City of God Flashcards
What date was City of God released. Who directed and who was the cinematographer. Genre.
2002, Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund.
Cinematographer Cesar Charlone. Crime drama.
What is Film form
Performance, sound, cinematography, editing, lighting, Mise en scene
What is mise en scene
Costume, colour, props, setting, lighting
What kind of sound is used in city of God
Synchronous sound - even when music is played we see hands playing on instruments
How is cannibal tropicalism used in city of God
Cannibal tropicalism; aesthetic matching vibrancy of Brazil achieved through music, makes it palatable for consumers
How many cuts in the opening sequence
More than fifty visual cuts in the first 30 seconds - propels the scene forwards and engages audience in visual frenzy
What effect is done by the chicken in city of God opening sequence
Kuleshov effect : by cutting back and forth between chickens face and meals being prepared, puts audience in allegiance with the chicken
What is the very first shot in city of god
Very quick L-cut from black screen, close up of hand sharpening knife, cuts back to black
How is Lil Ze lit
He’s lit brighter than those around him, eg in rape scene. He is the center of the favelas and the most important one there.
What lighting style is used throughout city of God
High contrast natural lighting
What is the significance of the camera as a prop
Rocket -wielding a camera instead of a gun- is the only one able to rise above his situation and escape from the favelas. This is reminiscent of the ideology of the cinema Novo movement, a Brazilian movement that opposed ‘cultural prostitution’ through film.
What is cinema novo
a movement centred in Brazil that opposed ‘cultural prostitution’ through film.
Meirelles wanted to make a film that portrayed the tragedy of poverty as more than an “aesthetic object” - Glauber Rocha
Where was city of god shot
Not in cidade de deus (drug war prevented this), but in Cidade Alta slum
What did the drug barons say to Meirelles
“Please do it, but make it real, not like an American movie”
Meirelles had to negotiate with drug barons to be allowed to shoot the film and recruit actors
What kind of narrator is rocket
Rocket is a heterodiegetic narrator - he gives the audience insight to the brutality and tragedy of situations he’s not even involved in. Ie apartment scene
