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Black Orpheus

Play trailer Poster for Black Orpheus PG 1959 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 72 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Young lovers Orfeu (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death (Ademar Da Silva) and Orfeu's vengeful fiancée Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira) and passing between moments of fantasy and stark reality. This impressionistic retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice introduced bossa nova to the world with its soundtrack by young Brazilian composers Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
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Black Orpheus

Black Orpheus

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Critics Consensus

Colorful, atmospheric, and infections, Black Orpheus takes an ancient tale and makes it fresh anew, thanks in part to its bewitching bossa nova soundtrack.

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Critics Reviews

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Marjory Adams Boston Globe It is amazingly exciting -- sometimes, with the quick voluptuous beat of the music, and the mad gusto of the costumed dancers, the pace seems unbearable in its speed and passion. There is realism and imagery; fantasy and truth. Jul 27, 2021 Full Review Kate Cameron New York Daily News The picture represents a beautiful and touching concept of the old legend. Rated: 4/4 Jul 27, 2021 Full Review Mildred Martin Philadelphia Inquirer A stunning example of ingenuity and art. Jul 27, 2021 Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages Black Orpheus brings this story into the contemporary world, utilizing the carnival as a metaphor for the supernatural world. Nov 21, 2023 Full Review John Beaufort Christian Science Monitor Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) is the most imaginative, colorful, and lyric expression of French “new wave-ism” to reach North American screens at this writing. Aug 17, 2022 Full Review Jean-Luc Godard Cahiers du Cinéma The amiability and sincerity of Marcel Camus are not in question. But then, does being amiable and sincere suffice to make a good film? Sep 1, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sharon K Very captivating film! I have watched it three times Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/31/24 Full Review harwee h Loved the cinemgratophy, photographically ahead of its time. Narrative didn't quite reach the same level. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/16/24 Full Review John S One of my all time favorite movies. Just rewatched it with my granddaughter, who is now in grad school in NOLO and loves carnival. The music is classic. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/06/23 Full Review Billie A A mesmerizing adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice brought to the streets of Brasil in living color, with an infectious soundtrack and lascivious colors that make it hard not to fall in love -- and lust. Truly a cinematic masterpiece that falls short only in its final moments wherein its most tragic moment aged absolutely comedically. This film is also a blunt reminder that diversity in all its forms -- race, body types, genders, classes, etc., as a concept onscreen is not new, and that Carnaval (and Brasil) is a celebration of multiculturalism at its core. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/22/23 Full Review reuben m 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. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Beautifully shot film of Rio with a well-written script and great comedic timing. I wasn't expecting much from this film before I watched it. However, I was really impressed at how Camus interwove Greek mythology with 1950s Brazilian Carnivale. It has some really funny moments as well among the more romantic themes. The images of the Carnivale radiates energy from the screen with beautiful costumes and rapturous dancing. The only aspects of the film that did not really work was death, especially when he was clinging to an ambulance. It was an OK antagonist but did not wholly work for me. In addition, how Eurydice meets her fate was a bit silly where I think a more dramatic and tense ending could have been created. Overall, an energetic and lively film with some very funny and poignant moments and beautiful cinematography. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Young lovers Orfeu (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death (Ademar Da Silva) and Orfeu's vengeful fiancée Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira) and passing between moments of fantasy and stark reality. This impressionistic retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice introduced bossa nova to the world with its soundtrack by young Brazilian composers Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Director
Marcel Camus
Producer
Sacha Gordine
Screenwriter
Vinicius de Moraes, Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot
Production Co
Gemma, Tupan Filmes, Dispat Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2009
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Mono, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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