Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business (1995)

Brazilian-born director Helena Solberg provides the narration herself, and she attempts to come to grips with both the fascination and the anger Miranda aroused in her countrymen -- and how this ambivalence affected Carmen, who stayed away from her beloved country for 14 years. Although Brazilians were initially proud of her success, and her role in representing the country and its culture, as Carmen's "Brazilian Bombshell" persona and fantastic costumes grew ever more outlandish, she lost her popularity at home.

Using interviews with Carmen's friends and co-stars, as well as rare documentary footage and staged fantasy numbers, Solberg explores the racial origins of Miranda's "tutti frutti" image and provides a trenchant (and poignant) analysis of Hollywood's ethnic stereotyping and its effect on one very talented performer.

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