How American Propaganda Changed Carmen Miranda's Career

[@bkrewind]

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[@sebeckley]

I love you so much!!!

[@R.A.A.]

I tried this mattress it was so comfortable and unlike the usual ones even the packaging different and smaller than I expected. I highly recommend.

[@TheCountOrlok]

Wonderful to see a Brazilian actor getting the Be Kind Rewind treatment. Despite her impact as a pop culture icon, I've always felt that Carmen is still sadly underappreciated as an artist, even though the extent of her success was largely influenced by the racism and anti-black policies of both Brazilian and American societies.

[@deathdoor]

Sempre me surpreende quando lembram que ela já era bem grande por aqui antes de ser "descoberta" lá fora.

[@TheCountOrlok]

@@deathdoor Cara, eu lembro de você da seção de comentários do Elfen Lied Brasil hahaha. Até o período que a Roberta parou de escrever lá, eu lia as postagens do blog regularmente. Estranho pensar que já faz tanto tempo. E é verdade, *uma raridade inclusive entre brasileiros, infelizmente. Entre nós, isso também se deve muito a não termos construído uma memória cultural da história do nosso cinema - e aí entram uma multitude de tragédias, desde a desvalorização da arte nacional à perda de importantes obras e registros históricos. *Editei porque apaguei uma parte da frase por acidente

[@abandonedfragmentofhope5415]

@@TheCountOrlok Brazilian cinema is very important to the world.

[@edgarhernandezbarrera2169]

Latinex again being racist against themselves, their own people..self hatred! (Im guatemalan)

[@JulianSteve]

@@TheCountOrlok I do not know of her nor her work, but I need to check it out. I’m going to see what Be Kind Rewind says about the actress :)

[@salmakhouja7700]

"The US won't intervene in southern america" Good lord how long did this policy last, 2 weeks?!

[@moonshinefox]

me, an argentine: *cries in 'Plan Condor'*

[@etherealtb6021]

4 years, while we were busy in WW2! 😟

[@tymanung6382]

During 1930s 40s Franklin Roosevelt had Good Neighbor Policy, stopped attacks on C + S America, Mexico, Caribbean, but this the ONLY exception,,from the gov..that produced the Monroe Doctrine and worse.

[@kidmohair8151]

as long as it took to say those words, and not a second longer

[@Gilgaemesh]

It's called double speak...

[@Thebalancewitch1134]

As an Afro Latino who is racialised as monoracial African, the hill I have always been willing to die on is the American film and television industry conspired to erase us from Latin America. And our governments from Mexico to Chile were all too happy to comply bc everything is awful. Thanks for making this video. I feel like I can take off my tin foil hat now ✨✨✨✨

[@jackmaritt5094]

Bless your heart ❤️ Simeon

[@RoxanneJ81]

As an African American with a degree in Spanish, I think you're absolutely right. In all the years that I studied the language and the culture of Latin America and the Caribbean in school, I was always surprised to see how white-washed everything was in our textbooks and in the documentaries and movies we watched.

[@gars129]

@@RoxanneJ81 Just seeing how mexican telenovelas generally have people that look indigenous as servants, and often import European actors to play leads. Mexico has a ridiculous representation problem, and people act like it's all ok because at least they've always had some lighter skinned mestizos in lead roles.

[@FOLIPE]

The US has always tried to otherize Latin America though, and race was also a part of that narrative.

[@archer1949]

@@gars129 My Colombian Grandmother hung on to her “Pure Castillian” background like a lifeline. Her colorism and obsession with social caste would have put a 1920’s Jim Crow Alabama Sheriff to shame.

[@MsSumoon]

Fun Fact- The woman in the Saludos Amigos short is her younger sister Aurora Miranda, because Carmen didn't have time to film she gave the role to her sister. I highly suggest if anyone wants to know more about her to look for her Biography by Ruy Castro - Carmen: Uma biografia(IDK if it was translated to English, but it's a very detailed Biography about her). She sadly still embodies a stereotype about Latina Women are still known for and sometimes expected to represent (Before people point at me, I'm Brazilian, living in BRAZIL, born and raised here, so I'm sharing my experience here), it's expected that we speak in broken English, it's likely that we have to “act“ like her. ANOTHER thing- look for her song - Disseram que eu voltei americanizada, a piece that addresses those who were criticizing her.

[@cassandralyris4918]

Strangely enough, I've found the same to be true as an American traveling abroad. People (especially in Japan and South Korea) expected me to be loud and lazy and frankly, stupid. I guess sometimes we all let the media we consume get the better of us. It seems to have made all of us expect everyone else to be a caricature. Travel really opened my eyes to seeing people as individuals, divorced from my preconceived notions.

[@madamefayta]

I love that biography, been thinking of rereading it now after this video

[@MeowMeow_95_]

Funny that that song is about a prostitute selling her… um… “cookies” haha

[@jaylakyle2164]

okay i looked it up and i don’t see her listed in the credits of saludos amigos, but credits her in the three caballeros

[@liv97497]

Interestingly, in the 1930s the very idea of an ultimate Brazilian culture was artificially crafted as well. The modernist movement here sought to find the true Brazilian everything, but instead of recognizing the many different aspects of our culture, they jumbled everything up and came up with an answer that pleased them, much like these movies did in regards to the whole of Latin America. That's when our institutes for architectural preservation were created, and they decided on colonial architecture being the style worthy of it, and eclectic buildings in colonial towns were torn down in order to create a "cohesive look". They chose to elevate music with African/Afro-brazilian roots, while African religions suffered persecution. The way Carmen's image was crafted and used was entirely in line with what was happening in Brazil when it comes to many different branches of art.

