Carmen Miranda Travel: Seeking Tutti-Frutti Hats in Rio de Janeiro
July 20, 2008 at 12:00 PM |
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It's curious how much our perceptions of other countries are informed by the most outlandish of pop culture references. Even if we know better than to believe the exaggerations and patent misrepresentations, certain images simply become ingrained into our consciousness, and, for better or worse, we arrive in these countries expecting things to play out like they do in the movie version. Such is the case with Brazil, as the recent release of the five-DVD collection of Carmen Miranda musical films illustrates quite clearly. Though her influence is beginning to fade a half-century after her death, the flamboyant Portuguese-Brazilian bombshell led generations of fans in both hemispheres to envision life in Rio as a series of spontaneous dance numbers amid verdant palm and banana groves. And somewhere along the line, a girl would no doubt emerge with a giant Tutti-Frutti Hat to sing a song about the importance of taking a breezy attitude towards life.
Of course, the real Rio isn't quite like that, but it's still a thrill to discover the roots of our distorted Copacabana fantasies. Visitors to Rio can start off with a quick tour through the Museu Carmen Miranda, which features plenty of movie posters, costumes, and hats. But to see how close you can come to the spirit, if not the letter, of those classic films, seek out a nightclub that specializes in samba music. Nightclubs in the Lapa neighborhood like Carioca da Gema, Rio Scenarium, and Estrela da Lapa will provide you with enough authentic, sweaty visions of real Rio life to bring your perspectives of the city a bit closer to reality, which was wilder than the movies all along.
Related Stories:
· On DVD: Carmen Miranda Sizzles [The Vancouver Sun]
· Museu Carmen Miranda [Official Site]
· Get Down and Samba in Rio [Jaunted]
[Photo: carmenmiranda.com.br]
by
Victor Ozols
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