After his pet donkey is struck by lightning, Zé do Burro (Leonardo Villar) promises to carry a huge wooden cross on his back to the church of Santa Bárbara, 40 kilometers from his home. His wife Rosa (Glória Menezes) faithfully follows him on the way there. But the journey, which was supposed to be a realization, ends in a nightmare. The only Brazilian film to date to win the Palme d'Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
Anselmo Duarte
Born in São Paulo's hinterland in 1920, Duarte was an extra in the feature film It's All True (1942), which Orson Welles shot in Brazil. After an engagement in Atlântida, he signed a contract with Vera Cruz and became the company's highest-paid star. He made his directorial debut with Absolute Certo (1957), but it was with O Pagador de Promessas (1962) that he entered the history of Brazilian cinema. He died in November 2009.
