Wayne and Evelyn Beck had been married for three years and were awaiting the birth of their second child when they were called to serve a religious mission in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the “Mormon Church”).
Born and raised on farms in the western United States, they sold the few possessions they owned to embark on this journey.
The fears and insecurities of a young mother on the way to a strange land: the challenges of learning a language and meeting strangers who become friends for life.
Wayne and Evelyn were about to discover a people who would forever change the trajectory of their family.
A Shared Legacy
Wayne Beck grew up on a humble farm surrounded by mountains in the western part of North America. In 1938, as a 20 year old, he sailed the Atlantic Ocean to serve a mission in the far away land of Brazil.
After two and a half years he returned to the U.S. and met Evelyn, a beautiful and sweet woman, who first became his dance partner and eventually his eternal partner as they married on June 20, 1942.
The young couple had little money and awaited the birth of their second son when Wayne received an invitation to return to Brazil to serve another mission. This time, however, he would have to sell their few possessions and take his young wife and children with him.
This is a story of the concerns and insecurities of a young mother on her way to a foreign land, the challenges of learning a new language, and her relationships with wonderful people who would become eternal friends.
Brasil Doce Lar is inspired by Evelyn’s letters as she grew to love the people, culture, country, and traditions of Brazil. It is an account of a young family forging an identity individually and together as they create unbreakable bonds of friendship with the people and land of Brazil that continues through multiple decades and generations.
Film: Brasil Doce Lar
- Duration: 26 minutes
- Languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish
- Produced by: Kaleidoscope Pictures
- Film Locations: Brazil: Teresópolis, Venda Nova, Frades, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas. United States: Wasatch Front, Utah.
- Project Manager: Alex Dantas
- Producer: Russ Kendall
- Co-Producer: Alex Dantas
- Director: Adam Anderegg
- Written By: Alex Dantas and Adam Anderegg
- Director of Photography: Brian Wilcox
- Soundtrack: Sam Cardon
Special Features:
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Languages: Portuguese and English
Content:
- Archive of 16 mm films – Filmed by Wayne Beck during 1946-48. Films locations include Copacabana Beach, Campinas, Curitiba, Joinville, Novo Hamburgo, Payson, Utah and Cherry Creek, Idaho.
- Campinas Museum of Image and Sound — August 18, 2006. Footage of the Event in which Wayne Beck was honored by the City of Campinas with the Hercules Florence Photographic Merit Medal.
- Interviews of Wayne Beck and family members discussing their experiences in Brazil. Historical photographs of Brazil are shown during the interviews.
- Landscape and People Montage in Brazil.