Culture, politics and market: national cinema in the Vargas Era

Abstract

The article analyzes the social conditions of national cinema production, specifically during the “Vargas Era” (1930-1945), seeking to understand the characteristics of the formation of the Brazilian cinematographic market. The period stands out in the history of Brazilian cinema for marking the beginning of state interventions in the sector. We tried to demonstrate that, during the period in question, the state intervention ended up fomenting political disputes between the sectors involved in the segment, mainly between exhibition and production. To understand the relationship between cinema and the state, we focus our attention on the processes and conflicts involved both in the formation of state bureaucracy in the area, and in the formulation and institution of legislative measures aimed at regulating the market. We found that the relations between the Getulist government and certain social segments resulted in the transformation of a cultural elite into a political elite, which, together with the State, worked to consolidate certain ideologies that contributed primarily to the support of the political regime. Among them, a specific conception of the instrumental use of cinema, as a means of reproducing certain values ​​that supported the ideology of the government in question.