[@yesm450]

You're right. Same thing with regards to Meso/Central America becoming the conflation referred to as Mexican in parts north of the border. The wonderful thing is that there are people now doing independent scholarly research that is replacing these stale stereotypes and helping to restore the rich and unique spendor of these nations who have been virtually unknown nations unknown outside their regions. The whitewashed histories that stood as truth for so long are receiving a long over due bath.

[@FOLIPE]

I think that's an unfair assessment of the role of brazilian modernism and also of how brazilian culture in general operates. The idea of an ultimate anything is artificial, but while the modernist movement was trying to steer away from Europe and towards Brazil's native culture, it doesn't mean that what they did was artificial, much on the contrary. They were trying to reporduce here the natural local culture-high culture relationship that existed in Europe, instead of only importing european standards.

[@liv97497]

​@@FOLIPE still, they elected what was "ultimately Brazilian" and that's what I mean by artificial. You see the perfect example of this in architecture: the historic and artistic heritage institute was created in the 1930s, and they worked hard to preserve what they saw as the true expression of Brazilian architecture. They elected the colonialist style, and so in historical cities, lots of buildings received protected status, while eclectic buildings (recently built at the time) remained neglected and were even torn down. A lot of historical towns had guidelines on how things could be built, to preserve the historical, colonial style, so you have buildings that do not date from the 18th century but mimic that style. All the while, the real, 19th and early 29th century buildings were lost, thus creating a false narrative of cities "stuck in time". *That's* what I mean by artificial. At the same time, in music and in art, the version of brasilidade that's promoted is heavily sanitized, and overwhelmingly white. I would never dare say it's an overall bad thing, because moving away from imported European culture and developing national culture, art, and music is wonderful and very necessary, but it's naive to think that it wasn't crafted.

[@bellingdog]

​@liv97497 I'm no fan of modernism (and even less so of post-modernity), but I do believe the "Brazilian identity" is one that at least strived towards a "good" identity, in contrast to the identity that had been crafted outside their borders. Today, the Brazilian identity is relegated, ironically, to aesthetics. Yes, in Brazil, this is not solely the case, as it has political implications (Southerners are whiter, wealthier, and more conservative, Nordestinos are poor, leftist, and darker, and all othe other generalisations that come with that), but, externally, Brazilians are not identified by their internal identity, but by Brazilian Butt Lifts, Brazilian tan, Brazilian bikini wax, Brazilian etc..... The men are relegated to soccer/football lovers and Latino sleazy lovers. If you're lucky, Brazilians may get identified with Churrasco, IF you're lucky. I'm personally married to a Brasileira, and she has some stereotypical Brasileira qualities (the fogo, tan, and very beautiful), but she has a lot of contradictions to the "Brazilian identity" as well. Post-modernism has relegated many identites to the least important qualities, and the Brazilian identity is a prime example. The Brazilian is sexualised in the worst fashion, the Brazilian Butt Lift is a term many Brasileiros detest, and something many expect to see when you say Brazilian woman. Then on the opposite side, the man is seen as a "good lover", but a terrible man (sleazy, cheater, etc.). The architects of Brazilian culture are, unfortunately, the Brazilian media and celebrities. Anitta comes to mind, along with her song Vai Malandra, and all the funk songs that come out to the West. And, as long as there is money to be made out of the sexualisation of Brazilians, that's all the media and celebrities will relegate their identity to.

[@jackyex]

That's quite the simplification, the creation of a Brazilian identity and cultural history didn't start in the 1930s but in the 1830s with the Indianista movement and the creation of the IHGB, the 1930s was a culmination of 100 years of the creation of this identity, it was the consolidation actually, also it was a reaction of to the Europhilic cultural aspect of the Old Republic, as it was only in the 1930s that the black contribution to the Brazilian mixture was recognized after half a century of persecution, as of the likes of Casa Grande e Senzala de Gilberto Freyre. The mordernits just cemented many ideas that were already spread, and with the nationalist government of Vargas it was very important to foster the pride in the unique Brazilian aspects.

[@marabanara]

I remember being so confused as a Chilean teen (but living in Australia) when rehearsing for a “Latin” musical show for school when the very white teacher got out these huge puffy sleeved costumes with fruit hats, with really cheesy dance moves, along with a matador dance with bolero jackets. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Like hello, lady? All of Latin American culture is not the same, and doesn’t include Spain anyway. Myself along with 2 other Chileans, an Argentinian and Colombian all tried to gently express our frustration but the white adult teacher got her feelings hurt so on it went. 🙄 At least we got to teach the choirs correct Spanish pronunciation for songs by Ricky Martin & Gloria Estefan. The dances were awful though. I’ve always been a fan of classic film and loved Carmen Miranda, but I knew very well the stereotypes and harm that came from that. I’m brown yet my mother insisted we were white, “like Carmen Miranda”. Also the broken heavily accented English is still a trope today- see Sofia Vergara on Modern Family. Everyone in Latin America knows she simply puts that accent on & greatly exaggerates it for comedic effect, but the English speaking world seems to think it’s just the way she talks normally. Not to mention that most of us cannot ditch our accents so we are branded as foreign and stupid- when accent doesn’t dictate the quality of our English.

[@daniellarkins3849]

But there are white Latin American's though.

[@briannab4037]

@@daniellarkins3849 I don't think OP denied that

[@jaffa4242]

Bloody good on you and those other students for saying something to your teacher about the disrespectful mishmash of cultural dances and costumes. I'm sad (although not surprised) the school didn't listen to you.

