Black Orpheus (1959)

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

Director:

Marcel Camus

Writers:

Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot

Stars:

Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Breno Mello	...	Orfeo
Marpessa Dawn	...	Eurydice
Lourdes de Oliveira	...	Mira
Léa Garcia	...	Serafina
Ademar Da Silva	...	Death (as Adhemar Feirrera da Silva)
Waldemar De Souza	...	Chico
Alexandro Constantino	...	Hermes
Jorge Dos Santos	...	Benedito
Aurino Cassiano	...	Zeca
Maria Alice
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ana Amélia
Elizeth Cardoso
Arlete Costa
Maria de Lourdes
Modesto De Souza

Storyline

In the heady atmosphere of Rio's carnival, two people meet and fall in love. Eurydice, a country girl, has run away from home to avoid a man who arrived at her her looking for her. She is convinced that he was going to kill her. She arrives in Rio to stay with her cousin Serafina. Orfeo works as a tram conductor and is engaged to Mira - as far as Mira is concerned anyways. As Eurydice and Orpheus get to know one another they fall deeply in love. Mira is mad with jealousy and when Eurydice disappears, Orfeo sets out to find her.

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Plot Keywords:

samba | rio carnival | orpheus and eurydice | favela | bossa nova | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

A young boy who dances across the screen playing a pandeiro grew up to win a national pandeiro-playing contest and play his instrument around the world. Currently, Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro teaches in Los Angeles and at California Brazil Camp.

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Goofs

During the Macumba ritual Orfeu turns his head toward the janitor in reaction to being called but there is no sound of talking. Then on the two-shot of the janitor and Orfeu; the janitor moves his lips however there is no sound coming out of his mouth. On the next immediate cut you then hear the janitor talking and moving his lips in the same pattern as the previous cut that had no sound.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Benedito: Serafina, look what a beauty!

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Connections

Referenced in The Cosby Show: Bonjour, Sondra (1984)

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Soundtracks

O Nosso Amor
Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Played frequently throughout the film

User Reviews

A haunting, lovely film

Black Orpheus

I saw this film for the first time in the '60s and found it a beautiful

and poignant retelling of the legend. I thought about it off and on

over the years, however, since it was never shown on TV, it faded

from memory. Then in the 1980s, there it was in video format in a

store. It was very expensive (the most I've paid for one), but I was

so delighted to find it, I could hardly wait to get it home.

It was more beautiful and haunting than I remembered. There's a

special uniqueness in the way the inexorable tragedy plays out in

such an unorthodox setting. You know how it has to end, but you're

still drawn into the lives of the characters. How the director ever

conceived of something so original amazes me.

This film is a wonderful experience.

Details

Country:

France Brazil Italy

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

21 December 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Orpheus

Filming Locations:

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dispat Films, Gemma, Tupan Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1