Beyond Citizen Kane
Encyclopedia
Beyond Citizen Kane is a British
documentary film
directed by Simon Hartog
, produced by John Ellis
, and broadcast on Channel 4
.
It details the dominant position of the Rede Globo
media group in the Brazil
ian society, discussing the group's influence, power, and political connections. Globo's president and founder Roberto Marinho
came in for particular criticism, being compared with fictional newspaper tycoon
Charles Foster Kane
, created by Orson Welles
for the 1941 film Citizen Kane
. According to the documentary, Marinho's media group engages in the same Kane wholesale manipulation of news to influence the public opinion
.
group Time Warner
(at the time Time-Life
), Marinho's political maneuverings (which included airing on Jornal Nacional
, the network's prime time
news program
, highlights of a 1989 presidential debate edited in a way as to favor Fernando Collor de Mello
) and a controversial deal involving shares of NEC Corporation and government contracts. It also features interviews with noted Brazilian personalities, such as singer-songwriter
Chico Buarque
, politicians Leonel Brizola
and Antonio Carlos Magalhães
and the ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
.
. The programme was delayed for a year as Rede Globo disputed the programme makers' right under British law to use short extracts from Globo programmes without permission for the purposes of "critical comment and review". During this period, Simon Hartog, the director, died after a long illness. The process of editing was taken over by his co-producer, John Ellis. When eventually broadcast, copies were made available at cost by the production company, and many were sent to Brazil by the Brazilian community in Britain.
Modern Art Museum in March 1994. One day before the premiere, the Military Police
received an order to fulfill a court warrant requiring the confiscation of movie posters and the copy of the film. The direction of the museum was threatened with a heavy fine in case of disobedience. The Secretary of Culture of Rio de Janeiro, put under pressure, was fired just three days after the incident.
Through the 1990s, the film was illegally screened in Universities and political acts without public notice. In 1995, Globo requested in court the confiscation of copies available at the library
of the University of São Paulo
, but the claim was overruled. The film was restricted to University groups until the 2000s, with the internet
boom in Brazil — currently the 5th country by number of web users and 1st in time spent in internet per month — that made the film widely available.
sought to buy the Brazilian rights to the programme, presumably seeking to suppress it. However, Hartog had agreed with various organizations in Brazil that the non-TV rights should be given to them so that the programme could be shown widely by both cultural and political organizations. Globo lost interest in buying the programme when they learned this, and it remains unbroadcast in Brazil. However, many VHS
and DVD
copies have circulated, and the documentary is available on the internet
, via peer-to-peer
networks and video sharing websites
such as YouTube
and Google Video
(where it was watched almost 600,000 times). Contrary to popular belief, the movie is legally available in Brazil, though practically impossible to find, mostly buried in libraries and private collections.
On August 20, 2009, the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo
reported that Rede Record
bought the broadcasting rights of the documentary from Ellis for less than US$ 20,000. This happened after a series of mutual attacks between Globo and Record because of an investigation conducted by the Public Ministry
against Edir Macedo
and other high profile members of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
. Macedo is the owner of Record since November 9, 1989. On February 14, 2011, the newspaper Jornal do Brasil
(quoting the network's spokesperson) reported that Rede Record will broadcast the documentary in 2011, on a date yet to be specified.
(only a few parts are subtitled) Beyond Citizen Kane (streaming) at Google Video
(only a few parts are subtitled)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Simon Hartog
Simon Hartog
Simon Hartog was a British filmmaker.- Life: 8 February 1940 - 18 August 1992 :Hartog was born in England but lived in Chicago from the age of eight, after his parents divorced. He always retained an American accent, although after many years in England as an adult, his accent was not entirely...
, produced by John Ellis
John Ellis (media academic)
John Ellis is a British former TV producer and professor of media arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. Ellis studied English at the University of Cambridge 1970-3 and at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at University of Birmingham 1973-6...
, and broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
It details the dominant position of the Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
media group in the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian society, discussing the group's influence, power, and political connections. Globo's president and founder Roberto Marinho
Roberto Marinho
Roberto Pisani Marinho was the president and founder of the biggest Brazilian TV channel, Globo, a television network with 113 stations and associates...
came in for particular criticism, being compared with fictional newspaper tycoon
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
Charles Foster Kane
Charles Foster Kane
Charles Foster Kane is a fictional character and the subject of Orson Welles' 1941 film Citizen Kane. Welles played Kane , with Buddy Swan playing Kane as a child...
, created by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
for the 1941 film Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
. According to the documentary, Marinho's media group engages in the same Kane wholesale manipulation of news to influence the public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
.
Plot
The documentary tracks Globo's involvement with and support of the military dictatorship, its illegal partnership with the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
group Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
(at the time Time-Life
Time-Life
Time–Life is a creator and direct marketer of books, music, video/DVD, and multimedia products. Its products are sold throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia through television, print, retail, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct sales....
), Marinho's political maneuverings (which included airing on Jornal Nacional
Jornal Nacional
Jornal Nacional is a Brazilian news program aired by Rede Globo since September 1, 1969. It was the first news program broadcast live by a television network throughout Brazil.-History:...
, the network's prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
news program
News program
A news program, news programme, news show, or newscast is a regularly scheduled radio or television program that reports current events. News is typically reported in a series of individual stories that are presented by one or more anchors...
