The battle of the cinematographer at Central do Brasil: cinematographic consumption, press and bureaucracy in Rio de Janeiro’s Belle Époque

Abstract

This article analyzes the battle of the cinematographer of Central do Brasil, that is, the set of articles published in Rio de Janeiro’s press between March and April of 1908 that attacked or defended the management of Aarão Reis in Companhia da Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil for having allowed the installation of a cinematographer at Central Station, in Rio de Janeiro. The questions that will structure our investigation are: a) what conceptions regarding the cinematographic consumption were triggered during this debate?; b) how do these conceptions reveal expectations regarding the state bureaucracy and the control of leisure time of the popular classes? As a research methodology, we adopted the indiciary paradigm, thought by Carlo Ginzburg.

Keywords:
cinema; consumption; First Republic. Rio de Janeiro