a while for a decent edition of this historical documentary shot by Jair Moura in the 1960s. Indeed, this video contains the only existing footage of Mestre Bimba from the time he was teaching in Goiania. But this DVDs offers also other interesting documentaries shot between the '60s and the early '80s. All the most influential figures of modern capoeira are featured in this collection of documentaries: Mestre Traira, Mestre Canjiquinha, Mestre Valdemar, Mestre Joao Grande, Mestre Joao Pequeno, Mestre Moraes, Mestre Cobrinha, Mestre Itapoan, Mestre Vermelho, Mestre Camisa, Mestre Suassuna, Mestre Falcao. The first documentary is an interview with Mestre Bimba. Vadiacao and Danca de Guerra are two historical documentaries of capoeira shows from the 1960s. The fourth documentary is a debate shot in Rio de Janeiro with the participation of Mestre Joao Pequeno and Jair Moura. The fifth piece is a long documentary on modern capoeira and its origin shot for a TV station in Bahia. The interviews with several Mestres about the origin of capoeira and its modern developments are intercut with footage of the rodas. The 6th piece is about the history of African slavery in Brazil including the rebellion of King Zumbi and Quilombo do Palmares. The final piece is a video of the launch of the CD by Mestre Canjiquinha e Mestre Valdemar. Please be advised that:
a) it is in Portuguese without subtitles,
b) since a lot of the footage is very old and some was not shot with professional equipment, the quality of the images is not always 100%.
However, it remains a document that everybody interested in capoeira and its history must definitely have.