City of God Background

City of

God

Possible Essay Question

• How far do the films you have studied for this topic challenge the audience, generate debate about the worlds they represent?

• Go around the room and add your initial thoughts about how City of God deals with the these key issues

Representation of Gender

Themes

Representation of Brazil

Representation of Youth

Representation of Authority

Other Ideas

What is Brazil famous for?

Some Key Facts• The Brazilian economy is the world's sixth largest economy by nominal

GDP and the seventh largest by purchasing power parity. • Brazil is one of the world's fastest growing major economies. Economic

reforms have given the country new international recognition• It is the fifth biggest country both by geographical area and by population

with over 192 million people• The largest South American country• The only Portuguese-speaking country in South America (because they

were settled by Portugal, not Spain)• With a confirmed presence of 67 isolated tribes by the Fundação Nacional

do Índio, Brazil has the world's greatest number of uncontacted peoples.

• But is this the country that we see in the film?

Demographics• Approximately 29% of the population is between 0-14 years

old, 66% is between 15-64 years old, and only 5% is over 65 years old.

• Brazil has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world.• Religion Percentage • Catholic 60.71 • Protestant 17.65%• No religion 13.33%• Spiritist 3.44%• Umbandist 0.72%• Jewish 0.4%

Some Key Facts

Crime in Brazil

Crime • It is believed that most life-threatening crime in Brazil can be traced back

to drug trade and alcoholism. Brazil is a heavy importer of illicit cocaine, as well as part of the international drug routes. Arms and marijuana employed by criminals are mostly locally-produced.

• With roughly 23.8 homicides per 100,000 residents, muggings, robberies, kidnappings and gang violence Brazil is one of the most criminalized countries of the world

• Orgnanized crime remains a serious problem in Brazil. It is well established in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and include criminal organizations like Comando Vermelho, Amigos dos Amigos and Primeiro Comando da Capital.

Social Conditions

• More than 6000 people, most of them from the Favelas were murdered in Rio Janerio in 2007

• Rio’s wealth middle class live in gated apartment block with private security that are in complete contrast to the shanty towns

• Police seem to be in no doubt that their jobs is to protect the status quo through control of the underprivileged

History and Politics

• There is a long history of conflict between left wing socialist/communist groups and right wing conservative forces

• In 1961 the then president (Goulart) attempted to nationalise the country’s oil refineries and limit profits going overseas but was deposed by the army

• Military rule lasted until 1985 and during this time political parties, civil liberties were suppressed and there was strict media censorship

Favela Rising

• Part One

• http://www.linktv.org/programs/favela-rising– Whole documentary online

Mierelles as auteurBackground information: Born November 9, 1955 São Paulo, Brazil Occupation Film director

• At age 12, he received a movie camera as a gift, and this hobby continued ever since.

• He studied at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of São Pauloduring the 1980s. His graduation work was done in the form of a film, instead of the traditional designs of the other students

• When studying architecture at the University of São Paulo, Meirelles became involved in experimental filmmaking

Mierelles as auteur

‘An eye for beauty in brutality’.• Tends to explore themes of corruption andviolence (yet claims he does not like violent film)• He is known for vivid and expressive use of colour

and sound.• Has an interest in experimental filmmaking which is

most apparent in his use of colour manipulation and style of editing (contrasting images and sound)

Meirelles• In 1997, Meirelles read the book City of God, by Paulo Lins. He decided

to adapt it to film, which has done in 2002, and decided that the actors in it would be selected among the inhabitants of slums.

• FilmographyMenino Maluquinho 2 (1998) Domésticas (2001) Cidade de Deus (2002) The Constant Gardener (2005) Blindness (2008) 360 (2012) Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can (2012)

Mierelles Critical Reviews acclaim

• He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 2004 for his work in the Brazilian film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films. He was also nominated for the Golden Globe Best Director award in 2005 for The Constant Gardener.

• What did you find out about City of God from the reviews you read

Key Themes - Power• The film is about gaining power in the favela and

doing well in the business of drugs.• Lil Ze/Dice is obsessed with power, anyone that

faces him either die or end up working for him.• Power is the single thing that corrupts society.• Power of peer groups.• Essential mantra – ‘Kill: Be Respected!’ – Power

is gained through violence

Key Theme - Poverty

• It is impossible to escape from the yet many characters dream of doing just this

• There are few choices, slim chances and narrow and vicious minds present in the film, this contributes to the poverty.

• It is not just guns, drugs and few resources that contribute to poverty, but the fact that there is little social order/behaviour.

• Poverty is shown in a negative way through the narrative and technical features of the film (think about the use of colour/tint and the individual ‘stories’ of the characters)

• Due to the amount of poverty, many have resorted in crime to get by.

Key Theme - Conflict

• Conflict invades every minute of the film.• The whole film in a way is about one massive war that

has been going on since the 1970s.• Conflict between the police and the gangs.• Conflict between honesty and dishonesty. • The conflict between the values of the women – who

want their men to settle down and lead a ‘normal’ life.

Other Themes

• Everybody has a need to belong somewhere.• Violence breeds more violence.• Corruption is everywhere• Hopelessness for young men in the Favela

Possible Essay Question

• How far do the films you have studied for this topic challenge the audience, generate debate about the worlds they represent?

• Go around the room and add to the sheets. Think about what you have learnt.

Representation of Gender

Themes

Representation of Brazil

Representation of Youth

Representation of Authority

Other Ideas

Representation of Gender

Themes

Representation of Brazil

Representation of YouthRepresentation of Authority

Other Ideas