What is the City of God?

heaven

Original title

Dehousse City

More Chinese titles

heaven

Despise the laws of mankind and God.

City of God

More foreign movie names

heaven

Dieu, Louisiana ... (France)

The Town of God ... (International: English Title)

Film genre

A thriller/plot/crime

The length of a movie (according to the screening time)

130 minutes/Canada: 135 minutes (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country/region

The United States, France and Brazil

conversational language

Portuguese

colour

colour

Match to the original tape

Dolby digital surround sound

grade

It was rated as R level because of strong brutal violence, pornography, drug content and language.

grade

Hong Kong: III Finland: K- 18 Germany: 16 Iceland: 16 Norway: 15 Sweden: 15 USA: R Italy: T Japan: R-15 SPAIN:/.

cost of production

, 300,000 (estimated)

Property in copyright

Film Kutos Limited and Hank Levin Film Limited.

loan

be in charge of/supervisor

Fernando meirelles, fernando meirelles

Kátia Lund Katia Lund 9 (co-director)

dramatist

Paul Lins ... Novels

Bráulio Mantovani ... Script.

executant

Alexander rodriguez ... Buscaper rocket.

Matheus nachtergaele ... Sandro Senora-Carrots

Leandro Firmino ... Sai Pequeno-Rilze (as Leandro Firmino D 'Hora)

Phellipe Haagensen ... Ben-Benny.

Douglas silva douglas silva ... D 'Addinho-Lille dice.

Jonathan Haagensen ... Cabella-Shojaei

Seu jorge ... Mane Galinha-Knock Ned out.

Jeffershand Su Pulino ... Alicante-Clippert

Alice Braga alice braga ... Angelika

producer

Andre balata Ribeiro ... Producer.

Mark Beauchamp ... co-producer.

Daniel Philo ... co-producer.

Hank Levin ... co-producer.

Vincent Maraval ... Co-producer

Mauricio andrade Ramos ... Producer.

Production and sales

Shooting format

35 mm

16mm

Manufacturing and processing method

spherical

layout

35 mm

Film length

3557 m (Switzerland)

width

35 mm wide screen system

Production company

O2 Movie [Brazil]

Television film [Brazil]

Issuing company

Asmik AISI Entertainment Company [Japan]

Buena Vista International [Argentina ]...(2003) (Argentina) (in theory)

Weber International Buena Vista International [UK ]...(2003) (UK) (Theory)

Konstantin Film Co., Ltd. Konstantin Film Company [Germany ]...(2003) (Germany) (Theory)

Fanatical film [Switzerland ]...(2003) (Switzerland) (drama)

Gativo [Argentina] ... (2003) (Argentina) (DVD)

Wonderful film [Germany] ... (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Imagem films [Brazil] (DVD)

Photo of Lighthouse [Singapore] ... (Singapore)

Distribution of Mars [France ]...(2006) (France) (Drama)

Megacon Film Company (MCF) ... (Yugoslavia) (all media)

Emperor [Italy] ... (Yugoslavia) (all media)

Milla Max Film [USA] (2003) (USA) (Theater) (Subtitles)

New Age Entertainment [Portugal ]...(2003) (Portugal) (all media)

Family Entertainment in paradiso [Netherlands ]...(2003) (Portugal) (all media)

And the movie [Korea] ... (Korea)

Special effects production company

Artes Tektronik Nicas [Brazil] ... (Special Effects)

Other companies

Mark. o Alimenta？ O[ Brazil] ...

Milan Records Company ... The soundtrack released by.

Release date?

Brazil

Brazil

August 30(th), 2002

Britain, England

Britain

65438+200313 October

United States of America

United States of America

June 65438, 2003+10/October 65438+July ..... (limited)

Spain

Spain

65438+2003 10 month

the Netherlands

the Netherlands

February 6(th), 2003

France

France

March 2003 12

Australia

Australia

March 2003 13

Hungary

Hungary

March 2003 13

Argentina

Argentina

March 20(th), 2003

Portugal

Portugal

March 2, 20031

Mexico

Mexico

May 2003 1

Germany

Germany

May 8(th), 2003

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

May 8(th), 2003

Italy

Italy

May 9(th), 2003

Singapore

Singapore

June 26(th), 2003

Czech(people)

Czech Republic

July 2003 10

Denmark

Denmark

July 2003

Türkiye

turkey

July 2003 18

New Zealand

New Zealand

August 2003 14

Sweden

Sweden

June 65438+10/October 65438+July 2003

Russia

Russia

February 5, 2004 ..... (Limited)

Plot introduction

The protagonist in City of God is not a person, but a place. The City of God was a slum in Brazil in the 1960s. Since 1980s, it has become the most dangerous place in Rio de Janeiro.

