Film: Midterm Themes

Transnational Crossed Gazes

the exchange of perspectives and cultural influences between Brazil and other countries, as well as the representation of these exchanges in Brazilian cinema.

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good neighbor policy - scared latin american countries would side with US enemies

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ex: *Asalto ao Trem Pagador,* showcasing how different people within Brazilian culture view each other - white cops don’t think favela folk are smart enough to conduct a heist.

First Contact

the representation of the initial encounter between different cultures or societies, often with a focus on the interactions between colonizers and colonized peoples.

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Ex: Because of its popularity, *Black Orpheus* served as a first contact between Brazilian culture and Western audiences

Bossa Nova

late 50s - early 60s musical style that was softer and more intimate/romantic than samba

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ex: *Black Orpheus* - this film introduced Bossa Nova to the world. We see the difference between the upbeat, typical samba music that can be associated with carnival and the softer bossa nova music we see when Eurydice is dancing with a owe, for example.88

The Girl from Ipanema

Carnival

An annual festival in Brazil before lent that offers an escape from reality by consuming participants with music, dance, and costumes. It is cyclical in nature.

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Ex: carnival seen throughout *Black Orpheus,* not just in the actual carnival event planned towards the end of the film but vibrating throughout the duration of the film, even in the beginning. The film creates this false sense of constant happiness and celebration in the favelas.

Transtextuality

The act of referencing or drawing inspiration from other works of art like literature, music, or visual art to add depth to a film

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Ex: Greek mythology of Orpheus and Eurydice in *Black Oprheus.* The film explores a classic, popular myth in a more realistic scenario based on brazilian culture.

Embeddedness

the way in which films reflect and are influenced by the social, cultural, and political contexts in which they are created.

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ex: *They Don’t Wear Black Tie,* a cinema novo film, explores the consequences of the military dictatorship that was taking a hold of brazil at the time: political upheaval, widespread poverty, inequality, poor working class conditions.

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Genre

Category of artistic composition

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ex: cinema novo in they don’t wear a black tie

City Symphony Film

a genre of film that celebrates the urban landscape and the rhythms of city life; characterized by its use of montage, music, and poetic imagery to create a sensory experience of the city; modernity of cities

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ex: *City of God* used many

Chanchada

(1930s-1960s) musical comedies set in Rio

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ex: Grande Otelo in *Carnival on Fire* (1949) mocking Romeo an Juliet

Vera Cruz

Film production company in 1950s brazil

Northwesterners

1960s-1970s genre set in the northwestern region of Brazil, which is known for its harsh climate, poverty, and social inequality

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ex: *Pixote -* although the film is set in São Paulo rather than the northeastern region of Brazil, it shares many Northwesterners characteristics such as its realistic portrayal of poverty and social inequality, its use of non-professional actors, and its exploration of themes related to youth and marginalization.

Afro-Diasporic Aesthetics

Subgenre of Brazilian cinema that focuses on the experiences and cultural expressions of Afro-Brazilian communities, reflecting the African roots of Brazilian culture

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ex: African percussion and drumming components in the soundtrack of *Black Orpheus.* It was also one of the first mainstream Brazilian films that challenged the Eurocentric representation of Brazilian people in cinema.

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Trance-Modernism

Subgenre that blends elements of Brazilian modernism with experimental and avant-garde techniques, feature nonlinear narratives, surreal imagery, and a sense of detachment from reality.

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ex: *City of God* is a perfect example. The non-linear narrative is seen from the start, with the opening sequence being a scene we encounter later on in the film. The film was also very experimental in its transitions.

Candomble

An afro-Brazilian religion, brought when slaves arrived in brazil and catholcism/african cultures amalgamated

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ex: mismatch with Catholic practices in *Pagador de Promessas*

Black Struggle

refers to the portrayal of the experiences, challenges, and resistance of black people in Brazil

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ex: *Asalto ao Trem Pagador*, more specifically in the scene in which Grilo

Cinema Novo

Film movement addressing social issues concerning the struggles of the working class and highlighting the need for economic reformation and challenged traditional film techniques

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Aesthetics of Hunger

when a poor, impoverished community shows hunger in a poor, low budget film

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Ex: *City of God* but it’s more of a cosmetic of hunger as it is shown with a high production value with les grittiness.

Tropicalia

movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional Brazilian culture and its embrace of modernity, technology, and international influences.

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ex: cinema novo in

Magic Realism

Realistic view of the world while magical elements

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Ex: the closest film we’ve seen to this is probably Black Orpheus. Although most of the film is very realistic, a fictional sense does come into play in the scene in which Eurydice posses the body of an old lady to communicate with Orpheus.

Auteurism

Film reflects personal vision and style of the director

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ex: In the *city of god,* Meirelles employs a multitude of cinematic techniques to add to the depiction of violence within favelas.

Genre as a Way of Seeing

an approach to film analysis that emphasizes the ways in which genres are not fixed categories, but rather dynamic and fluid modes of representation that reflect and shape social and cultural practices. expectations of film based on genre

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ex: *Pixote*

The Mediatic Spectrum Analysis

considers the various forms of media in which a film is situated and the ways in which these media interact with each other.

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ex: posters used for *City of God*

Intersectionality

when diff personalities converge to create the interpretation you fit

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(positionalities are each individual label you fit)1