City of God (2003)

Director: Fernando Meirelles  Katia Lund  Starring: Leandro Firmino da Hora  Alexandre Rodrigues  
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Product Summary
Publisher: Buena Vista
Format: DVD
UPC: 00786936223897
Buy.com Sku: 40230734
Item#: VH35EL
Buy.com Sales Rank: 4113
Category Keywords: 1960s  1980s  Big City  Coming Of Age  Drug Dealers  Essential Cinema  Friendships  Live-Action  Photographers  Recommended  Theatrical Release 
Rating: 
 
Fight and you'll never survive..... Run and you'll never escape.
 
 
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, Documentary, English, Spanish, French Subtitled
 
Celebrated with worldwide acclaim, this powerful true story of crime and redemption has won numerous prestigious awards around the globe! The streets of the world's most notorious slum, Rio de Janeiro's City of God, are a place where combat photographers fear to tread, police rarely go, and residents are lucky if they live to the age of 20. In the midst of the oppressive crime and violence, a frail and scared young boy will grow up to discover that he can view the harsh realities of his surroundings with a different eye: the eye of an artist. In the face of impossible odds, his brave ambition to become a professional photographer becomes a window into his world...and ultimately his way out!
 
"Like a bomb exploding in a fireworks factory: It's fierce and shocking and dazzling and wonderful."  Megan Lehmann, New York Post
"The film is seductive, disturbing, enthralling--a trip to hell that gives the passengers a great ride."  Richard Corliss, Time

 


Editor's Note

Youth gangs took over the slums of Rio de Janiero during the 1960s and didn't relinquish their stronghold until the mid-1980s. Only a sucker wouldn't have turned to crime and this is exactly how naive teen Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) views himself. His attempts in illegal activity fail as he finds potential victims too friendly. Equally unsuccessful in love, he regularly fails to lose his virginity. Blood spills throughout the streets of the Ciudad de Deus as gang leader Li'l Ze (Leandro Firmino da Hora) is challenged by local druglords and a gang of pre-teens known as the Runts. Rocket shoots all of this action with his weapon of choice, a camera.

Director Fernando Meirelles combines visual flashiness with dark history in telling the story of three decades of unrest in underground Rio de Janiero. Technically flawless, the Brazilian film uses a rapid-cutting style to flash back and forth in time. Cinematographer Cesar Charlone shoots with an overexposed glow in a film that may seem numb to violence, but reveres photography. Director Meirelles was assisted by Katia Lund, a filmmaker who had previously shot in the Rio ghettos.

 

Features
Interactive Menus
Widescreen Presentation
Audio: English, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Scene Selection
 
Technical Info

Release Information
Studio: Buena Vista
Release Date: 4/28/2009
Running Time: 130 minutes
Original Release Date: 2003
Catalog ID: 3154503
UPC: 00786936223897
Number of Discs: 1

Audio & Video
Original Language: Portuguese
Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], Portuguese
Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Video: Color

Aspect Ratio
1.85:1

 
Cast & Crew
Alexander Rodrigues
Douglas Silva
Jonathan Haagensen
Leandro Firmino
Matheus Nachtergaele
Phellipe Haagensen
Seu Jorge
Andrea Barata Ribeiro - Producer
Braulio Mantovani - Screenplay
Cesar Charlone - Cinematographer
Daniel Rezende - Editor
Fernando Meirelles - Director
Katia Lund - Co-Director
Mauricio Andrade Ramos - Producer
Paulo Lins - Based On Novel By

 
Awards

Oscar (2004)
   Cesar Charlone, Nominee, Best Achievement in Cinematography
   Fernando Meirelles, Nominee, Best Achievement in Directing
   Daniel Rezende, Nominee, Best Achievement in Editing
   Braulio Mantovani , Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

 
Professional Reviews
New York Times
"...CITY OF GOD conveys the authenticity of a cinema verite scrapbook..." 01/17/2003 p.E13

USA Today
"Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles manages a style simultaneously gritty and slick for CITY OF GOD....Even action fans averse to subtitles might do well to check this one out..." 01/17/2003 p.16D

Rolling Stone
"...Meirelles is a world-class talent who illuminates every frame of this fresh, ferocious and indelibly moving film. CITY OF GOD has the scent of a classic..." 02/06/2003 p.68

Entertainment Weekly
"...CITY OF GOD pulses with atmosphere and vibrates with authenticity..." 01/24/2003 p.76

Box Office
"...Uncompromising in its realism....Exhilarating movie-making....It's a remarkable achievement..." 01/01/2003 p.54

Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...We're exhilarated by the sheer filmmaking brio on display here. Mereilles and Lund weave all the strands of the story together with breathtaking ease..." 02/01/2003 p.38-9

Los Angeles Times
"CITY OF GOD is a potent and unexpected mixture of authenticity and flash..." 01/17/2003 p.C1

Premiere
"[A] stunning, powerful drama..." 03/01/2004 p.100-2

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 9 of 10
Despite the grim, serious nature of the subject matter, Meirelles unearths occasional moments of hum
 
Rolling Stone 10 of 10
Meirelles is a world-class talent who illuminates every frame of this fresh, ferocious and indelibly - Peter Travers
 
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
City of God churns with furious energy as it plunges into the story of the slum gangs of Rio - Roger Ebert
 

  
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Customer Reviews
Cinematography 5
Plot 5
Acting 5
Overall Satisfaction 5
Write a Review


 
5 of 5 One of the Greatest Movies I have ever seen Monday, February 16, 2009
A Viewer from Saint Paul, MN  

City of God really is a special film and something that everyone needs to watch. One of my favorite movies with a great story, great characters, and well put together. SEE IT!!!!
 
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5 of 5 Best Foreign Language Film Ever Saturday, July 07, 2007
A Viewer from Bronx, NY  
If you are not a fan of foreign language movies, this film will change your mind. This movie had a unique blend of action, suspense, and romance all in one which makes the film worthy to watch. Although the movie is spoken in Portuguese, it will not distract you from what the movie is about. This is truly a movie to buy; it is unforgettable and you will enjoy every minute if it.
 
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