Alvorada (film)

Alvorada - Brazil's Changing Face (often referred to as only "Alvorada")[1] is a 1962 West German documentary film directed by Hugo Niebeling. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature [2] and was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

Alvorada
Directed byHugo Niebeling
Produced byHugo Niebeling
Written byHugo Niebeling
Music byOskar Sala
Various Composers
CinematographyAntonio Estêvão
Anders Lembcke
Herbert Müller
Edited byHugo Niebeling
Gertrud Petermann
Production
company
Jean Manzon Films
Mannesmann
Release date
  • 1962 (1962)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguageGerman

Overview

The film offers an overview of Brazil, from the history of the country to the most recent developments at the time of its making - including developments of the industry and the new capital Brasília. It starts with an overview of the country itself and its history, and then proceeds to the social structure and social changes brought by industrialization and other development in recent years.[4]

Style

The film does neither follow the camera- and editing-conventions of documentary films in the early 1960s, nor their narrative style. Instead, it uses experimental camera and editing techniques, often set to different kinds of music and electronic sounds by Oskar Sala. The voice-over-narration of the film (provided by Hugo Niebeling himself) only occasionally tells the viewer details about what they are seeing, often letting impressions speak for themselves. According to Hugo Niebeling, due to its tight connection of music and visual style, Alvorada is also his first "music film".[4]

Reception
  • Melbourne International Film Festival: "A film that does not attempt to give a reasoned, historical or geographical account, but reproduces the visual and emotional impact on a sensitive mind. No technique, no angle, no method of camera transport has been left unexplored, (...) an exciting and beautiful kaleidoscope of images."[5]

Awards

References
  1. "NY Times: About "Alvorada"". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  2. "NY Times: Alvorada". NY Times. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  3. "Festival de Cannes: Alvorada". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  4. "German Historic Museum: Website of the Hugo Niebeling retrospective 2013, featuring an article about Alvorada". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  5. "Melbourne International Film Festival: Site for Alvorada, with commentary on the film". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  6. "35th Academy Awards: List of Nominees and Winners". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  7. "Deutscher Filmpreis: List of Winners". Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  8. "Deutscher Filmpreis: List of Winners". Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  9. "Cannes Film Festival 1963: List of Films in Competition". Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  10. "Melbourne Film Festival: Entry for Alvorada". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
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