Searching for a method: in between the aesthetic and the history of domestic images during Brazil’s military dictatorship¹

Abstract

This paper intends to present the process of construction of an analytical method used to study archive images when used in contemporary films. Our purpose is to show the development of this particular research field, the way we analyze these archives from the moment they were made to their reutilization years later, the links between the documents, the challenges we faced along the way and the particularities of Brazil’s archival situation. To establish the practical use of this method we chose to analyze the domestic images that were shot during Brazil’s militar dictatorship and the way they are used in the film “Que bom te ver viva” (Lúcia Murat, 1989).

Keywords
Archive Image; Analysis method; Military dictatorship; Brazilian cinema; Home movie