Directed by Fernando Meirelles (2002)
First impressions of the Film and its characters
Make notes on the following: did you like it and why, did you hate it – why?
Who are these characters and what did you think of them? What role do you think they play in the film? What could they represent? How do they inform us about the culture and life of the slums?
Film Narrative
Apply Todorov’s theory of equilibrium to the Film
Equilibrium –
Disruption to the Equilibrium –
Attempt to repair the equilibrium –
New Equilibrium –
Would it be possible to apply Propp’s theory of character types to this film?
Hero
Villain
Helper
Donor
False Hero
Princess
Historical Context • • •
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America It is the fifth largest county in the world in terms of land area and population An estimated 20%of these people live in absolute poverty
Representations of Brazil (Realism vs. Representation) The third world status of Brazil with its inherent poverty and deprivation was not the image that was used to represent the place in the films that were distributed from America; Brazil was represented as a glamorized tropical paradise. This myth of a tropical paradise was personified in Carmen Miranda the Brazilian Bombshell, star of the studio era. The film Latin Lovers 1953started a representation of Latin descent being a signifier of sexual prowess. In films such as Black Orpheus – seen mainly from a European perspective the poverty seemed charming, the shacks appealing and the favelados happy.
Early Brazilian cinema
In the face of stiff Hollywood competition, which was flooding the Brazilian market, Brazilian filmmakers, limited themselvesto documentaries Chanchada, meaning cultural trash, had links to carnival and musical theatre and became very popular between the 1930’sand 1950’s
Brazilian New Wave
The Brazilian new wave started becauseof two things: • A change of political leaders o Optimism in the election of Juscelino Kubitschek was mirrored in economic expansion, industrialization and foreign expansion • Students returning from Romewith an education that has come from Neo Realist theory o Location shooting and non-professional actors had been a necessity in post-war Italy, with its industry decimated by war. Italian cinema emerged from this crisis turning its back on gloss and depicting real life, the poverty and hardship suffered by the working an peasant class. Film-makers outside the control of the regular industry experienced creative freedom through making simple films. The simplicity as well as being an economic necessity, was also ideologically sound.
Brazil also shares somecharacteristics with the French New Wave in its use of smaller, hand held cameras, natural sound made possible through advancesin technical developments in cinematography and recording Latin American auteurs were ones with a political agenda, seen in terms of content and message rather than individual personality In Brazil, as in other Latin American countries opposition to American dominance became opposition to Hollywood practices. A truly political agenda could only make its contribution to the struggle against colonialism through its interpretation of events – raising consciousnesswas not enough. Brazilian cinema became oppositional, film valued as an agent for social change rather than profit, able to confront and challenge. The escapism and resolution of the classic Hollywood narrative was subverted by the film-makers of the movement known as Cinema Novo
Cinema Novo and After
From 1960to 1964the first phase of cinema novo established modern cinema in Brazil Cinema novos image of Brazil was one of exploitation, violence and deprivation The second phase of the new wave was linked with failure after a liberal government was overthrown by a military coup. The films at the time were about the working class but not for them. There was a coup within a coup in 1968that resulted in rigorous censorship and suspended civil rights. Film-makers then rejected realism and adopted a coded language of allegory and metaphor. From the mid eighties cinema audiencesfell due to a lack of government support and a severe economic recession which had impacted on the poor who made up the majority of the audience. At the 1990Cannesfilm festival it was stated that ‘Brazilian cinema was dead’.
The Re-birth of Brazilian cinema In 1992President Franco brought in subsidies to save the National Cinema In 1998President Cardosoinitiated a programme designed to support Brazilian film makers and modernize Brazilian cinemas.
Producing City of God
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Anthropologist Paulo Lins who grew up in the city of God wrote the book on which the film was based. He began academic research on the drug dealers in the facials and then turned this into a 700-page novel. It took him eight years to write and became a best seller. Meirelles bought the film rights and wanted to make the film to bring attention to the poverty and depriovation of the slums City of God was financed by TV Brazil’s biggest TV channel – it was made for $3,300,000 Sold to 62 countries it has to date achieved a worldwide gross of $24,782,769
The directors: Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund Fernando Meirelles was in charge of the images: Latia lund helped in the character development and supervised the crew. They stated that:
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When I made the films, it was much more important to me to bring the issue [of urban violence] to debate because,in Brazil, no one was talking about these things
Questions on the context of City of God 1. What percentage of people in Brazil lives in absolute poverty?
