Global Cinema - City of God

Question 1

What can the favella be viewed as

Answer 1

a microchosm of Brazil has a whole, as a turbulent political landscape

Question 2

In city of God we enjoy the spectacle of…

Answer 2

povery/violence

Question 3

in the opening scene, what is the first shot and what does it say to us

Answer 3

quick flashes of a knife being sharpened, immediately present to the audience the theme of violence and this is a dangerous place

Question 4

What does the lack of an establishing shot say about the film

Answer 4

it is a very neo- realist technique and we are jumping straight into fast paced, quick moving action which directly reflects the style and editing conventions of the film as a whole

Question 5

What does the blue/grey colour grading connate

Answer 5

It is the aesethic of poverty, the 70s, and the more adult world

Question 6

What is the effect of the cross cut of the knife with this party scene

Answer 6

the director is embedding this theme of danger and violence, reminding the audience that is is still there, still present even in this part environment

Question 7

How do we view the chicken in the opening scene

Answer 7

We view it has part of the mise en scene and a metorphor for innocence and the character of rocket, through the edit and pov shots we sympathise with the chicken and what them to get out, just like we do with rocket. The chicken is a prop that is given meaning through the edit

Question 8

The kurshlov effect is used in the opening scene, what is this?

Answer 8

meaning that is made in the edit

Question 9

What does the crash zooms and whip pans and cinematography connote

Answer 9

it throws us into the chaotic nature of the favella

Question 10

A juxtapostion is made in the editing, what is it

Answer 10

cross cuts between this escape of this chicken and this theme of violence juxtaposed against how we think brazil should be with this partying

Question 11

How is Lil ze introduced

Answer 11

with an extreame close up/dutch angle to disotrienate us and present him has ugly and monsterous. Makes us as the audience feel threatened and uncomfortable. very viceral

Question 12

What can we say about Rockets introudction

Answer 12

Its a sort of breath of fresh air, a big change from the chaotic cinematography and lively music to a more comfortable long shot/long take with no music. It is now a more of a safe place with rocket

Question 13

What is Rocket’s key prop

Answer 13

it is his camera, that it is weapon and supposed to a gun, the conventional weapon of the favella

Question 14

What is the significance of the slow-mo on Lil ze

Answer 14

it another key moment of recognition of lil ze as our antagonist and who rocket was talking about

Question 15

What can we say about the camera in the standoff with the chicken

Answer 15

its gone very handeld very verte style, the camera constantly spins around the rocket disoreinatley. centered around rocket telling us he is the center, the pin of this story

Question 16

What can we say about the aesthetics of the 60s

Answer 16

its is very warm sepia toned, a nostalgic flashback of his childhood, people are wearing bright cream colours and the children are playing with a football instead of a guns

Question 17

How do we feel safer as the audience as the scene goes on

Answer 17

We move on from this chaotic disorientating editing and cinematography to more conventional elements of film form with Rocket who then through his narration guides us through the story in a formal and polite way “sorry I forgot to introduce myself”

Question 18

How are we forewarned about shaggy’s story

Answer 18

through a lot of Dutch angles in his introduction

Question 19

How is the killing of the childhood innocence killed at the end of the opening scene

Answer 19

With shaggy shooting the football, killed by the gun