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As a cinematic nation the country of Brazil has gone through fits and starts, with the latest boom period having lasted since the mid-nineties. With patchy productivity and their status as one of the first cinematic nations being lost in the quagmire that is government funding, Brazil may not be a normal first look into South America. However, with films as varied as this week’s picks this country makes for interesting viewing.
Director: Marcel Camus
To anyone with a cursory knowledge of Greek mythology the title of this film will ring a few bells, and then when it starts you quickly remember why. Within Black Orpheus lies a well-adapted modern retelling of the tragic story with appropriately named characters and a closely followed storyline. The main difference is that the entire story has now been transposed to a group of Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro preparing their samba routine for the Rio Carnival.
By doing this update they also include a degree of meta-awareness introduced early on where the character of Orpheus has the myth explained to him. Maybe it is because both Orpheus and Eurydice are aware of this myth and as such perceive their love as pre-destined, or maybe it was true love. This is a question that punctuates the film as more and more classical references are included, such as the friend named Hermes, a dog named Cerberus and the latter twenty minutes which attempts a modern voodoo-style allegory to Orpheus’ journey in the underworld.
Black Orpheus may appear as a series of inside references for mythology buffs to feel smug and slap each other’s thighs in appreciation, but with a tale as old as storytelling there is much to please everyone, whether it be the colourful dance sequences or the tragedy itself.
Directors: Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund
Spanning twenty years of murder, deceit and revenge on the streets of one of the most dangerous places on earth, City of God tells the true story of a young photographer as he grows up and attempts to survive in the horrifying slums of Rio de Janeiro.
City of God is a film that moves at a blistering pace, spanning three decades in just over two hours whilst maintaining a vast amount of energy throughout. Something which is crucial to the film is it refuses to allow the audience to become bogged down in the bitter and depressive reality of the slums. Yet this is not to say it ignores the dark realities of favela life, showing the violence and depredation in vivid detail, to give a real sense of the hopelessness of the inhabitants. All of this makes protagonist Rocket’s story all the more fascinating as he desperately attempts to achieve something and not be sucked into the nightmare world of violence. What is particularly telling about this is that he comes so close to becoming involved in the city’s crime, emphasising its normality and how easy it is be consumed.
City of God makes for extremely interesting and, thanks to its lightning pace, entertaining viewing. It is a remarkably different type of gangster movie to those popularised in English language cinema where there is no glamour, only madness and despair, and offers a brilliant insight into a place you hope never to experience firsthand.
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