Humberto Duarte Mauro was a Brazilianfilm director. His best known work is Ganga Bruta. He is often considered the greatest director of early Brazilian cinema.
Career
Mauro's second feature filmThesouro Perdido won the Brazilian "Film of the Year" award in 1927. Later that year, Phebo Sul America Film was reorganized into Phebo Brasil Film. The first film released under the new Phebo was Braza Dormida. Braza Dormida was a boxoffice success and furthered Mauro's career as one of Brazil's leading directors. In July 1929, Mauro's final film for Phebo Brasil Film, Sangue Mineiro, was shown in Cataguases. In 1930, the film was given a nationwide release. The film was critically and popularly acclaimed. This was the first film in which Mauro worked with Carmen Santos who would star in many of Mauro's later films. Phebo Brasil Film did not have the resources to continue to produce films. Adhemar Gonzaga offered Mauro a directing job for Cinédia, which was centered in Rio de Janeiro. Gonzaga had started to shoot Lábios sem Beijos which starred Carmen Santos. However, Carmen became pregnant was unable to finish production. Gonzaga handed the project over to Mauro, who both directed and photographed the film, in March 1930. Mauro decided to make the film silent even though sound was available. He wanted to explore the possibilities of silent film. Upon release in 1930, the film won the Jornal do Brasil film of the year award. Mauro acted as cinematographer for Cinédia's second film Mulher. Mauro began shooting Ganga Brutain September1931. The film was not completed until 1933 due to cast replacements. The film was silent with synchronized soundrecorded on Vitaphone discs added later. The film received little acclaim until two decades after its release. Mauro co-directed his first talking film with Adhemar Gonzaga. A Voz do Carnaval was a musical. Afterwards, Mauro left Cinédia for Brasil Vita Filme in 1934. He directed two feature films and several documentaries for Brasil Vita Filme. In 1936, Mauro joined the Instituto de Nacional do Cinema Educativo, which was then the government office for educational and propaganda films. Mauro shot hundreds of documentaries when he was working in INCE, and he also shot his last three movies: Descobrimento do Brasil, Argila, and O Canto da Saudade. His final film was Carro de Bois, a documentary, in 1974.
Personal life
Mauro married Maria Vilela de Almeida in 1920. They were married until Mauro's death. They had three children. He is the granduncle of actress Cláudia Mauro.
