A leading example of a resurgent Latin American cinema - 'la buena onda' - in the early twenty-first century, City of God was a huge international popular and critical success. A combination of intoxicating, Hollywood-style genre film-making and hard-hitting, social-realist subject matter, it was hailed as a masterpiece at Cannes in 2002 and seen by over 3 million people in Brazil, including the Brazilian cabinet.
In Studying City of God, Stephanie Muir considers the historical and industrial context of City of God - a brief history of Latin American cinema is followed by a more detailed account of film-making in Brazil - from light-hearted travelogues to Cinema Novo and after - all in the context of increasing globalization. She analyzes narrative and genre - how the film uses the components of narrative in a complex way, experimentally manipulating time while using traditional genre conventions that are highly recognizable to mainstream audiences. The formal elements of the film are dissected through a detailed illustrated analysis of the kinetic, scene setting opening sequence. She also discusses audience responses - from establishment critical reaction to fan-based Internet sites and student feedback - and issues of representation and ideology - just how 'authentic' can a film such as City of God hope to be? Does its style overwhelm its subject matter?We publiceren alleen reviews die voldoen aan de voorwaarden voor reviews. Bekijk onze voorwaarden voor reviews.