O documentário Megalópolis como veículo de memória

Abstract

The documentary Megalopolis (Leon Hirszman, 1973) discusses the period in which an accelerated modernization began in Brazilian metropolises, specially in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in the early 1970s. The film reveals how metropolitan growth should happen in the country linked to the US model with didactic and expository characteristics. Based on the discussion of documentary as a vehicle of memory (Waterson, 2007), we seek to reveal the potential of Megalopolis as a document and historiographical source through three aspects that stand out in it: The American way of life, nationalism and consumption. To this end, we discuss how the fast modernization and irrational urbanization imposed by the military regime are portrayed in a documentary directed by a filmmaker of Marxist beliefs, which reveal the potential for broadening the discussions surrounding this documentary.