Fernando Meirelles’ epic crime drama ‘City of God’ is returning to cinemas to mark the movie’s 21st anniversary.Over two decades on from its original release, this visually stunning and gripping reflection of life on the mean streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is back on the big screen – courtesy of Paris-based distributor The Festival Agency partnering with sales company Wild Bunch - for a new generation to experience.The film is an adaptation of Paulo Lins’ 1997 novel of the same name – which is based on real events – that weaves together the compelling stories of a group of kids growing up in the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio from the 1960s to the 1980s. Narrator Rocket – played by Alexandre Rodrigues - tries to avoid being drawn into the spiral of violence and crime to become a photographer and win over the beautiful Angélica (Alicia Braga), whilst gun-toting L’il Zé...
- 1/26/2024
- by Philip Hamilton
- Bang Showbiz
Find out where to watch City of God, which became the first Brazilian film to earn four nominations at the Oscars. The film is loosely based on the real events depicted in Paulo Lins’ novel of the same name which was published in 1997 which tracked the evolution of organized crime in a poor suburb of Rio de Janerio through the lives of those growing up there. Told from the perspective of Buscape, a young man who dreams of one day becoming a photographer and escaping the harsh reality of his hometown.
Based On True Life
The source material for the film was the 1997 novel by Paulo Lins, written in his naive Portuguese as “Cidade de Deus”. The title City of God is taken from the name of the favella in the novel in which the three main characters, Buscape, Lil Ze, and Angelica, are all from. The book is interestingly...
Based On True Life
The source material for the film was the 1997 novel by Paulo Lins, written in his naive Portuguese as “Cidade de Deus”. The title City of God is taken from the name of the favella in the novel in which the three main characters, Buscape, Lil Ze, and Angelica, are all from. The book is interestingly...
- 1/31/2023
- by Eve Ruck
- ScreenRant.com
In the final scene of the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, Doughboy (Ice Cube) talks about documentaries covering violent places around the world. Where’s the coverage in his world, South Central, Los Angeles? “Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the hood,” he says. A box office success and multiple Oscar nominee, this was the birth of the “hood film,” with subsequent movies trading South Central for Brooklyn, Paris, or Hackney, or even the term “hood” for “favela.” One of the best in the genre, City of God released in 2002, based on the book by Paulo Lins and directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. The ostensible protagonist Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) is trying, like everyone, to escape the violence of the Cidade de Deus in Rio de Janeiro. His dream of being a professional photographer grants his camera access to the inner lives of drug dealers,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Harrison Chute
- Collider.com
Since its premiere in 2002, City of God has been celebrated for its stylish yet realistic portrayal of crime in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, but there has also been some confusion about whether the movie is actually based on a true story. Co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, City of God is a landmark of Brazilian cinema that achieved global success. Decades later, it's still one of the country's highest-grossing movies of all time, and it remains tied for the most Oscar nominations for a Brazilian production. At the 2004 Academy Awards, the movie was up for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.
Originally titled Cidade de Deus in its native Portuguese, City of God is a coming-of-age crime drama set in the titular favela over a time span from the late 1960s and to the early 1980s. The movie's protagonist, Rocket, is a young man with...
Originally titled Cidade de Deus in its native Portuguese, City of God is a coming-of-age crime drama set in the titular favela over a time span from the late 1960s and to the early 1980s. The movie's protagonist, Rocket, is a young man with...
- 1/7/2023
- by Christopher Campbell
- ScreenRant.com
Fernando Meirelles' 2002 film City of God is one of the most highly-acclaimed international films of the past 20 years. With an 8.6/10 rating on IMDb, the film is currently ranked #22 on IMDb's Top 250. The film also boasts a 91% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and a 79/100 Metascore.
Related: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) 2000s Crime Movies
Set in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the gritty crime film is loosely based on the real-life events that took place in South America during the 60s, 70s, and 80s. With undying violence all around them, City of God follows Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), and Lil Ze (Leandro Firmino), two boys desperate to evade a life of danger.
Related: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) 2000s Crime Movies
Set in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the gritty crime film is loosely based on the real-life events that took place in South America during the 60s, 70s, and 80s. With undying violence all around them, City of God follows Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), and Lil Ze (Leandro Firmino), two boys desperate to evade a life of danger.
- 9/25/2020
- ScreenRant.com
Our countdown of the 100 best films of the 21st century continues. This is Part 2 #75 through 51.
Click here for Part 1 (#100-76)!