Many people's stories are told in the film, but everything is told through the eyes of a child: Busca, a black child born in a poor family, is weak, afraid of becoming a criminal and content with a low-paid job.

The environment in which he lives is full of violence, and he has no chance to escape. However, his way of observing and exploring society is different. He has his own unique view of reality: because he has the eyes of an artist who is good at exploring life. Finally, he became a professional photographer. This may be his salvation. ...

Busca is not the real protagonist of this film, and the plot development of the film is not based on him. But his life is involved in this story. Through his observation of life, we can also see that the film condemns the degeneration of human nature and endless violence.

The film is divided into three stages:

The late 1960s.

Busca is a boy of 1 1 years old in the city of God. The so-called city of God refers to a poor town in the outer suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. One day, he saw a photographer at work, and from then on, he decided to make a living by it.

Datinho moved to the city of God. He is also a boy of 1 1 years old. His dream is to be the most dangerous criminal in Rio de Janeiro. His evil nature was exposed at an early age. Soon, Dadinho became one of the local criminals. He worships Cabel Laila and his gang. All they do is intercept gasoline trucks and merge with other second-rate armed groups. It was Cabel Laila who gave Dadinho the opportunity to kill for the first time. When he grew up, he took killing as a common practice.

The 1970s.

The story of two people continues. Busca goes to school and occasionally does odd jobs. At this time, he seems to be a marginal teenager, wandering between depravity and "normal" life.

Datinho's hands are covered with blood, and many lives are in his hands. At this time, he has become the leader of a small gang. Of course, he has not forgotten his childhood dream. Soon he found a shortcut, selling cocaine and marijuana is far better than robbery, and it is also the only way to become a gangster. So he set out to set up his own "career".

In the early 1980s.

After several failed armed robberies, Busca finally got a camera and became a photographer. Realized his childhood dream.

D 'Addinho also realized his dream: at the age of 18, he changed his name to Peque? o and became the most awesome drug dealer in Rio de Janeiro. In the city of God, everything he says is the law. Childhood playmates became members of his gang. In order to expand his gang, some 9- 14 boys became his men. No one dared to challenge Mangarinha's position before he appeared. He is a bus conductor. Seeing his girlfriend raped with his own eyes, he vowed to kill Peque? o at any cost and avenge his girlfriend. As soon as this statement came out, a child armed group was formed almost overnight. They have the same belief-killing Peque? o. The city of God is about to face a war.

Related comments

Comment in one sentence

Fight, and you will never survive ... Run, and you will never escape.

0/5 mile from heaven/kloc-... one will do anything to tell the world everything.

Based on a true story.

Drugs, guns, music, love

If you run, it will catch you. If you stay, it will eat you.

Related film reviews

★ Killing the city in the dark-about lawlessness

"Lawlessness" began with a chicken running for its life. Chasing a chicken with a camera, the camera changed quickly, and the street scene in Gao Fancha was dazzling, and then two gangs appeared. There are policemen not far away, but Po, who is surrounded by this group of people in the middle of the picture, doesn't know where he has escaped. The camera turned 360 degrees around him. Well, we saw that he was in a critical situation, and then the camera went back to the 1960s. There is such a master storyteller who knows that you are already worried about Po, and even goes into details from the beginning, which makes you unable to concentrate.

In fact, it should be an epic, because the story spans 30 years, and a series of characters also brought a poor cave called "City of God" to life in Brazil. But the director not only didn't drown himself, but even cut off all the scenes that would slow down, so the camera moves quickly, and the characters may be shot as soon as they appear, without mercy, and even you don't have time to cultivate compassion. Street hooligans appear in batches. They fought for territory and became the boss. Every time an 8-year-old child appears, you are still wondering how he can shoot others without heart. He was killed by another 7-year-old before he changed his face. The child has a gun that may be thicker than his arm. They can't read, but they know drugs and guns They are not afraid of running all over the street, burning and looting.