2. Name some of the factors that lead to a misrepresentation of Brazil?
3. Why did Brazilian filmmakers limit themselvesto making documentaries?
4. What 2 factors brought about the first Brazilian new wave?
5. How were Latin American auteurs seen?
6. In the second wave of cinema novo, what did filmmakers reject in favor of?
7. Where did the writer of the book on which the film was based grow up?
8. What issue did the directors want to bring to peoples attention?
What do we learn from the documentary, News From a Private War?
Narrative in City of God The Three Stories
Carlos Dieguesa film maker had previously presented his ideas of three historical stagesthat the favelas have passedthrough
1. the poetic and romantic phase as the favelas were built on the surrounding hills with views over the city
2. The second phase is the phase of violence and crime 3. the third stage is the fight for affirmation and pride Below are the 3 stagesthat are presented to us in City of God. Try to summarise what happens within these stages: The Story of the Tender Trio
The Story of Little Ze and drugs
The Story of Knockout Ned
City of God and Genre
It was stated on the front of the DVD box that this film was the Brazilian goodfellas, but why is this? Below is a table that you should fill in to illustrate comparisons between City of God and other films that you feel are similar to it. Two categories have been chosen for you in order for you to look at specific films.
Film for Comparison
Comparison Point
Gangster Film
Ghetto Film
Representation
The Recreation of Reality The director had permission to go into the favela and use locations for filming from the community inside it.
The director wanted to use non-professional actors. Amateur actors, recruited from the favelas were encouraged to improvise. 70%of what you seeand hear on screen is created by themselves. This is what gives the film its senseof reality - The scenewere Rocket is in the shower and makes a comments about the shower being hot was actually an impromptu remark and a comment by the actor about his own situation. However the jumps back and forth, the graphics and the restlesscamera movement and a contradiction to this idea of realism or are they? Discuss:
Character Representations Character Rocket
What they represent
Why is this?
Little Ze
Bene
Nockout Ned
Messagesand Values When the leftism government was overthrown in 1964. Glauber Rocha wrote of his determination to fight back using a camera, ‘the only weapon I could muster’. The verb to shoot is used to describe what is done with a gun and what is done with a camera.
What does the camera vs. the gun metaphor suggest to the audience
CloseStudy Analysis Try to make notes on the following scenes
Opening Credits (50 seconds)
Playing Football (4:08)
Stealing Gas (5:46)
Considering a robbery (9:35)
What happens during the robbery of the hotel?
How are the different intentions of the Tender Trio and Lil Dice apparent?
Following is a clip after the motel robbery: what happens in it and what happens to the other characters in the film?
The Apartment (36:08)
Getting Promoted (43:56)
Being in Charge (56:20) How has the City of God changed when compared to the start of the film when the characters were younger?
Making Choices(1:01:06)
Knockout Ned’s Story (1:25:31)
Resolve to the conflict (1:54:03)
Audience Responses Meirellies and Paulo Lins, the author of the book on which the film was based, have made clear their intentions in making the film and what they wanted to achieve. Before considering them, firstly we need to consider our own opinions about the film:
Answer the following questions in as much detail as you can. What do you know about Brazil?
What language is spoken in Brazil?
Can you name a famous Brazilian?
Had you seen City of God before? If so what motivated you to seeit?
What did you particularly enjoy about the film?
Fernando Meirelles has said that he wanted the film to draw attention to the situation in the favelas. Do you think the film was successful in doing this?
Somecritics have accused the film of glamorizing the violence and poverty it portrays. Do you agree?
What do you feel that the film has achieved?
Audiencesas well as critics have expresseddiffering views of the film. Thesecan be divided into those who found the style, inventiveness,pace and sheer energy helped draw their attention to the situation the film was depicting, and those who found it extraneous, suggesting that it trivialized or romanticized a wretched situation.
Below are a number of audiences’ responsesto the film from the IMDB site, consider each of them in turn, noting down your own opinions about what they have said: Here in Brazil the film was quite controversial. Even if it is probably Brazil’s biggest box office success…many disliked the way it was made, highly stylistic and more concerned with action that with showing reality Response–
The stylish presentation here I fear will make the gunplay intoxicating for immature viewers? Response–
Cidade de Deus is so high on technique that by the end of it one wonders if its actually based on a true story! Its kick ass but fails to make one feel anything for the characters Response–
This film have left me completely cold and disgusted by the film makers intentions Response–
Onceagain an entrepreneur has managed it turn the misery of the Brazilian slums into an exportable commodity. Slickly packaged within the ultra violent veneer of the post Tarantino gangster genre, City of God is replete with bullets, bodies and just enough flesh to keep the international distributors happy. Response–
Power From what you have learned during the course of studying this film, try to write as much as possible about the following points:
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What is Power in this film?
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Who has the Power?
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What happens when you have no Power?
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Can you gain Power if you have none?