Claude Levi – Strauss, Return to the Amazon
Journey to the heart of the Amazon rainforest in the footsteps of Claude Lévi-Strauss. Sixty years after the renowned French anthropologist conducted his famous fieldwork among the Nambikwara, we return to find his memory alive and well among the tribesmen. Lévi-Strauss’ experiences in the Amazon forever altered his understanding of society. He describes this life-changing journey in his seminal work, Tristes Tropiques. Blending exquisite prose, philosophical meditation and anthropological analysis, the book catapulted him into one of France’s best-known intellectuals. This compelling documentary travels deep into the Amazon to uncover the roots of Lévi-Strauss’ groundbreaking theories and reexamine our own beliefs about the fundamental organization of our society.
Directors
Marcelo Fortaleza Flores
Director, photographer, writer and producer, Marcelo Fortaleza Flores studied music, visual anthropology and documentary film. He carried out several years of research among Amerindians in the Brazilian Amazon where he learned indigenous languages like Nambikwara and Sararé. As writer and activist, he has worked for the creation and protection of indigenous territories in Brazil. Trópico da Saudade, Claude Lévi-Strauss e a Amazônia (2009, 71 min) is his first feature documentary. A shorter, French television version (Claude Lévi-Strauss, auprès de l’Amazonie, 52 min, 2008) was aired on France 5 and was presented during the celebrations for Claude Lévi-Strauss’s centenary at the Museum of the Quay Branly. The film received critical acclaim in France and Brazil.