Black Orpheus: Essential Art House

I’ll admit I put on my Criterion BluRay of BLACK ORPHEUS with scant enthusiasm. I honestly knew nothing about the film and the brief description on the box didn’t really sell the film to me. But I am working my way through the films of Criterion and have an agreement with myself not to skip any just because they don’t sound great. I’ve exposed myself to some great films with that approach; movies like THE ASCENT, which I never would have watched otherwise and which now are among my favorites.BLACK ORPHEUS proved to be entertaining and fairly enjoyable, without really grabbing me. The Criterion bonus features were essential viewing for an uninformed viewer such as myself, so that I could understand the context of this film a little better. That it is widely considered responsible for bringing the excitement of Carnaval in Rio to the world in general is well worth knowing. That it is credited for popularizing the bossa nova is great to know. But does this background make it a great movie to view today?Yes and no. Black Orpheus is a retelling of the tragic Greek myth of the love between Orpheus and Eurydice (although it’s actually based on a play that is this retelling), set against the background of Carnaval. The characters are now citizens of the poorer outskirts of Rio, preparing to celebrate in the big city. Orfeu, his town’s lead dancer in the samba school which is going to be parading during Carnaval, is unenthusiastically engaged to Mira. When the enchanting Eurydice comes to town to stay with Serafina (another dancer), Orfeu is immediately drawn to this naïve but lovely young lady. They embark on an affair, stirring up all sorts of domestic turmoil. But in addition, Eurydice is apparently being chased by a strange man she believes wants to kill her (a man dressed in a Death costume, of call things).The plot of the movie, though neatly related to the Greek story, is really not that terribly interesting, truth be told. The character actions and motivations are often sketchy, and the “death” character is not even remotely adequately explained.What gives this movie life is the almost constant music and the nearly as constant background of dancing. The drumbeats of the bossa nova are almost always at least in the background if not in the foreground. The villagers wear wild costumes for the festive occasion. The locale is humid and everyone sweats all the time. The atmosphere created by the film is one of frenetic forward movement. One can certainly see why the film popularized the music. It’s in the blood, the DNA of the film. What would be a silly drama becomes something actually akin to myth with the addition of all this music. It heightens passions. It creates forward momentum even during introspective moments. And the dance sequences, though filmed in a stagey manner by today’s standards, are prolonged and come close to drawing the viewer in to their ecstatic nature. The people in this film can’t help but dance; it’s palpable.Without spoiling anything, the latter sections of the film require Orpheus to travel through the underworld of Rio, to some strange locales. These sequences are almost from another film, which is actually totally appropriate. He’s gone from the happy, sensuous world of his village and the celebrations on the street to the mysterious and foreboding dark alleys of a sometimes unfriendly city.In the end, I was very content to have seen the film. The music is sensational. There are ample moments of light and fun. But while it captured my tapping feet and my musical brain, it didn’t grab my heart, at least not enough to overlook the sometimes half-baked melodrama. It’s tough to recommend the film on its own merits.Criterion has done a great job, as usual, and their version is the one to see. Allow yourself another 45 minutes or so to enjoy some of the terrific little documentaries that accompany the film.

Wanted this in my collection for years a wonderful film.

This is not you average fantasy story. If you don't know the mythology of Orpheus than take a second to review the myth online. Very romantic and ends the way the myth does. Takes place during Mardi Gras in Brazil in 1959. Poetic and lyrical throughout.

Criterion has put out two fine films from the 1950s that pay homage to the Greek story of love and death they are named after, both by french directors: 'Black Orpheus', by Marcel Camus (1959) and 'Orpheus', directed by Jean Cocteau (1950).However, neither movie is even close to being a carbon copy of the other despite their shared roots in the same mythologic legend. In Camus' Black Orpheus, the protagonist is a charismatic and well known singer in a poor Brazilian hillside neighborhood who spends as much time womanizing as playing guitar. However, on the eve of his wedding (to take place on the same day as Carnival) he meets a young woman named Euridice who has come to town to stay with her cousin after being chased off of her family farm. Although the movie rarely takes a turn into the overt supernatural, it is understood that the man chasing her is "death", and although Orpheus and Euridice have never met before (at least in this lifetime), they quickly recognize themselves as historical soulmates fated to love one another. Between being chased by both "death" and Orpheus' jealous former bride, their courtship takes a tragic turn.Using the gorgeous scenery of Brazil and the bright costumes of Carnival, one has to look hard for the mythological references to the Greek legend that the movie is based upon, but they are there (for example, a german shepherd guarding a gate is named Cerebus). The music is great, and the film is frequently cited as a harbinger of the bossanova sound to the United States in the '60s. The supporting cast is very good as well, especially two young boys who help Orpheus throughout the movie and take over his mantle at the end. As they play his old guitar as the sun rises on a new day, you are left to wonder where the new Euridice is also no doubt dancing, unaware that fate will eventually draw her to the little boy in the years to come. For a movie about life and death the film carries good feelings with it much of the time, and Euridice's cousin even provides some nice touches of comedy.Most criticism seems to center around whether or not the poor sections of Brazil have been romanticized to the point that they hurt the film. They certainly have been idealized, there is no crime or disease about, but you also have to remember the movie is set in the days of Carnival. Even if many of the people lived in squalor for 364 days, Carnival was always seen as a joyous time that people worked towards and lived to the fullest when it came. If you don't want to take it with that grain of salt, as long as you accept that the movie is not supposed to be a social commentary on poverty you can also see why the director made such choices. The more happiness he can inject into the first part of the movie the better the contrast to death will be. Also, the costumes of Carnival allow him to give a mythologic flair to the movie without making it overtly supernatural (for example, "death" is represented by a dancer in a skeleton mask, which would have otherwise seemed downright silly). If you are offended by indigenous portrayals such as those in  Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ] you may not enjoy this film. I respect opposing viewpoints but believe that most people will find very little to be bothered by.Ultimately an excellent film that can transport and immerse you completely into a different time and place, even if it is primarily not real. Fun and entertaining escapism with a soundtrack as good as the movie itself.

A classic film from Brazil, South America, showing a story beautifully photographed about an excape for a short while, with classic love and stupendous music of the Carnival and an ancient classic story of Orpeus and Euridice. i WOULD RECOMMEND THIS REALLY CLASSIC FILM FROM THE STUDIOS VERA CRUZ BEGUN AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY BY THE GREAT FILM MAKER Albert Cavalcanti.

Was so glad to find a dubbed over English version of this Camus classic and hence the score. It got delivered a couple of days later than they had anticipated but I think it was imported from America and so no worries there. The product itself ran well and the dub not as bad as some I have seen.

I saw this when it was first released and I was a student. It was something of a cult film at the time. Seeing it fifty years later it perhaps wasn't quite as magical as I remembered. But you could still see why it won awards. And perhaps this was the first time most of us heard the bossa nova

bought on behalf of my good friend who saw it when first shown in 1959. very interesting comparison with Cocteau's 'Orphee', my favourite film ever.

One of the best movies ever - I remember watching it on cinema in a film festival 20 years ago - and now after being in brasil -what can I say?Just cry...