History Film / OAutoDaCompadecida

* AdaptationDistillation: The 2000 version takes aspects and characters from Suassuna's other works such as Rosinha, Corporal 70 and Vincentão. Much of Chicó's subplot is lifted from these works.

* GenderFlip: In the original play, Antônio Moraes had an unnamed son. The film made Rosinha his daughter. As side effect, the dog, who was a male named Xaréu in the play, is turned a female named Maria in the film.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jack makes a racist remark against Jesus, who is black in this movie and takes it stride, even admitting he chose this appearance to play on the characters' predices. When the Bishop tries to quiet Jack down over his remark, Jesus tells ''the Bishop'' to be quiet instead, because he could see that he, too, was surprised to find out that Jesus looked, well... nothing like he knew, but wasn't being honest as he withheld his surprise.

* CourtroomAntic: The Devil makes for a very hammy prosecutor, using many theatrics and logic leaps in an attempt to make the case against the main characters stick. Blessed Lady Mary (the lawyer equivalent) is actually much more subdued.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Jack]] receives a second chance instead of going to Hell.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:A large number of the main cast dies during Severino's attack on the city, but they are forgiven in the afterlife; Jack is restored back to life and Chicó succeeds in marrying Rosinha. Unfortunately, she gets disowned by her father and the three are forced to go on the run.]]

* TheDragon: Severino has a unnamed right-hand man (referred to only as "Cabra", ''goat'', a Northeastern equivalent of "dude") who adds some comic relief to his scenes.

* ShoutOut: The subplot regarding Chicó's marriage to Rosinha or risking loosing a pound of flesh to her father is obviously lifted from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice''.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Severino's [[TheDragon right-hand ma]] is last seen in the scene [[spoiler: he fires the killing shot against Jack]] as the police arrives to send the Cangaceiros on a full retreat. We know he didn't die because he isn't present during the divine trial, but whether he was captured or managed to flee is not divulged.

''O Auto da Compadecida'' or known among English viewers as ''A Dog's Will'' is a Brazilian movie (originally released as a four part miniseries in 1999 before a version cut down to feature length hit theaters in 1999) and regarded as one of the country's greatest classics, [[TheFilmOfThePlay based on a play of the same name]] by Ariano Suassuna. The story takes place the impoverished, dry deserted region of Northeast Brazil and follows two friends trying to get by using their wits and silver tongue: [[GuileHero the lively Jack]] (''João Grilo'', played by Matheus Nachtergaele) and [[LovableCoward the cowardly Chicó]] (played by Selton Mello). The two men work as assistants to the local baker and get wrapped up in several misadventures including [[TitleDrop tricking a priest to deliver the last rites to a dog as part of its will]], trying to marry a landowner's daughter or risk loosing [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice a lump of flesh]] as the price and an fatal encounter with a bloodthirsty bandit lands the main characters on a trial by the Devil, Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

* ReCut: The theatrical version eschews many scenes and three subplots, Jack and Chicó selling the baker a "cat who uneats money" (by making it seem it ecuates silver coins), Severino's first time in the city, and Jack pushing Chicó towards the baker's wife to get money out of her. (this one still has a

''O Auto da Compadecida'' or known among English viewers as ''A Dog's Will'' is a 1999 Brazilian movie and regarded as one of the country's greatest classics, based on a play of the same name by Ariano Suassuna. The story takes place the impoverished, dry deserted region of Northeast Brazil and follows two friends trying to get by using their wits and silver tongue: [[GuileHero the lively Jack]] (played by Matheus Nachtergaele) and [[LovableCoward the cowardly Chicó]] (played by Selton Mello). The two men work as assistants to the local baker and get wrapped up in several misadventures including [[TitleDrop tricking a priest to deliver the last rites to a dog as part of its will]], trying to marry a landowner's daughter or risk loosing [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice a lump of flesh]] as the price and an fatal encounter with a bloodthirsty bandit lands the main characters on a trial by the Devil, Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

The movie is ostensibly a comedy, playing on several archetypes from the Brazilian Northeast region and also has some supernatural elements. It was also released as 4-part minisseries for TV and won several local awards.

* TheDragon: Severino has a unnamed right-hand man who adds some comic relief to his scenes.

* LargeHam / EvilIsHammy: Severino and the Devil are the most over-the-top (and the most morally reprehensible, at least at first) characters of the movie, making their shared scene in the trial a extremely brief HamToHamCombat.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jack makes a racist remark against Jesus, who is black in this movie and takes it stride, but not without calling him out about it. When the Bishop tries to quiet Jack down over his remark, Jesus tells ''the Bishop'' to be quiet instead, because he could see that he, too, was surprised to find out that Jesus looked, well... nothing like he knew, but wasn't being honest as he withheld his surprise.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Severino's TheDragon is last seen in the scene [[spoiler: he fires the killing shot against Jack]] as the police arrives to send the Cangaceiros on a full retreat. We know he didn't die because he isn't present during the divine trial, but whether he was captured or managed to flee is not divulged.