, highlights of a 1989 presidential debate edited in a way as to favor Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello was the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his trial of impeachment by the Brazilian Senate...
) and a controversial deal involving shares of NEC Corporation and government contracts. It also features interviews with noted Brazilian personalities, such as singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Chico Buarque
Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
, politicians Leonel Brizola
Leonel Brizola
Leonel de Moura Brizola was a Brazilian politician. Launched in politics by Getúlio Vargas, Brizola was the only politician to serve as governor of two different states in the whole history of Brazil. In 1959 he was elected governor of Rio Grande do Sul, and in 1982 and 1990 he was elected...
and Antonio Carlos Magalhães
Antônio Carlos Magalhães
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães was a Brazilian politician. His paternal grandparents were Portuguese . He served as Governor of Bahia three times and represented Bahia in the Senate of Brazil three times...
and the ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
.
Dispute with Globo over British rights
The documentary was first shown in September 1993, in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The programme was delayed for a year as Rede Globo disputed the programme makers' right under British law to use short extracts from Globo programmes without permission for the purposes of "critical comment and review". During this period, Simon Hartog, the director, died after a long illness. The process of editing was taken over by his co-producer, John Ellis. When eventually broadcast, copies were made available at cost by the production company, and many were sent to Brazil by the Brazilian community in Britain.
Censorship in Brazil
The first public screening of the film was expected to happen at the Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
Modern Art Museum in March 1994. One day before the premiere, the Military Police
Military Police of Rio de Janeiro State
The Military Police of Rio de Janeiro State like other military polices in Brazil is a reserve and ancillary force of the Brazilian Army, and part of the System of Public Security and Brazilian Social Protection...
received an order to fulfill a court warrant requiring the confiscation of movie posters and the copy of the film. The direction of the museum was threatened with a heavy fine in case of disobedience. The Secretary of Culture of Rio de Janeiro, put under pressure, was fired just three days after the incident.
Through the 1990s, the film was illegally screened in Universities and political acts without public notice. In 1995, Globo requested in court the confiscation of copies available at the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of the University of São Paulo
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
, but the claim was overruled. The film was restricted to University groups until the 2000s, with the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
boom in Brazil — currently the 5th country by number of web users and 1st in time spent in internet per month — that made the film widely available.
Distribution and internet phenomenon
Rede GloboRede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
sought to buy the Brazilian rights to the programme, presumably seeking to suppress it. However, Hartog had agreed with various organizations in Brazil that the non-TV rights should be given to them so that the programme could be shown widely by both cultural and political organizations. Globo lost interest in buying the programme when they learned this, and it remains unbroadcast in Brazil. However, many VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
copies have circulated, and the documentary is available on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, via peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
networks and video sharing websites
Video hosting service
A video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video...
such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Google Video
Google Video
Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
(where it was watched almost 600,000 times). Contrary to popular belief, the movie is legally available in Brazil, though practically impossible to find, mostly buried in libraries and private collections.
On August 20, 2009, the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo
Folha de S. Paulo
Folha de S. Paulo, known simply as Folha , is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in São Paulo since 19 February 1921. Owned by the Frias de Oliveira family since 1962, it has Brazil's largest circulation since 1986. Alongside O Globo and O Estado de S...
reported that Rede Record
Rede Record
Rede Record de Televisão is a Brazilian television network, founded in 1953 by Paulo Machado de Carvalho, also founder of Rádio Record. Currently it is owned by businessman Edir Macedo, founder and bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Since 2007 it is Brazil's second largest...
bought the broadcasting rights of the documentary from Ellis for less than US$ 20,000. This happened after a series of mutual attacks between Globo and Record because of an investigation conducted by the Public Ministry
Public Ministry (Brazil)
The Public Ministry is the Brazilian body of independent public prosecutors, working both at the federal and state level. It operates independently from the three branches of government, and was referred to by Constitutional scholar Michel Temer as the "Fourth Branch".There are three levels of...
against Edir Macedo
Edir Macedo
Edir Macedo Bezerra is a Brazilian religious leader. Macedo was raised Catholic, but by 1970 was a Pentecostal. He founded the "Neo-Pentecostal" Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil in 1977....
and other high profile members of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is a Pentecostal Christian organisation established in Brazil on July 9, 1977, with a presence in many countries...
. Macedo is the owner of Record since November 9, 1989. On February 14, 2011, the newspaper Jornal do Brasil
Jornal do Brasil
Jornal do Brasil, widely known as JB, is a daily newspaper published by Editora JB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was founded in 1891 and is the third oldest existent Brazilian paper, after the Diário de Pernambuco and O Estado de São Paulo....
(quoting the network's spokesperson) reported that Rede Record will broadcast the documentary in 2011, on a date yet to be specified.
External links
BBC: Brazilian media magnate dies Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices 2008 interview with John Ellis on Folha Online Observatório da Imprensa - Muito Além do Cidadão Kane Sociólogo francês compara Roberto Marinho a Berlusconi PUC Minas Library RecordVideo
Download the film (only a few parts are subtitled) Mirror | Torrent (only a few parts are subtitled) Video stream (only a few parts are subtitled) Beyond Citizen Kane - download and streaming (Audio is Portuguese. Few parts have audio in English with Portuguese subtitles) Beyond Citizen Kane (download) at Google VideoGoogle Video
Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
(only a few parts are subtitled) Beyond Citizen Kane (streaming) at Google Video
Google Video
Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
(only a few parts are subtitled)