Bruselas (Bélgica), 1908 – Río de Janeiro (Brasil), 1992
By Luiz Felipe Alves de Miranda
Mário José Breves Rodrigues Peixoto made only one film, Limite (1931), a masterpiece of silent cinema. Of aristocratic origin, his family owned many lands in the state of Rio de Janeiro. A student at traditional schools, in 1927 he studied as a boarder at the Hospedene School in England. In Europe, he became interested in German cinema. Upon returning to Brazil, he made contacts in the theatrical and cinematic fields, accompanied the filming of Barro Humano (Adhemar Gonzaga, 1929), and encouraged Gonzaga to found Cinédia, the first Brazilian production company to attempt making films in the Hollywood style. It was during this time that the Chaplin Club was founded (1928), along with its newspaper O fan, where writers such as Octavio de Faria, Plínio Süssekind Rocha, Cláudio Mello, and Almir Castro contributed.
Saulo Pereira de Mello, a scholar of Limite, wrote that Peixoto’s film was made at a time of great enthusiasm and hope regarding Brazilian cinema. Mário wrote the screenplay and offered it to Adhemar and Humberto Mauro, but neither accepted to direct it. He then decided to film it himself. Edgard Brasil was recommended by Gonzaga for the cinematography, and Taciana Reis was one of the actresses. It premiered in May 1931 at the Cine Capitolio (Rio de Janeiro) in a screening promoted by the Chaplin Club. The plot was simple: a man and two women become castaways on a small boat, and through flashbacks, their unhappy stories are told. Arthur Autran writes that Limite
“relates to all types of constraints that oppress man, especially those of a metaphysical order. The small boat adrift is a symbol of man facing the universe and its forces, before which man is nothing and walks inexorably toward death. The awareness of this generates a permanent dissatisfaction with life.”
The researcher notes that many other important themes could be explored, such as the issues of memory and escape. Limite, which was seen by only a few, became a myth. The only existing copy was deteriorating, and in the early 1970s, Plínio S. Rocha, along with Saulo Pereira de Mello, after years of work, managed to restore it. In the 1980s, the film was released on video. Peixoto did not direct another film, although he made other attempts. He wrote the screenplay for Onde a terra acaba at the request of actress and producer Carmen Santos. He began directing, but disagreements between them caused him to abandon the production, which remained unfinished. He made other attempts, but none were successful. He wrote several screenplays and focused on a literary career, but few of his works were published during his lifetime. Notable works include the poetry book Mundéu (1931), the screenplay for A alma segundo Salustre (1983), the novel O inútil de cada um (1984), as well as some short stories and theatrical plays, most of which were edited under the supervision of Saulo Pereira de Mello, who was responsible for the Mário Peixoto Archive. Arthur Autran recalls that as late as 1988, Limite was considered the best Brazilian film of all time in a survey of critics conducted by the Brazilian Cinematheque.
