A Very Crazy Asylum (1970): cast, story & where to watch
1970 · Film · ★ 5.2
Released in 1970, A Very Crazy Asylum is a comedy film directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, running about 79 minutes.
What it’s about. In another literary adaptation – this time Machado de Assis’ novella O Alienista – and his first color film, dos Santos unleashes an extravagant, maddening excoriation of Brazil’s military dictatorship of the 1970s. As usual, the director exploits all cinematic constituents in his palette – a radically intrusive and discordant soundtrack, non sequitur editing, exaggerated camera angles and all manner of carnivalesque pageantry – to illustrate the tale of a doctor/priest on a mission to discover truth through the study of madness. The population of his asylum grows as his definition of sanity fluctuates until it finally threatens to incorporate the entire town. The film’s own irrational reversals and allegorical codes gleefully mock the arbitrariness of authoritarianism in all its varied guises. -Harvard Film Archive
Who’s in it. A Very Crazy Asylum stars Nildo Parente as Simão Bacamarte, Isabel Ribeiro as D. Evarista, Leila Diniz as Eudóxia and Arduíno Colassanti as Porfírio, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 5.2/10, A Very Crazy Asylum has proved divisive with audiences.
Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch A Very Crazy Asylum page.
If you liked it. Fans of A Very Crazy Asylum tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch A Very Crazy Asylum (1970)?
- Streaming, rental and purchase options for A Very Crazy Asylum change frequently. Check our where-to-watch page for the latest availability in your country.
- Is A Very Crazy Asylum worth watching?
- A Very Crazy Asylum holds an audience score of 5.2 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy comedy. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in A Very Crazy Asylum?
- A Very Crazy Asylum stars Nildo Parente, Isabel Ribeiro, Leila Diniz, Arduíno Colassanti and Ana Maria Magalhães.
- When was A Very Crazy Asylum released?
- A Very Crazy Asylum was released in 1970, with a runtime of about 79 minutes.