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Unsurprisingly, Cidade de Deus ("City of God") was announced as a nominee for the Academy Awards yesterday morning (it's a great movie, if you haven't seen it, go. I'll wait till you get back).
What was surprising is that it was named not in the best foreign language catergory (in which it would have been a strong contender to win, against the odds-on favorite, The Barbarian Invasions). Rather, Cidade de Deus has been nominated for the cinematography, directing, film editing, and writing (adapted screenplay) awards ("gongs", which is the much cooler brit way to put it). In directing and film editing, it's competing against both of this year's Oscar juggernauts, Return of the King and Master and Commander. In the adapted screenplay catergory, it's competing against a veritable plethora of good nominees, including the unstoppable force that is ROTK.
The Oscars have treated Latin American cinema poorly. In the almost fifty years of the foreign language film award, only two films from the hemisphere have won (and Orfeu Negro was nominated from France, not Brazil. Argentina's 1985 La Historia Oficial is the other winner).
With such other strong recent candidates as O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (Foreign Film, 1998), Amores Perros (Foreign Film, 2001), El Crimen de Padre Amaro (Foreign Film, 2003), and Y tu mamá también (Original Screenplay, 2003) all missing the brass ring, in order to highlight the quality of Latin American cinematography, it might have made sense to suggest City of God for a relatively minor catergory (quick: who won last year?) in which it would have been a strong contender, rather than larger catergories in which it will be a soon-forgotten also-ran (Far from Heaven, anyone?).
While I'm discussing films, let me put in a plug for Ônibus 174 (Bus 174), a documentary I saw over Christmas, and meant to mention at the time.
The graphic nature of this documentary is amazing; as someone who rode the 175 and 177 on occasion, it really hits home. The film, using TV footage and interviews with the principals involved almost exclusively, recreates the events surrounding the hijacking (for lack of a better word) of a public bus in July, 2000, in Rio de Janeiro, and the social and institutional failures that the filmmaker feels led to the fiasco.
There are plenty of platitudes about reality TV, cinema verité, and OJ's white bronco that can be indulged in to describe this movie, and it recommends itself solely as a study of the intersection of law & order issues and public scrutiny that governments face both in the first world and especially in the third world, where the economic pressure to resort to illegality (be it active or passive) is overwhelming for many.
But what's really amazing about the film is the ability of the director to take all this footage that was shot with no interest in documentary or cinematographic value (just to be able to get it on TV) and weave it into a story that is visually compelling and leaves you on the edge of your seat. A finer peice of found art I'm not sure I've ever seen.
Photo credits: Cidade de Deus, Fabricca; Ônibus 174, Adoro Cinema Brasileiro.
I am not especially concerned about who wins what in these kind of awards, but I sort of agree with you about Cuidad. It is a very good film, but not a great one. The atmosphere is extraordinarily intense, and of course the situation of the young children extremely shocking.
I think I once commented to Stephen that I would love to read a review which got to grips with the connections with Augustine's monumental work, since I am sure they must be there, but I can't quite work out how, beyond the obvious level of immediate irony.
On other films: you don't mention Arturo Ripstein, who is in my book the great contemporary genius of LA cinema: "La reina de la noche", "La mujer del puerto" , "Profundo Carmesi", "La Perdicion de los hombres" to name but a few.
Incidentally Walter Salles seems to have been the producer of Cuidad. Now Central do Brazil, that was a film. I can still see those kids diving in and out of the train windows. And the visions of the gran sertao: fantastic.
Another Brazilian film you might have mentioned would be "Four Days in September" which really captures the atmosphere of the late 60's early 70's - the mixture of innocence and ruthlessness - extraordinarily well.
Also worthy of note would be recent Argentinian films like Nueve Reinas, La Cienaga, El Bonaerense.
You know Mike, now I get to the end of this, I am very tempted to open a specifically cinema section here on LiLA. I for one wouldn't mind trying to write something regularly, it would get me away from the 'dismal science' from time to time, I wonder if there would be more takers????
I think lately there is a lot of talk of Bollywood as the big new rival for Hollywood, and this is all to the good. But LA really has a lot to offer culturally: literature, art, music, cinema. It needs branding and marketing. This is my whole point about Argentina and knowledge economy services. Come on LA: wake up and get on with it!!
Sorry Hollywood, but the only recent US film I have seen that comes near to any of this is Eastwood's Mystic River (Ok, Ok and Spielberg's Minority Report). Interesting point: if the future is in 'high end' services, and everyone is going to get more and more educated, don't you need to move up market culturally to survive. Just a thought.
Posted by edward | January 31, 2004 01:59 AMEdward:
Thanks for the comments. A couple of thoughts first thing in the morning (before coffee!):
I'm not concerned about winning qua winning, but the advertizing benefit gained from the awards is substantial here in the US (all these films are now advertizing themselves as just being nominated for an Oscar)
I left out "Central do Brasil" or "Nueve Reinas" (as well as "Eu Tu Eles") out of sheer oversight, even though I've seen both. "Four Days In September" is the English title of "O Que É Isso, Companheiro?" a movie I am particularly fond of. Incidentally, Pedro Cardoso, who plays Gabeira (aka Paulo) in that movie is the nephew of former prez FHC.
And Walter Salles' most recent project appearently was Diarios de motocicleta, based on Che Guevara's travels across Latin America in the early 50s. "It" guy Gael Garcia Bernal plays Che.
Posted by mike d | January 31, 2004 10:07 AMNice posting, Mike.
The film making the rounds in Brazil just now is called Sexo Amor e Traição. I've not seen it, but it seems to be holding up. Strikes me as the kind of thing that might get re-made rather than released.
I noted in one of my weekly updates that Brazil has recently upped the ante for the airing of Brazilian film, requiring that every cinema screen show Brazilian films 65 days per year. I know that plenty of other countries have such mandates (Canada and France come to mind), but the obvious concern is that there's enough quality content to bring people out to watch the Brazilian film - otherwise it's going to leave a lot of empty cinemas and no one is going to be very happy.
I think it's risky to double the number of days in one go, but I also think that the government, under culture minister Gil, has taken some strides to promote Brazilian cinema, and hopefully the results will be worth watching, and will result in more quality Brazilian films making a splash on the world scene.
My own wish is that exported Brazilian films might get out of the favelas and start to reflect other aspects of Brazilian life. A place for me to start is to find a copy of Oriundi, a 1999 Italian/Brazilian film that was one of the last films Anthony Quinn appeared in. I've only heard of it, but having lived in Curitiba for a year, I think it might bring back some memories.
Also, FWIW, one of the most enjoyable Brazilian film evenings I've spent was on the beach in Miami!
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