[@belalugosisdead4444]

Look, millions of white Latinos exist, the problem wasn't that she's white. You keep calling her white as if that would automatically tell us she's not latino

[@oliviaalmeida4361]

I'm so happy you did a video about Carmem Miranda. In Brazil she is still very famous and I hear her name since I was born even though I'm 16!! Thank you very much love your channel♥️🥰

[@jett8193]

How wonderful, thank you for sharing that!

[@ghfudrs93uuu]

Só que não, né. Comparado com contemporâneos como Dorival Caymi, Cartola e Adoniran Barbosa, Tom Jobim, Vinicius(músicos que, sabendo o nome ou não, tenho absolute certeza que já ouviste a música)... O legado dela e mínimo, e sempe manchado pelo desmercido escárnio de "ela nem é brasileira" e "produto de propaganda gringa". Isso não tira o mérito dela como artista, é claro. É como Roberto Carlos, duvido muito que a música dele vai ser ouvida daqui a 50 anos, mas o impacto dele na geração do yeyeye é inegável. Not, she isn't. Compared to contemporaries of her, as Dorival Caymi, Cartola e Adoniran Barbosa, Tom Jobim, Vinicius(musicians who, you know the name or note, I'm 100% sure you know ther music).... Her legacy is minimal, and always, stained by the undeserved scoff of "she isn't even brazilian" and "product from US propaganda". This doesn't take away from her artistic merit, of course. It's like Roberto Carlos, I doubt people will be listening to his stuff in 50 years, but his impact to the yeyeye generation is undeniable.

[@chocolatesouljah]

Hello, great comment. Good to know. I grew up in the USA. As a kid in the 1970s she was still very well known. I teach dance and as and adult I sought out some of her music to use in my classes with my elementary school students. This is a link to the song "Mama Yo Quiero" which the students are very responsive to: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKWTi5uGltuYiNk

[@mercyfulfate666]

@@ghfudrs93uuu of course she is.

[@ghfudrs93uuu]

@Luiz Valério How about your "I'm better than everyone else even tho I have nothing to show for it" bubble? Wanna prove me wrong prove me wrong, don't just disparage me

[@TexTheBest]

I've been obssessed with Carmen since my early teens, when I watched a documentário about her. A few things that could also be mentioned: she was in a very abusive marriage, which contributed to her poor health. When she first returned to Brazil, she had a chilly reception by the brazilian elite, because according to them she had become "too americanized", however that was not her usual audience. She effectively popularized samba beyond The borders of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro through the national radio. When she died, her body was shipped to Brasil, and her funeral procession was more popular than the one of Getúlio Vargas.

[@diegocalderon5190]

I'm so happy to see you talking about brazillian history and culture but what made me jump with joy was the use of the word latine by you instead of the horrible american term latinx. Muito Obrigado!

[@LynnHermione]

No se quien te dijo que latinx es yanqui pero te cuento que no es, aca en argentina lo usamos mucho. De hecho es mejor que "e" para usar en escritos. saludos

[@diegocalderon5190]

@@LynnHermione I don't speak spanish and I don't know if you understand portuguese so I'm gonna answer in english. Here in Brazil is widely hated as an anglicization of a latin word.

[@2degucitas]

@@diegocalderon5190 That's strange because it's used in the American latina/o community as a way to embrace all differences, esp LGBTQ

[@diegocalderon5190]

@@2degucitas Here in Brazil most people hate it, we find a exploration of our language by americans, the letter e is used here for neutral pronouns

[@FOLIPE]

@@2degucitas Why is it weird that Brazilians don't like a term used by americans?

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Even in India, there are so many unique cultures but rather than be authentic and specific, a lot of Mainstream Hindi Cinema depends on stereotyping and conflating. Just like you mentioned with Cuba and Brazil, the Southern States are brought down to some hideous mish-mash.

[@renatateofilo9887]

As a Brazilian, thank you for making a video about Carmen, I think she's still our greatest international movie star. Your portuguese pronunciation is very good. You even worn a brazilian shirt, so, iyou're already invited to come to Brasil and have some fun around here.

[@jackkerouak]

Her father is Brazilian

O pai dela é brasileiro - o nome dela é Isabel Custódio, nome mais brasileiro que esse só se for Maria da Silva

[@tonycavez]

@ esses nomes sao Portugueses e Carmem tambem era

[@TheLampDancer]

@@jackkerouak No he wasn't

[@jackkerouak]

@@TheLampDancer I was talking about Isabel, the KZbinr who made this video, not Carmen Miranda

[@HelvinhoMaciel]

haven’t even pressed play yet and already grateful.. I’ve been waiting for this video since I discovered your Brazilian roots (so a couple of years?). thank you izzy!!

[@jackkerouak]

The same here!

[@ReglasdeOro]

As a Peruvian woman this makes so much of the latin experience when visiting the U.S. make sense.

[@christiannightshade5886]

As a brazilian this makes me very happy! When it comes to Carmen I think it truly was a combination of her looks and her persona that cut her career short, she couldn't just go through a makeover like Rita Haywoth and stop looking latina (and yes I know Carmen was white but her features were ethnically ambiguous by hollywood standards) and the over the top persona she had truly did have a short shelf life. Although we all still love her over here, and still sing her songs to this day, I feel that the lack of distinguishment between the nationalities of her characters is still one of the main reasons americans have misconceptions about our country. The propaganda truly had impact, I cannot tell you the amount of americans I've spoken to that think we speak spanish and walk around in ethnic clothing (lol). But Carmen's movies were a true vehicle to get our culture in people's lips and prompt them to visit our country, though most foreigners still seem to think Brazil consists only of Rio, the colorful joy of her movies is still one of the reasons americans come here every year. Carmen truly laid the foundation for all future latin superstars who seeked international success, she was the first one to make latin culture palatable to foreigners and we need to give her credit for that. She faced many limitations and many obstacles, as do all pioneers, but she made a legacy for herself and her name will still be remembered for many decades to come :)

[@cornishpasty4344]

Portugal has been invaded many many times throughout history by various ethnic groups. Although someone like Carmen is considered 'white' and many Portuguese identify this way there's a dominance with those other ethnically ambiguous traits as a result of those invasions AND Portugal's own expansion. Her DNA profile was probably quite a few things mixed up! Just like most of us today!

