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. This book 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 — ... More

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. This book 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 globalisation; 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 recognisable to mainstream audiences; Film language — the formal elements of the film are dissected through a detailed illustrated analysis of the kinetic, scene setting opening sequence; Audience responses — from establishment critical reaction to fan-based internet sites and student feedback; Representation and Ideology — just how ‘authentic’ can a film such as City of God hope to be? Does its style overwhelm its subject matter?