The first decade and a half of the 21st century has brought a lot of changes to the landscape of film. The advancement and sophistication of computers has made realistic computer generated effects a mainstay in both big-budget and small-budget films. The internet and streaming technologies have given big Hollywood new competition in films produced independently and by non-traditional means. We went from purchasing films on yards of tape to plastic disks, and now we can simply upload them to the cloud. Advertisements for films have reached a higher, more ruthless level where generating hype through trailers and teasers is crucial for a film’s commercial success. Movie attendance has fluctuated along with the economy, but that hasn’t stopped films from breaking box office records, including having films gross...
Click here for Part 1 (#100-76)!
The first decade and a half of the 21st century has brought a lot of changes to the landscape of film. The advancement and sophistication of computers has made realistic computer generated effects a mainstay in both big-budget and small-budget films. The internet and streaming technologies have given big Hollywood new competition in films produced independently and by non-traditional means. We went from purchasing films on yards of tape to plastic disks, and now we can simply upload them to the cloud. Advertisements for films have reached a higher, more ruthless level where generating hype through trailers and teasers is crucial for a film’s commercial success. Movie attendance has fluctuated along with the economy, but that hasn’t stopped films from breaking box office records, including having films gross...
- 1/13/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Article by Dan Clark
With the recent release of Lawless it had me thinking about one of my favorite movie genres. I’m not sure what it is but the crime genre has produced some of the greatest films of all time. That made creating this list even more difficult. One thing I did do to ease my pain a little was I didn’t include Westerns. I figured I would save those for their own list. After much frustration I was finally able to break it down to the Top 30 Crime Films of All Time. I’m sure some of the list will surprise you while others choices will be far more obvious.
Here’s the Top 10, and for the rest check out the full Top 30 rundown on Gcrn.
10) No Country for Old Men
Directed By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Written By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, and Cormac McCarthy
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones,...
With the recent release of Lawless it had me thinking about one of my favorite movie genres. I’m not sure what it is but the crime genre has produced some of the greatest films of all time. That made creating this list even more difficult. One thing I did do to ease my pain a little was I didn’t include Westerns. I figured I would save those for their own list. After much frustration I was finally able to break it down to the Top 30 Crime Films of All Time. I’m sure some of the list will surprise you while others choices will be far more obvious.
Here’s the Top 10, and for the rest check out the full Top 30 rundown on Gcrn.
10) No Country for Old Men
Directed By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Written By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, and Cormac McCarthy
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones,...
- 9/12/2012
- by Guest
- Nerdly
The Film
City Of God is all too often cited as the Brazilian Goodfellas.
While it’s a fine comparison to have made towards the film – there’s far more to it than simply following in the footsteps of Scorsese’s classic. Yes, it has an epic narrative which spans multiple decades and charts the lives of a group of criminals – but Fernando Meirelles’ 2002 masterpiece has its own distinctions which make it culturally and thematically unique. Scorsese wouldn’t begin a movie with Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro chasing a fleeing chicken through the streets of New York.
It’s also significant that City Of God’s characters aren’t drawn to the glitz and glamour of criminality – instead drawn to the path as a way to break free from their oppressive and poverty stricken slum backgrounds. There’s true horror in the films portrayal of gang culture, with...
City Of God is all too often cited as the Brazilian Goodfellas.
While it’s a fine comparison to have made towards the film – there’s far more to it than simply following in the footsteps of Scorsese’s classic. Yes, it has an epic narrative which spans multiple decades and charts the lives of a group of criminals – but Fernando Meirelles’ 2002 masterpiece has its own distinctions which make it culturally and thematically unique. Scorsese wouldn’t begin a movie with Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro chasing a fleeing chicken through the streets of New York.
It’s also significant that City Of God’s characters aren’t drawn to the glitz and glamour of criminality – instead drawn to the path as a way to break free from their oppressive and poverty stricken slum backgrounds. There’s true horror in the films portrayal of gang culture, with...
- 9/19/2011
- by Stephen Leigh
- Obsessed with Film
Craig here (from Dark Eye Socket) with Take Three. Today: Alice Braga
Take One: Blindness (2008)
As per the José Saramago novel that Blindness is based on, no characters have names in the film, thus Braga is known only as ‘Woman with Dark Glasses’. (Julianne Moore is ‘Doctor’s Wife’; Danny Glover is ‘Man with Black Eye Patch’ etc.) She’s one of a gathering of randomly afflicted people who succumb to a mysterious blindness epidemic. All the cast, however big or small the role, collaboratively convey the exact amount of conviction in their roles. They remain true to their characters’ physical, psychological and emotional positions each step of the way. There’s a defiant ‘all in it together’ aspect, in which each actor instinctively plays off one another in rewarding ways, not least when it comes to Braga.
