A arte de prometer: representações da eleição presidencial brasileira de 1989 no cinema e na imprensa

Abstract

This study analyzes the representations of the 1989 Brazilian presidential election, focusing on the 30th-anniversary commemorative documentaries produced by the newspapers O Globo and Folha de S. Paulo in 2019. The objective is to understand how these productions shape collective memory and influence historical perception, investigating the narratives presented, their editorial intentions, and the political and media contexts in which they were created. The methodology combines historiographical analysis with audiovisual elements—such as framing and narrative structures—grounded in theoretical frameworks on documentary cinema, including Aumont and Marie’s Theoretical and Critical Dictionary of Cinema, alongside works that specifically study the election in question, for example Rodrigo de Aguiar Gomes’s book 1989 – A Maior Eleição da História (1989: The Greatest Election in History). The results reveal contrasting perspectives between the two documentaries. Folha de S. Paulo highlights the election as a milestone in Brazil’s re-democratization process and emphasizes its historical significance, whereas O Globo adopts a critical and moralistic stance, underscoring polarization and delegitimizing the political process. Both productions illustrate the role of the press not only as a recorder of history but also as a political agent that shapes narratives and public perceptions. The study further reflects on the challenges faced by Brazilian democracy at that time—marked by social inequalities, media concentration, and ideological disputes—underscoring the central role of the media in constructing historical memory and influencing political processes. Keywords: Cinema; documentary; media; election