ABSTRACT
The directors and screenwriters of the film, Adalberto Kemeny and Rodolpho Rex Lustig, both Hungarian immigrants, introduced a new cinematic language in São Paulo, based on montage, unexpected camera movements, and the use of people in the streets as protagonists. São Paulo: Sinfonia da Metrópole was released on 6 September 1929 at the Paramount theater in São Paulo, where it was screened until 8 September. Even with all the antecedents, São Paulo: Sinfonia da Metrópole stands out for its originality, capturing the frenzy of the metropolis and its inhabitants and evoking the excitement of modern and industrial life. São Paulo: Sinfonia da Metrópole is surely a documentary with scenes shot on the streets dominating the narrative, but it re-designs its raw footage in a completely subjective way. São Paulo: Sinfonia da Metrópole presents the metropolis first and foremost as a site of accelerated growth, movements of people in the streets, facilities for sports, means of transport, and urban trade.