Two prominent scenes stand out. Both speak volumes about who WwDG is...
Take One: Blindness (2008)
As per the José Saramago novel that Blindness is based on, no characters have names in the film, thus Braga is known only as ‘Woman with Dark Glasses’. (Julianne Moore is ‘Doctor’s Wife’; Danny Glover is ‘Man with Black Eye Patch’ etc.) She’s one of a gathering of randomly afflicted people who succumb to a mysterious blindness epidemic. All the cast, however big or small the role, collaboratively convey the exact amount of conviction in their roles. They remain true to their characters’ physical, psychological and emotional positions each step of the way. There’s a defiant ‘all in it together’ aspect, in which each actor instinctively plays off one another in rewarding ways, not least when it comes to Braga.
Two prominent scenes stand out. Both speak volumes about who WwDG is...
- 7/24/2011
- by Craig Bloomfield
- FilmExperience
Fernando Meirelles, 2002
This ground-level report on gang life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro exploded with thrilling and terrible force. An electrifying piece of cinema packed full of visual invention and dazzling set-pieces, it owes a debt to Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and audaciously pays it off. Though it unfolds at an exhilarating pace and crackles with danger, the film never allows itself to become seduced by the abundant violence of favela life. Instead, it keeps its lens trained on the attendant horrors, which mount up as the narrative jumps forward in time. What is most horrifying of all is how those caught up in the violence – victims and perpetrators alike – keep getting younger and younger.
The film begins in the relative innocence of the late 60s, soon after the City of God (a real-life Rio slum, ironically named) was constructed. Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) is an 11-year-old at the margins of gang life.
This ground-level report on gang life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro exploded with thrilling and terrible force. An electrifying piece of cinema packed full of visual invention and dazzling set-pieces, it owes a debt to Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and audaciously pays it off. Though it unfolds at an exhilarating pace and crackles with danger, the film never allows itself to become seduced by the abundant violence of favela life. Instead, it keeps its lens trained on the attendant horrors, which mount up as the narrative jumps forward in time. What is most horrifying of all is how those caught up in the violence – victims and perpetrators alike – keep getting younger and younger.
The film begins in the relative innocence of the late 60s, soon after the City of God (a real-life Rio slum, ironically named) was constructed. Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) is an 11-year-old at the margins of gang life.
- 10/19/2010
- by Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
(Director Fernando Mereilles, above. In City Of God, below, Rocket, played by Alexandre Rodrigues, is on the run.)
(This article originally appeared in Venice Magazine and Latin Style Magazine. City Of God was one of my favorite films of the decade, and I regret that I'm just getting this article online now! I recall Mereilles mentioning that he had a dozen offers from the studios, as in "go" projects, at the time. It was a new experience for him, and City Of God was just getting noticed in the States. He would round out the decade with the films The Constant Gardener and Blindness.)
By Terry Keefe
Adapted from the best-selling novel Cidade de Deus by Brazilian author Paulo Lins, Fernando Mereilles' City of God is the story of three decades -- the 60s, 70s, and 80s -- inside the eponymous, impoverished Brazilian housing project (also known as a favela...
(This article originally appeared in Venice Magazine and Latin Style Magazine. City Of God was one of my favorite films of the decade, and I regret that I'm just getting this article online now! I recall Mereilles mentioning that he had a dozen offers from the studios, as in "go" projects, at the time. It was a new experience for him, and City Of God was just getting noticed in the States. He would round out the decade with the films The Constant Gardener and Blindness.)
By Terry Keefe
Adapted from the best-selling novel Cidade de Deus by Brazilian author Paulo Lins, Fernando Mereilles' City of God is the story of three decades -- the 60s, 70s, and 80s -- inside the eponymous, impoverished Brazilian housing project (also known as a favela...
- 1/25/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
When Dustin "Cinnamon" Rowles assigned me to produce a canon of the top ten foreign language films of the aughts, I felt incredibly intimidated. When Dustin assured me that I was the critic for the job, as I had probably seen the most foreign films out of the entire staff, my anxiety only deepened. I admit that I watch a lot of foreign language flicks, thanks to Netflix, the American Cinematheque's wonderful programming, and owning a region-free DVD player. However, when I spoke to my cinema and media studies classmates and colleagues, I quickly began to realize that I had still missed a torrent of films that could have made this list (Caché, Downfall, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, Maria Full of Grace, and Werckmeister Harmonies to name a few). Moreover, to consolidate all the films I had seen over the past decade from all the non-English speaking countries around the world was,...
- 12/10/2009
- by Drew Morton
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