Drummond published poems in numerous styles over his career, but his erotic poetry he kept to himself. His posthumously printed erotic collection O Amor Natural is the subject of Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigmann's eponymous 1996 documentary. Honigmann roams the streets of Rio de Janeiro enticing elderly people to read a poem from the collection. The poetry serves as a transition to the underlying purpose of Honigmann's film: to document the erotic recollections of older Brazilians.

Honigmann records a few people who are unwilling to humor her, but most are eager to please. There are several notable interviews: the 85 ½ (he insists upon this ½) year-old widower who fondly reminisces about numerous infidelities during his 50-year marriage; a shockingly beautiful 81-year-old swimmer who competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin whose choice of poem evidences the entwinement of water and sex in her mind; and, two older women who while riding a public bus discuss the finer points of a poem about anal intercourse.

The DVD
The Video:
O Amor Natural is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The standard video image looks rather flat. The English subtitles are forced, but are adequate in translation, size, pace, and placement.

The Audio:
This disc provides a 2.0 audio track in the original Portugese. Dialouge is understandable and distortions are kept to a minimum, but there is no noticeable separation between the channels.

The Extras:
There are no extras.

Final Thoughts:
While this title will be most appealing to poetry fans, anyone interested in personal histories may find enough here to warrant the 76-minute runtime. Rent it.