Paola Oliveira stars in 'A Very Crazy Teacher'

Ziraldo speaks to the reporter on the phone. From his enthusiastic tone, you can tell his eyes are shining on the other end of the line. Ziraldo is rediscovering lost time. "César (Rodrigues) and André (Alves Pinto) managed to recreate the magical moment. When Paola Oliveira (the Very Crazy Teacher from the movie) enters the classroom, the expression in the children's eyes is mine, ours, when Cate entered the classroom."

 Jeremias, the Good, Supermom. Ziraldo created many unforgettable characters that have marked and continue to mark generations of Brazilians, but two, brought to the cinema, stand out: "The Crazy Little Boy" and "The Very Crazy Teacher". The first appeared on screen in a very beautiful film by Helvécio Ratton and later had a sequel directed by Fernando Meirelles, in the pre-"City of God" phase. The "Teacher" now gets a lavish version. The film is very cool. It has something of the French "Little Nicholas", by Laurent Thirard, adapted from the strips by Sempé and Goscinny.

 Perhaps it's not exactly a film *for* children, but it is *about* children. Director Rodrigues, of "High School Musical - The Challenge" (the Brazilian version of the Disney franchise), agrees with this, to some extent. "We showed *The Teacher* to audiences of children and they have really enjoyed it. In fact, it was a very interesting experience. We saw children crying because the film confronts them with the pain of loss, without being depressing," says Rodrigues (and Alves Pinto agrees with him).

 A true film buff, Ziraldo has many family members who work in cinema. Whenever you see an Alves Pinto, whether actor, director, or technician, there are family connections. "It's in the blood," he jokes. The idea for Paola Oliveira to play the character he created came from him. "Paola is the very embodiment of the Cate I knew and put in the book. With that beautiful wardrobe, she becomes even more beautiful." And he says something very touching about the quartet responsible for the film: directors Rodrigues and Alves Pinto, actress Paola, and her boyfriend, in art as in life, Joaquim Lopes, who plays Father Juquinha. "They are all sweet, and sweet people don't make bitter films." Paola is enchanting. In the film, she's called Martina. "You can't imagine the feeling my classmates and I had when that teacher entered the classroom. The teachers were all older, serious. She was a little girl."

 The effect on Ziraldo's imagination was so strong that he recreated "Professor Maluquinha" (the Very Crazy Teacher) with sweetness and affection. "Even her teaching method was my creation. In reality, Professor Maluquinha just wanted to play with us. She would close the classroom door and only wanted to read her pink literature and play games. In the book, I gave her method more substance."

 The "Very Crazy Teacher" disappears at the end, in a bold gesture that proposes a kind of retelling, or revision, of the classic "The Priest and the Girl," by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade. Remember? Adapted from Carlos Drummond de Andrade's poem, "Black Love of White Lace," the film was about the young priest Paulo José who becomes involved with the young woman Helena Ignez. The old film is in black and white – a poem of images by Mário Carneiro – and the ending is tragic. This new 'priest and the girl' is more luminous. Just like the Teacher, Ziraldo also took liberties with Father Juquinha. The real-life Father returned from Italy somewhat sympathetic to the fascists. The approach, and the tone, of the film are different. A program tailor-made to anticipate Children's Day next week. The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.