Orfeu Negro (1959)

Director:

Marcel Camus

Writers:

Marcel Camus (writer)
Jacques Viot (writer)

Release Date:

21 December 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world...

Plot:

A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Carnival | Trolley | Samba | Latin America

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Breno Mello	...	Orfeo
Marpessa Dawn	...	Eurydice
Marcel Camus	...	Ernesto
Fausto Guerzoni	...	Fausto
Lourdes de Oliveira	...	Mira
Léa Garcia	...	Serafina
Ademar Da Silva	...	Death
Alexandro Constantino	...	Hermes
Waldemar De Souza	...	Chico
Jorge Dos Santos	...	Benedito
Aurino Cassiano	...	Zeca
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maria Alice
Ana Amélia
Elizeth Cardoso
Arlete Costa
Maria de Lourdes
Modesto De Souza
Agostinho dos Santos
Afonso Marinho
Esther Mellinger
Eunice Mendes
Dinorah Miranda
Zeni Pereira
Teresa Santos

Also Known As:

Black Orpheus (USA)
Orfeo negro (Italy)
Orfeu do Carnaval
Orphée noir (France)

Runtime:

100 min | 107 min

Country:

Brazil | France | Italy

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company:

Dispat Films

Trivia:

Although this won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, ironically it is not terribly well regarded in its native Brazil where some object to the depiction of their country as being a non-stop party.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Benedito: [to Serafina] Serafina, look how beautiful!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Zodiac Killer (2005)

Soundtrack:

Prevo

One of My Favorites

I love this movie for its incredibly gorgeous music, actors and landscapes. The children are delightful and natural. There are scenes that will make you cry. To see the movie on the big screen in the original Portuguese is heavenly.