Home › Multilingual Archive Index › O Xangô de Baker Street

O Xangô de Baker Street

O Xangô de Baker Street (released in English as A Samba for Sherlock) is a book written in 1995 by the Brazilian author, comedian, and talk show host, Jô Soares. In 2001 it was made the movie of the same name.

Plot summary for the Book and Movie

Rio de Janeiro, 1886. Actress Sarah Bernhardt performs at the city's Municipal Theater, captivating the local audience enthralled by French culture. The city is at her feet, and even the Emperor Dom Pedro II comes to pay his respects. He confides a secret to her: the disappearance of a precious Stradivarius violin presented by him to the charming widow Baroness Maria Luiza. The actress suggests to the monarch that he hire her friend, the legendary British detective Sherlock Holmes, to solve the case. Subsequently, a brutal murder shocks the city, and leaves the police superintendent Mello Pimenta: a prostitute had been killed and mutilated, her ears cut off and a violin cord strategically placed on her body by the perpetrator. Later, under the heat of the tropical sun, the lives of Holmes and Dr. Watson are changed forever, as they find themselves neck-deep in a cultural milieu that portrays all standard Brazilian stereotypes.

Film

Cast (in credits order)

• Joaquim de Almeida ... Sherlock Holmes
• Anthony O'Donnell ... Watson
• Maria de Medeiros ... Sarah Bernhardt
• Letícia Sabatella ... Esperidiana
• Cláudia Abreu ... Baroness Maria Luiza
• Cláudio Marzo ... Dom Pedro II
• Marcello Antony ... Marquês de Sales
• Caco Ciocler ... Miguel Lara

Production Crew

• Produced by Caique Martins Ferreira, Marcelo Laffitte, Tino Navarro, Bruno Stroppiana, & José Zimerman
• Original Music by Edu Lobo
• Cinematography by Lauro Escorel
• Film Editing by Diana Vasconcellos
• Production Design by Marcos Flaksman
• Art Direction by Marcos Flaksman
• Set Decoration by Ana Anet
• Costume Design by Marilia Carneiro & Karla Monteiro
• Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
  • Kátia Lund .... first assistant director
  • Isabella Teixeira .... second assistant director
• Art Department
  • Daniel Flaksman .... set designer
• Sound Department
  • Miriam Biderman .... sound editor
  • Ryan Collison .... foley engineer
  • Jacob Ribicoff .... foley supervisor
  • Jorge Saldanha .... sound recordist
  • Yan Saldanha .... boom operator
  • Reilly Steele .... sound
• Camera and Electrical Department
  • Daniel Duran .... assistant camera
• Other crew
  • Patricia Alencastro .... script supervisor
  • Valeria Costa Amorim .... production coordinator
  • Daniel Camargo .... script supervisor assistant
  • Rodrigo Lamounier .... location manager
  • Samantha Mytrano .... production assistant: second unit