Student made powerpoint looking at the representation of Place in teh film City of God

1. Representation in City
of God
Place
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2. How are the Favelas and
Brazil (place) represented?
 ‘Brazil and the Favelas are shown as places where there is
pervasive and institutionalised violence – gang warfare, military
brutality and police corruption’
 ‘The favelas are a place of utter poverty – crime is in the early
part of the film’
 ‘For the powerful our problems didn’t matter; we were too far
removed’ Rocket – the Favelas are a self enclosed community
isolated from the outside world’
 ‘The complete despondence those who inhabit the Favelas feel is
metaphorically represented through the novel-like environment
itself – dirty, grimy, revolting’
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3. How are the Favelas and
Brazil (place) represented?
 ‘Rio and Brazil are shown as a very economically divided country – massive gap
between rich and poor and almost total separation between the classes – Rocket is the
only one who leave the Favela. The female reporter and her friends can’t go to the
Favela. The police do go in…’
 ‘The lack of sanitation seems overwhelming’
 ‘Rapid editing and handheld camera are used to create a sense of disorientation’
 ‘Camerawork with shots through gaps and from under objects are like war footage –
especially when Rocket is photographing the death of Lil Ze’
 ‘You get used to living in Vietnam’ Rocket’
 ‘No justice system in Favelas’
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4. How are the Favelas and
Brazil (place) represented?
 ‘In the 60s, although not amazing quality, the area of City
of God is seen as a over-nice area. New and exciting fir it’s
residents – representing that although the people are in
poverty, there is no evil in the city (Lil Ze). A real contrast
with City of God in the 80s where is has become run down
and a more dangerous place to live – representing the effect
of crime and Lil Ze have on the city’
 ‘The violence in the different time periods is a lot more
intense as time progresses, whereas in the sixties, it’s more
lighter – e.g. the hold up for gas’
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5. What would be good scenes to talk of in
relation to the representation of the Favelas
and Brazil (place)?
 ‘The sixties setting – where the lighting is yellow and bright.
This identifies a very different surrounding compared to
the surrounding we live in’
 ‘The opening scene allows us to identify the culture within
the Favelas – the food, the music, the violence’
 ‘The beach scene is mesmerizing and very beautiful. This
allows us to see the different side of Brazil’
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6. What might be challenging about the
representation of the Favelas and
Brazil (place)?
 ‘Hostile urban setting is set in opposition to a Utopian rural
life in the peoples fantasies’
 ‘It’s not the place we see in holiday brochures etc. It could
be argued that this isn’t the real Brazil’
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7. What messages might the audience
take from this film about the Favelas
and Brazil (place)?
 ‘The the Favelas and Brazil are overrun by greedy drug
lords that dictate the way of live in Brazil and the slums’
 ‘That the Favelas have a very diverse population’
 ‘The hostile environment within the Favelas can be viewed
as very symbolic representation of the hostility those who
inhabit the slums face from the rich population of Brazil’
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