It 's All True: Media, Fiction and Reality in Brazilian Crime Films

The analysis of the relationship between reality and Brazilian cinema is rich and reflects the country's history. At the onset of Brazilian cinema, crime films focused on the felonies that occupied the main headlines were released to compete against foreign productions, which prevailed in the market. With the rise of television, cinema lost this function of commenting on reality. However, during the military dictatorship, crime films put the reality of the street back on the screen in a more down to earth language than "New Cinema", with "O Assalto ao Trem Pagador" ("Assault on the Pay Train" - 1962), "A Grande Cidade" ("The Big City" - 1966) and "Lucio Flavio, Passageiro da Agonia" ("Lucio Flavio, Passenger of Agony"). In the process of resurgence, "Cidade de Deus" ("City of God" - 2002) represents a new phase in this genre of cinematography, followed by "Tropa de Elite 1" ("Elite Squad 1" 2007), whose sequel, in 2011, beat the record as the most viewed film in the history of Brazilian cinema.