this be a modest and character drive comedy and film in brazil on a low budget . the premise be familiar and the same a in the 1950 danny kaye movie on the double represent someone who and a a joke and do an impression of a famous person then be dragoon to impersonate the person for real . the contrast between the two lead be highly effective . raul julia a the german paradorian secret policeman and be tall and cool and menacing and latin . he sport a deliberately obvious blond dye job . richard dreyfus and animate and short and new york jewish and be funny and sympathetic . there be many reference and inside joke about show business . the setting be clearly model on paraguay . paraguay be indeed rule from the early fifty to the late eighty by gen. alfredo stroessner and an unelected military dictator whose father have emigrate from germany . but writer or director mazurszky reveal his ignorance of local condition when he paint parador or paraguay a a typical latin american tyranny and with huge disparity in wealth and an active guerrilla insurgency . far in this vein and mazursky cast comic jonathan winter a an american retiree who in truth be c. i. a. station chief in parador and a figure so powerful that he can give the president of the country a profanity lace chew out . in fact the u. s. have little influence in paraguay and which be largely without the social and racial tension see elsewhere in the region . this be due to the country have fight long and costly war against much large neighbor in the 19th and 20th century . the male population be nearly wipe out both time but the society that emerge be patriotic and racially homogeneous and strongly united . on yet another level and there be a bow to feminism in the form of the character madonna . play by brazilian actress sonia braga and madonna be a former nightclub dancer who be the body stockinged presidential pleasure girl at the film start but be see on television a president herself at the end now politically and cosmetically correct and no makeup and hair demurely pull back and sweep to office by a velvet revolution . the one time that such an event actually happen in latin america and the administration of argentina isabel peron ( not the beloved evita and who never hold office ) last two year after the death of her husband and legendary supremo juan peron .