[@FOLIPE]

I wish we walked more in traditional clothes ahaha

[@daniellarkins3849]

@@HigherSelfTarot He's still a white guy. Only 15% of his dna is of color the rest is white. I'm not trying to be insensitive to you or your hisband I just wanted to point that out.

[@christiannightshade5886]

@@HigherSelfTarot lol me too, I'm brazilian but I have italian, lebanese, native brazilian, african, portuguese and spanish dna in my genes 😂😂😂

[@tonycavez]

@@Therockfan30 actually the northern Portuguese (where I'm from) and Galicians are a lot more Gaelic than African , ,Galicia comes from Gaelic , Southern Portugal and S. Spain is another story a lot of influence from the Moors (Arabic) Algarve province's name come from Arabic Al Gharb meaning the West , don't believe me ? ask an Arab , but of course we have mixed through the centuries , do you know that Minho and Galicia folklore music uses bagpipes? yeah Gaelic

[@lucasbritoo1236]

Like everyone else in the comments, I clicked so fast when I saw the title of the video haha. I really like Carmen, I think she didn't take a totally passive role in the making of her persona, but movie studios were not keen to the idea of her branching out. The racial dimension of this era is so important to acknowledge, not only the baiana represents black women but also nurtures a deep connection with afro-brazilian religions like Camdomblé/Umbanda. I don't know how Carmen personally viewed this dimension, but sadly it took a lot of time for a big black star to rise in Brazil, specially among women. I can think of a few earlier examples of male black singers famous here, but the first two black women I recall are Dolores Duran (who was white-passing for a lot of the audience) and Elizeth Cardoso (who faced backlash for singing more classical/elite songs, instead of only samba), and both of them only really got famous in the late 50s.

[@jackyex]

Carmem lived in the working class areas of Rio at the time living among poor immigrants and poor blacks , she always tried to support her black colleagues in the ways she could.

[@mmagalhaesg]

I love all bkr videos but the thing about brazilians watching anything that mentions brazil never been more accurate lol I clicked on this SO fast

[@ReesMDavidson]

😅😅😅 yep

[@TheSongwritingCat]

There is something magical about her performances. It's not just mugging. You're compelled by the force of her charisma even in short clips.

[@etherealtb6021]

Omg! I'm such a huge Carmen fan! Can't believe someone is doing a video on her! My mom was a tween in the 40's, so was a huge fan and introduced me to her.

[@loriwalters9158]

Carmen Miranda is one of my absolute favorites. She is joy on the screen! I’m so glad that the true root of her music is acknowledged; it’s so often overlooked/dismissed.

[@jlcii]

Thank you for always doing an awesome job on talking about the accurate history of Hollywood projects, including race relations. As someone who is afro Puerto rican, it is sad how few people know about afro Latin culture, or for that matter, the discrimination that unfortunately has taken place within the Latin community against Afro Latin people. The white washing of old Hollywood's Latin films by wanting to remove representation of Afro Latin people it's just one example of this discrimination. And unfortunately, this has been a problem to this day.

[@franklinstephen3268]

Hello 👋how are you doing?

[@daniellarkins3849]

@@franklinstephen3268 I don't think she saw your comment, if she did she response gratefully.

[@migue24]

Sadly that is a problem in every country in the Americas and Europe for that matter. It's crazy because African cultures have contributed so much to all the Nations of the Americas especially in Latin America. One example that I find funny is how people from the Dominican Republic who have a Majority of African DNA yet still to this day are more likely to think of themselves as Latinos and Hispanics, which they are. But in contrast in the US people with the same ancestry would define themselves first and foremost as Black. A few people come to mind like Sammy Sosa who used Skin bleaching to appear whiter, Or Cardi B who is obviously an AfroLatina woman yet when she first came out as a rapper she considered herself as different from other Black Americans. When describing her relationship with Rapper Offset she described herself as being in an interracial relationship. Now that she has been educated more on the subject she considers herself an AfroLatina. I think that that also has to do with modern attitudes that are more open to Afro Culture with Reggeton music and other aspects of Dominican Culture that have become popularized.

[@emilzapata4282]

@@migue24Why should we use foreign ways to describe ourselves? we have a whole different culture and ways to see ourselves. This almost feels like you americans are trying to colonize and change the way we view ourselves. And btw most of us have a mixture of both african and spanish blood, with a small amount of indigenous taino blood, it is false that we have a majority african dna.

[@thecavalieryouth]

i'd love to watch a part 2 that focuses on Carmen the person - what were her thoughts on the direction her career was taking, what was she going through personally while she was involved in all these productions, was she being adequately being compensated for all her work, did she try (and probably fail) at branching out into more diverse roles/characters, etc. incredibly informative video as always!

[@WellingtonOliveira_well_author]

Hey! Brazilian here and I really appreciate a video about Carmen Miranda 🤩

[@vinigmoura]

And thats why people from EUA believed Buenos Aires was the capital of Brazil! Anyway, amazing video, so excited as a baiano and fan of your work.

[@riotbunny]

One of those famous people I'd heard of, but knew nothing about. Now thanks to the soothing tones of BKR, I've learned something this morning.

