INCE - Instituto Nacional de Cinema Educativo

A panoramic view of the architecture of St. João Del Rei.

O Descobrimento do Brasil (The Discovery of Brazil) is an impressive historical epic recreating Álvares Cabral’s voyage to the New World in 1500, with a score especially written by the renowned composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos. One of the earliest examples of Brazilian cinema, this film depicts the perilous journey of Pedro Álvares Cabral’s armada from Portugal to Brazil. Though somewhat rudimentary compared to other films of the period, The Discovery of Brazil distinguishes itself with its scenes of indigenous people and Portuguese explorers on the beach, and in the imaginative lighting on board the ship. But the real star is the beautiful cantata by Villa-Lobos that permeates the film.

Animations (only parts in nuclei in the film) and images, many of them archival and foreign, illustrate that the notion of time is associated with movement and its measurement is performed by the rotation of the Earth around its axis and the Sun. The angle of inclination of the Earth in this last movement also marks the climatic seasons. From the need for greater accuracy in measuring time, gnomons and solar quadrants arose, for whose reading the duodecimal numbering is used. Based on this numbering, time zones and mechanical measuring devices were established, illustrated by the clock mechanism with a church bell. The evolution of astronomy determines the creation of more accurate electronic devices for the evaluation of time, such as the meridian telescope, the Markowitz chamber, the electronic oscillators and the telescope, with which astronomers work at the National Observatory.

The architect Sérgio Bernardes' vision of the future for Rio de Janeiro. Models and designs of airports, ports, and remodeled neighborhoods propose the creation of a vertical city for the urban problem and its transformation into an international center for commercial and

The planning of the city, linking its architecture to its topography and the reasons that allow it to have normal and continuous traffic, eliminating the circulation problems of all major cities. Details of the buildings destined for the Government, the residences and the commerce. (Brazilian Cinematheque)

A Velha a Fiar illustrates a Brazilian folk song in which a being or entity is always predating another being, but is in its turn predated by some other animal, until the circle closes. It begins like this: an old woman is quietly weaving and a fly disturbs her; a spider eats the fly; a mouse eats the spider; a cat chases the mouse and so on...

On the dry ground of the caatinga and on the rocky slopes of the sertão, the goat survives. Organic parts of the country landscape, linked to the economy of certain regions, provide milk, meat and skin for export.

A brief history of paper and the stages of its production. An animation about the history of writing, the emergence of paper in ancient civilizations and the invention of printing, taking paper manufacturing to an industrial scale. Paper production in Brazil, with emphasis on the use of pine, eucalyptus and bamboo. At Companhia Mineira de Papéis, in Cataguases, the stages of paper making. Paper consumption and its production in tons in Brazil since 1939. Brazilian self-sufficiency and the use of paper in various activities.

An amalgamation of accents and life experiences from different parts of Brazil reunited on the city of Brasília.

A panel of the capital of Minas Gerais at the end of the 1950s. Aspects of its modern layout, the result of a pre-established urban plan, with its communication routes, squares and public buildings. Understanding the history of the city and its geographical location. Considerations on teaching, commerce and industry. Pampulha and residential neighborhoods.

At the Rockefeller Foundation, the rat colony for experiments with viruses and antibodies in humans. In Ilha dos Macacos, next to the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, in Rio de Janeiro, the creation of Rhesus monkey by the Rockefeller Foundation - a primate species that allows the monitoring of experimental yellow fever.

A cinematographic interpretation of a Casimiro de Abreu poem.