Implicated audiovisual circuit:

support from the business sector to the Brazilian dictatorship through a documentary on the 150th anniversary of Independence (1972)

Abstract

The audiovisual medium also served as a means of support from the business sector to the Brazilian dictatorship. This article presents a case study of A Land of Many Worlds (Thomas Somlo, 1972, 30 min, color.), a medium-length documentary financed by the tobacco industry Souza Cruz in homage to the 150 years of Brazil’s Independence (1972). The analysis develops the hypothesis of the constitution of an implicated audiovisual circuit in the symbolic support of the regime during the transition from the 1960s to the 1970s. The method draws from both history and audiovisual studies, integrating attentive film analysis with the examination of extracinematic sources that allow for a reconstruction of the production and circulation trajectory of the audiovisual artifact. The argumentation revolves around the retrieval of film reels containing fragments of the documentary in the archive; the ahistorical representation of the “modernized” splendid birthplace; Souza Cruz’s sponsorship and the retail audiovisuals produced by Filmotec; and the circulation of the export film on a national and international scale, interfacing with governmental cultural diplomacy. It is concluded that A Land of Many Worlds, being a private initiative, also straddles the line between official propaganda and civilian support.