[@outinsider]

An excellent documentary on the complicated career of Carmen Miranda. It's interesting how proximity to whiteness carries so much weight to those tokenized to assimilate, just to suffer for it later. U.S. foreign policy is so fickle in how it exploits countries for their measure. One would also think that if the United States wasn't anti-Black, what would it have done to better represent Black people on film had the United States had a vested interest in Africa?

[@MaRi-zp9zk]

It’s called africom, now they are shifting from the Middle East to the African continent, and this is going to bad unless African Americans can have a bigger say in their domestic politics, it might turn out to be another disaster, people will not be happy with having another Afghanistan and Iraq in the African continent after all that they had to endure through capitalism. We need to help fund education in Africa, and let them decide how it will be taught, it can’t be imposed on them, just as it shouldn’t with natives in the Americas.

[@marialeticiaborges7761]

Meu deus eu tô muito feliz, meu canal preferido falando do ícone

[@FonMeller]

Pensei o mesmo!

[@sam-vy5vv]

nossa eu fiquei mt feliz quando eu vi, a história da Carmen é muito interessante e merecia um vídeo com o nível de pesquisa que esse canal geralmente faz

[@sarahaprincesa]

Eu gritei aqui😍

[@yuri2604]

ahhhhh por essa nós brasileiros não esperávamos

[@jackkerouak]

Exato! Vinha pedindo esse vídeo há um tempão!

[@marialeticiaborges7761]

serving us something I didn't know I needed, thank you!!!!

[@DinnoSavioCosta]

As a Brazilian citizen, I need to say: OBRIGADO! 🇧🇷 It was amazing to see you wearing a Brazilian team jacket. Talking about Carmen, racism, xenophobia and explaining well what the USA doesn't want to understand about the Latin American community, like the languages ​​spoken in portuguese and spanish, was super necessary. It was very good to mention at the beginning about what Brazil wanted to do by bringing in European immigrants, what we call "eugenia". Carmen is very much adored to this day, but not as it should be, I hope history can play the role of giving her the place she deserves!

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Carmen never gets enough credit as a master of comic acting. Her timing, delivery, expression and good naturedness are infectious. Even though a lot of the Hollywood humor is based on corny language butchering, I still find myself laughing with her and not at her. She's too good to let the ignorance of the time destroy her evident skills.

[@casir.7407]

with a mother who adores brazilian culture as mine, and who has always believed and supported the panamerican movement and taught me and my brother as much as possible about cultural imperialism and to value our local culture just as much as we appreciate that produced by hollywood, i was really not taught enough about carmen miranda and the origins of modern brazilian identity. im argentinean (and got to say, i really love how many comments here are from channel subscribers all over america) and its extremely interesting to see how the creation of the big international idea of "what brazilian modern culture is" so similar to the creation of "what argentinean modern culture is", with tango also being this working class artistic tradition developed mostly by afrodescendants that was in turn commercialized, whitewashed and validated overseas for upper-class consumption and assimilation into a full-fledged, "respectable" cultural identity --with tango, our validation hub was paris, who bought our carlos garden records; by the sound of this bkr video, paris was instrumental for carmen mirandas success, but the real kicker came when she arrived to new york. apart from that, other comments have already said this but im so, so, so glad you mentioned both the good neighbor policy, *and* the US anticommunist intervention politics post-WWII. the glamour and technicolor and ridiculous mismatch of latinamerican cultures shouldnt end up overshadowing the bitter reality of just how much the US doesnt care about actual latinamerican people unless it can be sold something. also, i want to see down argentine way now, just for the nicholas brothers doing a dance number in my country.

[@emalaphaia]

when i saw the notification my immediate reaction was like *the oprah gif* from when she met mary tyler moore. VERY EXCITED. much love from brasil!

[@wildsheepc]

I just want to say thank you for the times when you read a quote *and* have the quote on screen so we (I) can read along with you. It helps me absorb the material when there's an abrupt shift in tone from your script to the academic tone, or screen-mag tone, of the thing you're reading. Thank you thank you! Deep in the back of my brain I think I've always had questions about how Carmen Miranda came to be A Thing, and you answered those questions without me even fully realizing that I had them before today!

[@cuppiesaur]

People making fucking good content about brazilian music/culture it's the BEST THING on the internet ♥ Thank you for this video ♥

[@grandexandi]

I can't express how pleased I am with this video. As a Brazilian Portuguese teacher, teaching both the language and aspects of Brazilian culture to many American students, I actually have prepared a class exactly on this, using the same references and narrative. It really felt like BKR went into my hard drive and made a video based on one of my class files! But with such eloquence and intelligence, I wouldn't even be mad if that had been the case, ha! And what a lovely surprise just to see my country and culture be approached by one of my favorite KZbin channels. The timing feels very appropriate as well, with Anitta winning Brazil's first-ever award at the MTV VMAs, in the "Latin" category... with a song in Spanish! Really makes me wonder how much of this is an echo of the latin amalgamation solidified by Carmen. Another interesting parallel to be drawn between Carmen and Anitta's trajectories is the white washing both had to take part in for them to reach fame. Although Anitta now proudly waves the flag of the favelas and their stigmatized culture, her whole artistic persona and musical style had to undergo a fair deal of whitening in order to first rise in the industry here in Brazil. Also, as a gay man, I should also mention that they are both Brazilian gay icons, and I love that. With Carmen being the earliest and most enduring manifestation of a Brazilian drag aesthetic I can think of. A straight white woman doing a drag performance of black music. So incongruous, at least today, and yet she still manages to captivate us. My guess is that it's because we all want to believe the fantasy she's selling, maybe even as a coping mechanism. We dream of it and want to tell ourselves that it's true that Brazil is not only this lush, tropical heaven on Earth, the land of sensual pleasures where people are happy and friendly, but also post racial.