Although the story sequence is long and there are many characters, the director has a way to condense the length of these people just right. Every still picture and subtitle has the function of making the finishing point. Every shot is calculated to make me wonder how many times he cut it back and forth, and the style is unified. From beginning to end, juvenile fights are violent, and even the occasional love affair is destroyed by a group of emerging children. The director didn't forget to spice up a few jokes humorously. In the dark, we witnessed the killing city together, which was ironically named "God". We were frightened by these teenagers and felt that they had no choice but to live an unimaginable cruel life, but these jokes made us laugh.

Finally, the chicken that escaped at the beginning of the film appeared again. Unexpectedly, it is the longest-lived creature in the film. The camera turned 360 degrees again. A cannon is still in the gang confrontation, and the passionate music in South America is also playing ... You think this is a hell that is complicated and chaotic, but I am sure that the director is responsible for everyone in this hell, every inch of land and even every dust flying in the air.

The film critic of the British "Guardian" said: "Run, don't go to the theater. I can only say so much. "

Behind the scenes production

The film gives people a sharp visual impact, and the rapid switching of the lens shines like a dagger that has been honed repeatedly. Simply and directly express everything worth expressing, and never drag your feet. The film borrows shooting techniques rarely involved in documentaries, such as MTV-style psychedelic colors, high-speed flashing, and emergency stop. What is more shocking than visual images is the direct depiction of the crime scene in the film. The murder in this film has no exaggerated critical effect and no hidden meaning. It makes you believe that this city was originally a paradise for criminals and executioners. Endless plunder and slaughter are not only their pleasure, but also constitute the whole connotation of their life value.

The film wants to express not only the mental journey of Busca and Dadinho, but also the real protagonist in the film: the city of God. In this poor place, dozens of tangled stories have happened, and a brand-new field that no one has ever set foot in is presented to us. There are scenes of true stories, including love, laughter and fighting. City of God is a true portrayal of Rio de Janeiro, and it is for this reason that it has become an amazing film.

Some novels that try to describe the current situation in Brazil do not reflect its real turmoil. The accelerating social division makes violent crimes insignificant.

Few authors describe the political situation in Brazil in detail (Brazil's apartheid policy and violent crimes in slums). The author Paul Lins was born in the slums of Brazil. In The City of God, he reveals the political problems in Brazil from a new perspective. Not only is the drug trade rampant in slums, but so is the power struggle. Almost all the young actors in the film come from the slums around Rio de Janeiro, and directors Merilaas and Catilaz spent six months with these children.

"City of God" revived the film industry in Brazil, and at the same time let the audience have a certain understanding of the social roots of the chaotic situation in Brazil.

About the original work

"For 20 years, whenever my son asked me: Dad, what is Rio de Janeiro or other big cities in Brazil like? I told him: Why don't you read City of God? They are described there. Do you understand what I mean? "

-Marilla Salis (documentary actress)

City of God is adapted from the novel City of God. The author Paul Lins spent eight years interviewing and collecting information about drug trafficking. After the novel was published by the CIA. Das Letras was highly praised by critics and soon became one of the best-selling novels in Brazil. It will be translated into six languages and listed in 12 countries, including France (Gallimard Press) and the United States (Strauss &; Giroux Press), Italy (Einaudi Press), and Britain (Bloomsbury Press).

Author Paul Lins and the City of God

1982, the anthropologist Alba Sarah organized a discussion about the crime in the city of God, which was called "the crime at the bottom of society". In that discussion, Paul contacted and interviewed some people directly or indirectly. Alba Sarah asked him to write an article about anthropology, and Paul told her that he was more interested in literature. So Paul wrote a poem, which was later published in Novos Estudos Cebrap magazine through Roberto Schwartz. Roberto Schwartz has always wanted him to write a novel. From 65438 to 0986, Paul began to write "City of God", and ten years later, he finished this work reflecting the violence at the bottom of Brazilian society. This book was published in 1997.

