Movies and Moviemakers under Vargas

Studies the role of the Brazilian filmmaking media during the 1920s & 1930s in building public consent & the role played by political leaders in supporting this form of propaganda. The use of newsreels was promoted during the Vargas era to promote cultural & national unity & hegemony. Getulio Vargas promoted filmmaking through both private & state agencies for both educational & political reasons, & this intervention both helped & impeded the establishment of an independent movie industry. Laws hampered competition from international filmmakers, but also restricted the creative freedom of national producers. State intervention in the movie industry created public skepticism & boredom that reduced the profitability & inhibited the development of a strong independent business. L. A. Hoffman