Christ the Redeemer – World Wonder (Brazil) – In Another Minute (309)

The massive statue of “Christ the Redeemer” (Portuguese: “Cristo Redentor”) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was declared one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007.

While I visited the statue atop Corcovado Mountain in January 2013, it wasn’t until I filmed another World Wonder (the pyramid at Chichén Itzá) that I decided to cut a video specifically about Christ The Redeemer. You guessed it: I’m now aiming to see all 7 Wonders of the World and make 1-minute Moving Postcard videos about them.

The 30-meter tall Jesus Christ statue has been looking at Rio de Janeiro since 1931. Several international men were involved in designing and creating the Art Deco monument: Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa, Romanian Gheorghe Leonida, and French Paul Landowski and Albert Caquot. The statue, made of concrete and soapstone, weighs 635 metric tons.

Of course, the statue itself is impressive. But I think the ride up the mountain with the tram (Trem de Cocovado) is the most fun part or the excursion. It is possible to hike to the top of Cocovado Mountain on an easily visible trail through the Tijuca Forest National Park. While the hike is free, you’ll still have to pay an entry fee (under 10 USD) at the top if you want to see Christ the Redeemer up close.

The bird’s-eye views of Rio de Janeiro, including the neighborhoods Copacabana and Ipanema, are the enough reason to get up on the mountain. Of course, if you’re trying to collect Wonders of the World, then you must go up there – even if it’s yet another cloudy day in Rio.

Right, it rains a lot in Rio. It’s rain forest climate, after all. The low-hanging rain clouds combined with a still very bright sky makes dealing with video footage challenging. Especially shots of the statue against the bright, cloudy sky were very difficult to match to how the eye would see them. Working with this older material again, made me realize how much better my current camera handles such challenges – and that I’m still not great at color correction in post. Nerd talk, I know.

The song featured in this video is “Modern Jazz Samba” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). It is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

More videos from Brazil:

Rio de Janeiro – In Another Minute (Week 147)

Coastal Paradise: Ilha Grande + Paraty – In Another Minute (Week 148)

Carnaval (Carnival) in Salvador – In A Brazil Minute (Week 149)

More Wonders of the World:

Chichén Itzá – World Wonder (Mexico) – In Another Minute (262)

Christ the Redeemer Wonder_MIN 309_s

Submit your comment

Please enter your name

Your name is required

Please enter a valid email address

An email address is required

Please enter your message

Moving Postcard © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Designed by Luci Westphal

Produced by GHWP