Pride and Dignity
Logline
The book tells the five-generation story of a family told by the great-great-grandaughter of a Portuguese/Brazilian Viscount and the enslaved black woman with whom he had a son.
Genre
Memoir
Short Summary
In a flash back narrative the story starts with the meeting of Cecilia, the great granddaughter of the Viscount of Itaborai and Tancredo, the scion of a traditional family of coffee barons and a communist leader in Rio de Janeiro, in the 1930's
The story goes back and forth from the times of Itaboray Viscount (1856) and the times of the Brazilian military dictatorship in the 1970's
Setting
Brazil and Portugal
Based on a True Story
Yes
Plot - Premise
Other
Plot - Other Elements
Happy Ending
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Main Character Details
Name: Cecilia
Age: From childhood to mature life
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Heroic
Additional Character Details
Name: Tancredo
Age: Childhood to mature life
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Visionary
Additional Character Details
Name: Alice
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Role: protagonist
Key Traits: Complex
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Development Pitch
A gripping story of love, suffering and prejudice.
Genre
DRAMA, POLITICS
Brief
Cecilia and Tancredo exchange glances and end up falling in love in the beautiful city of Rio. They move in together and start a family, but Tancredo's connections with communism— when communists were highly persecuted —end up creating numerous problems for them. The story still speaks of the prejudices of the Portuguese towards blacks at the beginning of the last century.
Overall Rating
GOOD
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: GOOD
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: FAIR
Pace: GOOD
Premise: GOOD
Structure: FAIR
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
It does, but the author could make better use of the development pitch section. It is an essential part of the profile where the author can show the full strength of her project to potential producers.
Draw of Story
The love story that appears on the first pages sounds genuine and delicious to follow. Having the city of Rio de Janeiro, from the 1930s, as a setting makes the romance even more exciting and makes us enter this environment entirely.
Possible Drawbacks
Despite giving us a good overview of the time, the number of names and historical facts can make reading a little tiring.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
The hook is that love in difficult times, how political opposition and intolerance force couples to live apart, harming entire families.
Fanbase Potential
I think so. Rio de Janeiro is a place of immense interest to the world, and having a film that takes place there could attract audiences. The war against communism is a universal theme that could also reach a large audience.
Awards Potential
If the drama of these families hit by the hunt for communists, the drama of so many wives, husbands, and children who are forced to live far from the ones they love, is the central focus of the story, it could have the potential for awards.
Envisioned Budget
MEDIUM BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION (BRAZILIAN MOVIE): A BOY FINDS HIMSELF ALONE IN JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER SEEING HIS PARENT “GO ON VACATION” THE OFFICIAL HISTORY (ARGENTINIAN MOVIE): AT THE END OF THE ARGENTINIAN MILITARY DICTATORSHIP, A TEACHER TRIES TO DISCOVER THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE PARENTS OF HER ADOPTED DAUGHTER.
What’s New About the Story
Despite taking away the couple and the hunt for communists' central focus, the subplots give extra content to understand the roots of these families. The family's passage through Portugal also presents the relationship between settled and settler at the beginning of the last century.
Lead Characters
Cecilia and Tancredo have quite the opposite personalities, but they complement each other very well. While Cecilia wants to live in the now, she is extroverted, likes to be rounded by people; Tancredo is more introverted and seeks changes around him. He sees the general good as a universal need that makes him make decisions that often harm his family. Cecilia is moved by feelings as she spends months waiting for the man she loves. Both work like a gear that works well and moves the story forward.
Uniqueness of Story
It is not a rare gem because this type of story has been told before in similar ways, but the author's personal contact with the story can make it more emotional and impactful.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
CONSIDER
Justification
The book is well written, holds tension, and has enough emotion because of the author's proximity to the story. The theme is universal: love in difficult times. Overcoming obstacles even after countless conflicts brings a happy ending that the audience will undoubtedly want to see on the screen. The characters are multifaceted and work well as a couple, acting as a counterpoint to each other. While one is more emotional, the other is driven by the logic of freedom, of the universal good. Their children raise greater tension to the situation, as making any decision in this context can affect them. Although quite interesting as a way of showing the family's roots, the backstory in Portugal may be a little out of context in a film or work more straight to the point. The countless letters exchanged between them are interesting to read, but they may sound too repetitive on the screen. The book has good research material that allows deepening the political scenario of the era while telling the love story of Tancredo and Cecilia. It is a good love story with a potent political conflict in the background, which needs structural and narrative developments mainly, but it is also entertaining and relevant.