Paul said: "When I wrote this novel, I often thought that maybe one day this novel will be adapted into a movie and put on the screen. I like movies, from 1980 to 1987. I have always been a member of the City of God Film Club. This film club often shows some political films, such as Cross Your Fingers, Marcus Paradas and They Don't Need Evening Dresses. I often think that if the city of God is put on the screen, many people will participate. "

When Fernando Merrill told Paul with some enthusiasm that he wanted to make this film, he was very excited. 1997, Paul sold the original copyright to Louis Schwartz. Frinando and Blariaux Mantofini began to adapt the script. "My first contact with Braulio was to discuss the background age and the language used in the film, when he was writing the first three manuscripts. Two years later, I became a consultant again, but this time for Catilaz Lund. She began to participate in the production of the script, hoping to dig deeper into the inner world of the characters. At this time, the film has already started shooting in Rio de Janeiro. I worked with Catilaz as early as shooting Documentary News from a Private War and O Rappa's short film A Minha Alma, so I am sure that the actors will be selected according to the realistic style. "

The film started in June, 20001year, and Paul was invited to help discuss some issues in the film, such as historical background, clothing, music and so on. Paul also tried to take part in the filming. On the set, Fernando and Katiras often adopt some of his suggestions. Paul was very satisfied with the film, and he was very surprised by the natural deductive style of the actors.

Paul said, "I'm glad that City of God has been translated into Italian, French, Catalan, Swedish and Danish, and will be translated into English in the near future. What makes me more gratified is that more and more people can learn about "City of God" through this film, and they will have a deeper understanding of violence, abandonment, education and poverty in this land of Brazil. "

Director Fernando Merilaas talks about "City of God"

Reading City of God is like reading an apocalypse, an apocalypse about the other side of the motherland. Before reading this book, I always thought I had a deep understanding of apartheid in Brazilian society. After reading this book, I realized that middle-class people sometimes can't see what is happening around them. The so-called country, law, citizens, education, future and future are all abstract concepts.

I decided to make a film that is loyal to the original, a film that reflects slum life and has no acting skills. There is no fixed plot in the film, and even no professional actors join in. In reality, only children are alive. I am lucky that every actor has the same passion for movies as I do.

The problems reflected in City of God exist not only in Brazil, but also in the whole world. Violence breeds in our civilized world. The richness of the first world cannot appear in the third world and the fourth world. You can also say that you are struggling on the edge of pain.

Photographer Caesar Caron

"... ... Peque? o beat nine-year-old Bigolin relentlessly until he fainted. Peque? o thought he was playing dead, so he didn't stop. After that, Peque? o laughed and shot the bullet into Bigolin's body to stop him from twitching ... "

"... he quickened his pace, turned into a street corner, held his breath and looked at his wound. He leaned his cheek against the wall to make sure if anyone was following him. But at the moment of being hit by a bullet between the eyebrows, Peque? o appeared ... "

Photographer Caesar Caron copied the above paragraph from the original and posted it on the door, so that every time he saw it, he would form a clear character image in his mind. I talked to Fernando about the orientation and general direction of the film, and he hoped to be faithful to the original work and shoot the film. The story in Paul's book is completely strange to us, and his observation angle is unique, but we still try our best to make the film original.

When Caesar set out to design the shooting process, Fernando had decided to shoot the film with extras who really lived in slums instead of professional actors. This is indeed a good choice, which makes the film look more "real", but it also brings some difficulties to the shooting work. One of the biggest difficulties is that it is easy to make a documentary. Actors have no concept of basic elements such as light, and some people (especially some children) can't even tell fiction from reality.

At the beginning of shooting, Caesar thought it was just an action play. They have all kinds of available violent movie materials, and can easily find countless "dream" materials from the "material library" to create dazzling action movies. But when Caesar and his assistants read "City of God" carefully, in the eyes of the film crew, all the materials became nothingness. The novel brings them back to reality, and all the fancy plots can't appear in this movie. Everything in Caesar's films is adapted from a 600-page novel of the same name by Brazilian writer Paul Lins, which is absolutely wonderful, ranging from 1960 to 1980. Located in the satellite city of Rio, Brazil, the slum of the city of God, the criminal record of the black street gang, Palolin grew up on the streets of the city of God, and every vivid character in the book was seen by his eyes and heard by his ears.