Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol

    Movie Poster
    Release year
    1964
    Director
    Glauber Rocha
    Biography of director(s)
    Glauber Rocha (March 14, 1939- August 22, 1981) was an influential Brazilian filmmaker, actor and writer whose work was experimental and focused on social and political rebellion against the current regime. Rocha was one of the most important leaders of cinema novo in Brazil and authored The Aesthetics of Hunger, a manifesto arguing that hunger is violence and that suffering should not be treated as a spectacle. His work served to expose the historical atrocities of colonialism and imperialism instead of trying to cover them up.
    Country
    Brazil
    Original synopsis of the film

    The protagonist Manuel is a poor countryman working on a ranch in the deserts of Brazil. After drought kills some of his livestock, Manuel and his Boss dispute over who will incur the losses. In a dramatic escalation of conflict Manuel kills his boss and flees with his wife Rosa. Seeing revenge, the boss’s henchmen murder Manuel’s mother. Manuel and Rosa flee to a mountaintop where they meet a "prophet" named Sebastiao, who represents God. Manuel and Rosa join the group, which really is a cult, and follow Sebastiao’s violent and tyrannical orders. These orders include climbing up a mountain while holding a boulder and sacrificing the innocent blood of a baby. Meanwhile, another character named Antonio das Mortes is hired by the church and landowning elites to kill the entire cult. Just before he arrives to kill them, Rosa takes fate into her own hands and kills Sebastiao. Antonio allows only Rosa and Manuel to live so they can tell their story. Rosa and Manuel then run into Corisco, a fanatic cangaceiro who represents the Devil and is determined to raid homes of the rich and start a war against the government. Antonio and his fellow assassins find Corisco and kill him and his wife. Manuel and Rosa yet again run away from this murderous scene into the horizon, followed by a poignant shot of the ocean.

    Film still
    Corisco and Manuel in the desert.

    Describes the setting of a scene in a play or a film. It refers to everything placed on the stage or in front of the camera—including people. In other words, mise en scène is a catch-all for everything that contributes to the visual presentation and overall “look” of a production. When translated from French, it means “placing on stage.”

    Setting
    Setting
    Explanation
    Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol was filmed on location in Bahia, a Northeastern state of Brazil. This is typical of cine novo, which places value in the authenticity of capturing reality.
    Timecode
    01:03:31-01:03:32
    Film Still
    Location shot of mountainside path
    Props
    Timecode
    00:49:23
    Prop
    Rock
    Explanation
    The rock that Manuel is forced to carry up the mountainside when he is part of Sebastiao’s cult is a critical prop in the movie. In fact, the actor carried a real boulder for the entirety of the scene rather than a lighter replica. This again contributes to the depiction of unfiltered reality in the film. Other props include: a cross (at Manuel’s mother’s grave and the cult mountain), the knife that Rosa uses to kill Sebastiao, the dead horse depicted in the title sequence, and various guns.
    Film Still
    Manuel carries a heavy rock up the mountain to demonstrate his undying loyalty.
    Lighting
    Lighting
    Explanation
    Overall, Rocha uses low key lighting to create a shadowy and mysterious effect, especially in particularly violent scenes such as when Rosa kills Sebastio in the cave. Additionally, Rocha uses backlighting in the desert scenes to establish a stark contrast between the dark figures and the bright natural landscape.
    Timecode
    00:59:21
    Film Still
    Rocha uses lowkey lighting in the scene where Rosa kills the cult leader.
    Costume
    Costume
    Sebastiao, Corisco, and Antonio's costumes
    Explanation
    Most of the characters wear modest clothing that reflects their lack of wealth, but notably Sebastiao and Corisco have more elaborate looks. Sebastiao has layers of necklaces that highlight his position of power and Corisco has a bandit-esque look that is emphasized by his flashy headband. Finally, Antonio has a dramatic cape, a long rifle and a hat, which give him an intimidating aura.
    Timecode
    01:52:37
    Film Still
    Close up shot of Corisco's hat, headband, and staff.
    Hair and Makeup
    Example
    Corisco, Manuel, and Rosa contrasted with Antonio das Mortes
    Explanation
    At certain points in the film, Corisco has smudges of pigment on his nose, which is perhaps some type of war paint. The other characters do not seem to have makeup. Antonio das Mortes appears far more groomed and clean-cut than other characters, indicating his higher class position. In contrast, Manuel, Rosa, and Corisco have more ruffled and unkempt hair. Their more disheveled look reflects their marginal position in society.
    Timecode
    01:33:58
    Film Still
    Antonio das Mortes has a neat and well-groomed appearance, indicative of his relative wealth and privilege compared to Manuel and other characters.
    Figure Behavior
    Example
    Manuel and Rosa
    Explanation
    Manuel and Rosa have notably different ways of reacting to Sebastiao’s leadership. While Manuel follows orders and believes that Sebastiao can bring him to a better life, after a certain point Rosa has had enough and kills the violent leader that has caused her and her partner so much pain and suffering. Overall, Rosa has a lot more agency than Manuel, who seems doomed to follow his supposed fate.
    Timecode
    01:00:24
    Film Still
    Rosa kills Sebastiao in an act of defiance against a deterministic view of fate.
    Representative Clip
    Explanation
    In this grudgingly long scene, Manuel kneels aside Sebastiao who orders him to climb up the mountain on his knees while carrying an exceedingly heavy stone above his head. By carrying the boulder, Manuel is demonstrating his unrelenting loyalty to the prophet.
    Timecode
    00:45:08-00:49:40
    Film Still
    Film still from scene where Manuel carries rock up the mountain.