[@grandexandi]

Also, BKR, the care and effort you put into pronouncing the Portuguese words paid off and did not go unnoticed, I actually appreciate that!

[@hinduskigaandchodo336]

​@@grandexandiWhy are you gay?

[@becademarques]

It's also important to add that being a Baiana is also related to religion. Afrobrazilian religion is tightly associated with the Baiana's clothes. They don't dress just because of their culture, this is their religion (the Candomblé), which is why it is so much more disrespectful that a white woman just made it into a funny costume.

[@FOLIPE]

It comes from the religion, but it also has secular elements. We cannot forget this was the normal way of clothing of women who sold food on the streets back then, which is why even today its used by "baianas do acarajé". According to Carmen, that was her inspiration for the gown. But of course, religion, culture and economics were and are always conected. So I think we cannot limit this dress to religion or, in religion, to afro-brazilian religions, as represented in syncretic traditions such as the lavagem do Bonfim.

[@DianeCooperTW]

Its really sad what we brazilians did to her in her return she deserved better than that much better

[@deividgualberto7704]

btw, i'm not only brazilian, but i am from Bahia. loved ur video, and i love ur channel, i have watched all of your videos, and more than once. a kiss from Bahia.

[@isabelleer7501]

Just attended a cultural diplomacy symposium in DC hosted by Meridian International and the National Endowment for the Arts. This would have been one of the better talks of the day! Really hope you will consider applying to some conferences 🥰 and someone needs to give you an honorary masters degree - you have done the work!

[@theresecatalano4017]

Back in the 70’s when platform shoes were making a reappearance & so were old movies, there was a lot of talk about Carmen. The story went she started the platform shoe craze in the 40’s because she was so short. I don’t know if it was true, but she was & still is a style icon. Thank you for reminding me of the good neighbor policy & why all those South American musicals.

[@christiannightshade5886]

It is true! And I believe most of those shoes are still intact in her museum! :)

[@barbaraaraujo7700]

That's true. Rita Lee, the biggest Brazilian Rockstar, was very inspired by Carmen Miranda's style of shoes in the 70's, shoes that were precursors of Glam-rock fashion.

[@destinyclark4133]

This is true. Carmen was only 5’1 and loved the tall feeling platform shoes gave her.

[@mikeyfrederick1232]

This was super interesting..I knew the famous image of her but never knew her history...really great content mam..

[@matheusvvianna]

OMG we(BRAZIL FANS) are going WILD about this

[@thomasmelo7461]

Gente, que orgulho ver meu país em um dos melhores canais do KZbin. Vai Brasil! #forabolsonaro #lula2022

[@robertgoyette5863]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. would love an episode on last years best actress race and chastains win. i feel like it was completely over shadowed by the slap, both in the public discourse and literally in the show as it happened right after.

[@denisefreitas6727]

As a brazilian from Rio de Janeiro, i'm so happy with your video about Carmen Miranda. I admire her a lot. You did an excellent research, an amazing video. Congrats and thank you. 💖

[@nazarisreyes6037]

I love these deeper dives on specific actresses

[@LynnHermione]

13:57... as a latin america, i'd love to see them bring this back. honestly "speak proper Spanish in your movie also not everyone is from mexico" is such a low bar

[@elviswelling]

Nice job! Ela é fascinante! It's a shame she died so early imagine interviews in 1960s 70s with Dick Cavett, how so much history she had... To me she is like BR Marilyn

[@PokhrajRoy.]

In Mainstream Hindi Cinema, there’s a performer named Helen. In her heyday, she was considered the exotic ’other’ who was seen as a performer and was mostly stuck to that role to the point where her absence in movies was considered a bad omen. She was cast as the immoral White Woman (she had Burmese and Scottish heritage) as opposed to the traditional, sad girl who was virtuous and pining for her hero and “crooning” in slow ballads. And yes, the Censors had a problem with costumes too. The world truly is the same but separated by geography and people.

[@singaporenoodles7189]

Yeah I agree with you I watched alot of old Bollywood movies and Helen is seen as some exotic woman and in some Bollywood movies there is racism and stereotype of northeast indians , Bollywood movies used northeast indians as dancers for some song it was very embarrassing to watch and Bollywood is transphobic and homophobic too like men in dressed like women are used as a comedy skit in some 90s films

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@singaporenoodles7189 You’ve summed it up brilliantly.

[@r.a.r.1981]

This is so weird, because I just listened to a podcast about Carmen Miranda the day before you posted this (The Stuff You Missed In History Class, in case anyone is interested). I was aware of her, but I didn't know anything about her. Great video. :)

[@helrisonn]

omg. gonna listen this podcast for sure

[@bambida1st]

Excellent video as always. You did such a great job respecting Carmen Miranda’s legacy while still acknowledging the racism and cultural appropriation that it’s based on.

[@FOLIPE]

How is it cultural appropriation, that a brazilian woman wore one of Brazil's national costumes in certain shows in Brazil, then was discovered and built a career over that as an exoticized star in a foreign country? She acknowledged the origin of her costume, how despite designing the specific garments the inspiration were the baianas.

[@daniellarkins3849]

@@FOLIPE i think you need to educate yourself on appropriation. You should know well being a Brazilian that Afro Brazilian culture was othered by white, upper class, enlist Brazilian who only recently decided to embrace that culture.

