Between piano and German lessons: the novel Amar, verbo intransitivo and the film adaptation Lição de amor

Abstract

In 1975, Eduardo Escorel debuted as a film director with Lição de amor, a feature film adapted from the novel Amar, verbo intransitivo, by Mário de Andrade, published in 1927. The article recovers part of the critical reception of the book in the year of its release and brings reflections from Mário de Andrade himself about the novel that he considered cinematographic. Based on this basis, the film is read, understood as a work with its own language and aesthetics. In Lição de amor, Escorel works on the novel in a close understanding of the film script, using dialogue, musical references, colors, and narrative focuses to form the construction of the film. Two distinct works, also interconnected, by Escorel's artistic admiration for Mário de Andrade.