    This is the art of photography and visual storytelling in a motion picture or television show. Cinematography comprises all on-screen visual elements, including lighting, framing, composition, camera motion, camera angles, film selection, lens choices, depth of field, zoom, focus, color, exposure, and filtration. Cinematography sets and supports the overall look and mood of a film’s visual narrative. Each visual element that appears on screen, a.k.a. the mise-en-scène of a film, can serve and enhance the story—so it is the cinematographer’s responsibility to ensure that every element is cohesive and support the story. Filmmakers often choose to spend the majority of their budget on high-quality cinematography to guarantee that the film will look incredible on the big screen.

    Point of View
    Quality
    Framing
    Scale
    Movement

    Editing is the process of putting a film together–the selection and arrangement of shots and scenes. Editing can condense space and time, emphasize separate elements and bring them together, and organize material in such a way that patterns of meaning become apparent. In addition, editing can determine how a film is perceived: for instance, quick, rapid cuts can create a feeling of tension, while a long take can create a more dramatic effect. The first photoplays generally had no cutting, owing to the fact that they were single-reel films; once filming began, you could not stop until the film ran out. (https://filmglossary.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/term/editing/)

    Coherence, Continuity, and Rhythym
    Editing Style
    Transitions
    Match
    Expansion and Compression of Time
    Editing General Comments

    Sound is an integral part in a film. It refers to everything that the audience hears including sound effects, words and music. Sound is used in films for various purposes, including: providing the information to the viewer about the location of the scene, heightening the mood, telling the audience about the characters and advancing the plot. Every person who watches a film realizes that the choice of voices, soundtrack and music present in a film affect the way that the viewer perceives a particular film. As a result, the sound is an important and integral element of the film, one that determines the way that the viewer experiences and understands a film as a visual experience.

    Sound Type

    Narrative analysis is an examination of the story elements, including narrative structure, character, and plot. A narrative can be considered to be the chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space. In order to analyze the narrative of a film, we need to first make the distinction between the plot of the film and the story of the film. This is sometimes referred to as the discourse and story of a film. Narrative may also be called the story thought story mainly refers to the events that describe the narrative.

    Plot Comments
    Story Comments
    Narrator Type
    Narrative Structure

    Film genres are various forms or identifiable types, categories, classifications or groups of films. (Genre comes from the French word meaning "kind," "category," or "type"). These provide a convenient way for scriptwriters and film-makers to produce, cast and structure their narratives within a manageable, well-defined framework. Genres also offer the studios an easily 'marketable' product, and give audiences satisfying, expected and predictable choices. Genres refers to recurring, repeating and similar, familiar or instantly-recognizable patterns, styles, themes, syntax, templates, paradigms, motifs, rules or generic conventions.

    Category
    Bibliography

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