[@FOLIPE]

@@daniellarkins3849 Its more complex than you say. First of all, that embrace started at least 100 years ago, and a generation before Carmem Miranda was made famous. Secondly, while recognizing all inequalities that exist in Brazil, you can't simply import and stamp american concepts in our reality because the history of cultural syncretism in Brazil is much older than and different from that of the US. The europeanized, europhile and mostly white upper class definitely weren't huge fans of the popular culture during most of our history, but you can't dismiss the raising of the popular culture to national hegemony simply as cultural appropriation. Perhaps you should educate yourself further on brazilian history and particularly that which relates with Carmem Miranda, her persona etc

[@leoferreira4301]

BKR You are always serving to us Brazillians

[@israelpires8963]

SIM

[@user-bt7ix6sw2g]

That's true

[@salamandah69]

O pai dela é brasileiro!

[@mari-us6zg]

Wait this is so weird. Before I opened KZbin (about 1 minute ago), my dad and I just finished watching the movie Gangster Squad (it was meh) and there was a scene where they were at a bar and an actress portrays Carmen Miranda and sings Chica Chica Boom Chic. How odd that you upload this not even 10 minutes after I finished the movie.

[@juliagalvao169]

Your pronunciation of Portuguese words is impressive, great work!!

[@arnepianocanada]

THANK YOU for telling of her! A pianist who (in non-Covid times) does World War events yearly, I've respected her for ages. So much more than huge smiles and fruity hats.

[@peterpaul9644]

Your effort into pronouncing all those Portuguese words is commendable. Portuguese speaker here. You did a great job!

[@Anachronismgorl]

so what I'm getting from this is in terms of cultural sensitivity Hollywood has never really changed.

[@falconeshield]

The fact that they tried to include non white people in movies since 2011 is already impressive.

[@FOLIPE]

I think it definitely improved...

[@homoousias]

Excellent commentary on and contextualization of an iconic figure!

[@guilhermecabral2498]

This is amazing. I'm from Brazil and I loved this homage to Carmen. She truly deserves it.

[@2345678902345671]

I've never heard of her, thanks for showcasing!

[@becauseimafan]

Same here, thank you!

[@filipinhosurf]

Quem é brasileiro tem obrigação de clicar no link do publi, vamos engajar a rainha BKR

[@robertqld]

A new BKR Rewind video? My day has gotten better! :)

[@JeromeGentes]

What an amazing episode. To learn that Miranda more or less single-handedly salvaged the 1939 Broadway season is the sort of nugget I come to @Be Kind Rewind for.

[@mclaradrummond]

Very happy to see my country in my favorite channel! Thank you! Your work is amazing!

[@kkay3784]

It is so much easier to site the prejudices of the past than it is of the present, just as it is easier to be more critical of another than of ourselves. I suspect that until we can reverse that tendency, we are caught in never-ending conflicts. But perhaps one day, we can! Love your videos! Love this channel.

[@Reionder]

Phenomenal video. You did a perfect job in explaining the various elements related to Carmen Miranda and her meaning to our culture. Your portuguese pronunciation was also perfect, congratulations

[@robertgoyette5863]

an episode on alice braga's career would be really cool too for more brazilian content.

[@becauseimafan]

Ooh I like her and would love to know more about her & her career! Loved her in the 2010 movie _Predators_ - she kicked a$$!

[@FrancescaA00]

I watched a documentary on Carmen and she’s so much like other star like Dorothy Dandridge. She didn’t fit in to any other role than what they made her to be. It’s just sad that there were so few roles for Latin American actors at that time. Today it’s still in need of more representation.

[@devonte7297]

What a phenomenal listen. I felt like I learned a good bit here. Your videos are always so informative and well thought out. Thank you 🙏🏾

[@PokhrajRoy.]

So, let me guess this: Carmen Miranda gave Drag Queens across the world some inspiration? Her outfits and the original outfits are so cool! 👏🏽

[@yesm450]

Clearly. And not only that... an immediate link comes to mind as to the use of the term "fruity". There's another big fruit bowl wearing elephant in this room. Can we all maturely agree that the trans/cross dressing "phenom" is not a new thing. It's glaringly apparent. @29:24 ... somebody in costumes and/or continuity forgot her falsies.

[@mariotrejos7236]

Could it be the opposite? That she was given a look that was not aceptable anymore for men in drag to play for broad audiences.

[@JeremyCabalona]

What a treat to know more about who the person behind the iconic image was. Great video! 🍒🍓🍎🍊🍇 PS: I want one of those helix mattresses, looks comfy

[@atilamachado7379]

Nice to see a lot of brazilians here, commenting and giving a little more context to the video.

[@Susie_Floozie]

Thank you for this brilliant and insightful examination of Carmen Miranda. She was such a singular icon, and she's always been a compelling cypher to me. Knowing the combination of influences that created her image gives her even more texture. I'm glad I caught this on the sidebar!

[@PogieJoe]

Just leaving a comment to once again say you're one of the best creators on this website. Thank you for your service.

[@danielmkubacki]

Great video.

[@blue2134]

Wow thank you for featuring her. I feel she’s not talked about too much in the U.S

[@bb1111116]

Excellent research as usual. It is telling for the video to say that Carmen Miranda was not “white” enough for the US in the 40s and 50s. The Northern European look was the standard then. Who we would consider today as white people from Southern Europe, North Africa, the MIddle-east, Latin America were not quite white then just because they had a certain accent. At the time of the I Love Lucy show, Lucy and Desi were considered to be in an interracial marriage. Today Arnaz would be considered a white Latino. But not in the 50s.

[@BlackLikeInque]

Even that depends today. Are they Muslim? Are they bilingual? Do they have any attachment to their ancestral culture? How 'ethnic' does their last name sound? And so on. I know people who are from Iran and Argentina who are whiter than milk but socially do not get treated that way because of many of the factors I listed above

[@ErickeTR]

@@BlackLikeInque from what I see, only people from the US (and obviously people who want to be perceived in a good light according to the US cultural perception) care about such classifications. So I will never understand how and why some americans think people pale as milk are not "white".

