Black Orpheus (1959) Orfeu Negro (original title)

Director:

Marcel Camus

Writers:

Marcel Camus (writer)
Vinicius de Moraes (play)
(more)

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:

Trolley | Samba | Dance | Carnival | Brazil

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

Directed by
Marcel Camus

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Marcel Camus		writer
Vinicius de Moraes		play "Orfeu do Carnaval"
Jacques Viot		writer

Produced by
Sacha Gordine	....	producer

Original Music by
Luiz Bonfá
Antonio Carlos Jobim

Cinematography by
Jean Bourgoin

Film Editing by
Andrée Feix

Production Design by
Pierre Guffroy

Production Management
Roberto Bakker	....	assistant production manager
Jacques Gibault	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bartolomeu Andrade	....	assistant director
Robert Mazoyer	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Amaury Leenhardt	....	sound
Raymond Pierre Lemoigne	....	supervising sound editor

Editorial Department
Geneviève Winding	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Silvio Autuori	....	production assistant
Roger Blanché	....	production assistant
Francisco A. Vilela	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Dispat Films
• Gemma
• Tupan Filmes

Distributors

• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Criterion Collection, The (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• UFA Film Hansa (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• CBS Video (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• GAGA
• Globo Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Janus Films (????) (worldwide) (VHS)
• MGM/CBS Home Video (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• atlas Film (????) (Germany) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Orfeu Negro" - Brazil (original title)

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) | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1971) | 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 City of God (2002)

Soundtrack:

Scene Du Lever Du Soleil

One of the best scores ever!

A lot of users will not believe it,but in his native France ,Marcel Camus's name is slowly fading.Worse,"Orfeo negro" is demeaned :it is given only one star in the French dictionary of films.Part of the reason can be found,I think ,in the rest of Camus's career which is mediocre and tarnished his magnum opus by association.But it's unfair.It's a shame a lot of young FRench young people do not even know the existence of this jewel.

"Orfeo negro" is perfection itself: -Its score is one of the most marvelous I can think of ,now stirring,now wistful as this unforgettable song to make the sun rise.

-The Greek myth is superbly recreated ,and the exotic landscapes add magic to the script.

-The actors are dynamic ;the three leads ,Breno Mello,Lourdes de OLiveira and the wunderkind Marpessa Dawn are excellent-why didn't she make the career she deserved?- -The original version is in Portuguese ,which shows Camus's respect for his audience.

-Best scenes:perhaps the scenes in the house of death,with the walk in the papers;also the final scene where children are still there ,to help the sun rise again and again.The meeting with Death in a power station.

An hymn to the sun and to immortality,"Orfeo Negro" is all this and more.