Advisor: Ana Luiza Nobre
Dissertation: The “Conjugados” Apartments of Copacabana: cinema, architecture and city
Defense date: 11/06/2024
Abstract
The research begins with the intersection between cinema and the city,
using Copacabana as a case study to understand the contributions of
cinematographic language to urban analysis. Functionalist analysis methods often
simplify the complex and contradictory perception of the city. Therefore, this
research aims to attribute new meanings to film materials, giving them the status
of archives: using the film material as a source of analysis to reflect on how
cinema influences the city’s image, as well as, reveal the built environment
dynamics. When analyzing the filmography of Copacabana, it is possible to
identify the “conjugados” apartments as visual structures that repeat in the
imagination of this neighborhood, not only as scenarios but as characters with
their narratives. Therefore, from the cinematographic works “Tati, a garota”
(1973) and “Amor Bandido” (1979) by Bruno Barreto, “Vai Trabalhar,
Vagabundo” (1973) by Hugo Carvana, “Edificio Master” (2002) by Eduardo
Coutinho, and “Galeria Alaska” (1979) by José Joffily, all set in the “conjugados”
apartments of Copacabana, the aim is to capture visual flashes that lead to a
polyphonic reading of the neighborhood. Through a process of
montage-disassembly-reassembly, film narratives and archives from various
sources are interwoven, exploring issues that arise from the clash of diverse
visions of Copacabana.