[@Sophie-db1ko]

I’m impressed with the quality of you work! ❤️ i always loved carmen miranda, but i’ve learned a lot today. Especially about the impact of international relations politics on the movie industry at that time.

[@corgeousgeorge]

This is the perfect example of "EVERYTHING IS POLITICS! You may think you don't have to be "political" but every IS POLITICAL AND A POLICY SUCCESS OR FAILURE but it is POLICY!" I mean, the good neighbor policy, the OIAA ? I mean... wow. Thank you so much for your deep dive and dedication to the research.

[@RenatoTartuce]

YAY! Loved the video, as always! Thanks for feeding your Brazilian followers. Amei o sotaque meio brasileiro, meio gringo

[@alpe1987]

Carmen was an intelligent woman and it’s a shame no one utilized her talents well enough to give her full potential. Her and Eva Peron are the most influential South American women during that particular time in history

[@casir.7407]

its so interesting to think how these women who both began their public career in radio shows did so much to both create a national identity and then represent that image of the South American Woman abroad... carmen was earlier and in another stage than eva, but by her sheer popularity and iconography, especially outside south america, it still could be seen as a rather fascinating if not curious comparison

[@mangos2888]

Okay - our whole house became a Helix house in 2021 and are huge fans (3 beds)! I was not expecting them to be a YT sponsor! The Birch mattress topper is heavenly 😍

[@flower_girl4983]

I'm glad u made a vid on her. I always saw women with fruit hats but never knew where it came from. It's sad that she ended that way

[@ErestuPedro]

We study the Good Neighbor Policy (Politica da Boa Vizinhança) in schools in brazil and i think americans probably never heard of it. haha

[@etherealtb6021]

Most really haven't.

[@bkrewind]

Probably not! I don't think I was taught anything about South America until college (unless it had to do with the Catholic Church bc....Catholic school smh)

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@@bkrewind you don't give any evidence of being someone who attended college

[@petalchild]

@@Marcel_Audubon huh? What's that supposed to mean?

[@Otromundista]

loved your comprehensive dissertation. I remembered the song from the T&J show and was looking for it when I found this jewel of a video

[@JoeDSquid]

Love the Helix ad, ngl. Now to watch the rest of the video :o

[@JoeDSquid]

Wow, what a fascinating woman & such skilled analysis of the topic. Amazing!

[@tomlidot4871]

CM was not a topic I would normally explore but within just a few minutes I was taken by the context and then needed to watch and re-watch for the research and depth. Fascinating how the industry has a way to move public opinion and consciousness but illuminating stars and characters. Well, fascinating and sad and sobering. I learned so much here, Kudos.

[@zeinjamoukha4718]

Your research is so well thought out, always contextualizing your subject but pairing it with heart and real empathy

[@salemaforever]

Wonderful, thank you. When I see Carmen Miranda interviews it always strikes me how much her demeanor is like that of the woman in the north of Portugal (where her family came from).

[@CDBP-fr2yq]

Loved it! So happy to see a brazilian actress portrayed here, and specially you speaking brazilian with so little accent, and speacially "baiana".

[@helrisonn]

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONEEEE

[@roseh2171]

Thanks for another excellent Be Kind Rewind. I now have a much greater admiration for Carmen Miranda. I shall be looking for a film starring this most intriguing Brazilian entertainer to watch ASAP.

[@SarahGreen523]

Thank you so much for doing this video! I learned so much! I didn't know Carmen was from Brazil! I also thought she was from Cuba. I wasn't taught much about Central and South American countries in public school (in Texas). We were taught about European countries, but only the big white ones. And only the democratic ones. I was born in '65 and I loved watching Carmen in the old black and whites back when I was a kid. She was an amazing stage entertainer. Those flashing eyes! Thanks for filling in a lot of grey and blank areas for me.

[@paillette2010]

So good. Frankly this could use a part 2 more about her life. Thanks 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Edited to add: I recall a great documentary I saw in the 90’s “Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business” which fills inna lot of gaps here and worth watching.

[@ItsMEMonicaMarie]

Holy spirit, this adds soooooon much context for me! In the back of my mind I wondered about the seemingly random, mono-culture depiction of Latin America in old movies but never looked up the why. Just assumed it was another chapter in the "U.S. is obsessed with an ~exotic~ culture, refuses to understand it but wants to popularize it and profit off of it" playbook. Doris Day's first picture, Romance on the High Seas, doesn't seem so random now!

[@paulpeterson4311]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!! I'm always so worried Carman will be forgotten. How wonderful to see you take her on. This was just fascinating!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

[@2222marion]

In fact she had also the most incredible peculiarity. She was able to pronounce the songs words at incredible and almost rare high speed, without missing any syllable. Its clearly shown in her song "Tico tico no fuba'". Not everyone can sing this lyrics in the same speed!

[@Gabrielecgomes1]

BRAZIL MENTIONED!!! Thank you for the video, amazing content as always ❤

[@QuaseVingativa]

I'm no Carmen Miranda expert but as a brazilian it's great to see your usual excellent research extends to "foreign cultures". It's rare to see statunitians speak of Brasil this well.

[@irinagoncalves4054]

Wonderful video -- so happy to see Brazil discussed on the channel. Definitely filling a gap in popular discussions surrounding film history and US foreign policy! The timing is spectacular as well, since there is an upcoming presidential election AND the bicentennial of Brazil's independence is about a week or two from when you posted (on the Sept. 7th). So happy to see all the love from other Brazilians in the comments too!! Great timing for me as well -- the inclusion of your sources and your succinct, informative, and elegant delivery inspired me to finally start my historiography paper on Brazil, gender, and vampires!