The mise en scene in the City Of God is important to represent the change through the film, effecting the City and the people within it.
In the 60's, there was lots of free space, the sky took up much of the shots and the city wasn't particularly built up. The free space represents hope and opportunity for the inhabitants of the city. This is particularly important mise en scene because throughout the film, the space in the shots changes.
In the 70's, the sky didn't take up very much of the shot and the city was in the process of being built up, the lack of free space represents the dwindling hope of the inhabitants and the loss of opportunity and also the progression of the characters and their reputation.
The colours of the 60's was very yellow and bright, this represented optimism and to an extent, happiness, this was because in the 60's, the only real 'bad lads' were the 'tender trio', although these were respected, they weren't very brutal, and this was represented by the yellow tint and the space in every shot.
However, in the 60's, the colours are more blue-ish, a bit more realistic, this represents the development of the powerful drug fuelled gang members and the slowly diminishing optimism of the people of the city of god. The slow development of the city as a whole represents the rise of the gang lords and the quick escalation of the brutality of the people. It also shows the way the fravellas are changing and the control of those that were once in power and no longer.
