Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) is literally what its title suggests: a retelling of the "Orpheus and Eurydice" legend enacted by black performers. This time the setting is the annual Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Orpheus (Breno Mello) is a streetcar conductor; Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) has just jilted her lover and is attempting to escape his wrath. Orpheus himself falls in love with Eurydice, whereupon her ex-lover, disguised as the Angel of Death shows up and kills Eurydice. To reclaim his lost
love, Orpheus enters "Hell" (the Rio morgue) and uses supernatural methods to revive the dead girl. A multi-award winner on the international film scene, Black Orpheus features a samba musical score by Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Swarms of sinuous girls and children shimmy and race to the samba beat, which is insistent through most of the footage. That's what makes the picture alive.
Marcel Camus's rousing Black Orpheus gets a celebratory re-release from Criterion, a beautifully rendered double disc celebrating the film's sensational vision of unrequited love and colorful saturation of classic Greek mythology.
Seductive blend of mythology and travelogue...there's still sensual pleasure in the urban scenery, colorful visions, and music and dance, most of it defined by joyful abandon. [Blu-ray]
O belo conceito de Vinícius e a magnífica música de Tom Jobim não conseguem salvar este filme que, apesar de esteticamente impecável (ou talvez por isso), confunde alegoria e caricatura.
Infectious Samba and Bossa Nova rhythms permeate the beautifully filmed earthy Brazilian atmosphere of Carnival. "Black Orpheus" is an unforgettable classic of cinematic poetry, music, and myth.
Despite that, Black Orpheus, while not being a cinematic full meal nevertheless is a sweet piece of candy, and thus has to be judged more on its entertainment value than its artistic value; mindful that, unlike the Orphic films of Cocteau, it, at least su
What gives the film its mesmerising atmosphere is cinematographer Jean Bourgoin's discrete contrasts between the vibrancy of the daylight revels and the looming malevolence of the nocturnal sequences.
Mythological love and chaos in the world's grandest carnival, Black Orpheus is a modern adaptation of the timeless tale of Orpheus and Eurydice that feasts on rhythm and visual splendor. Vibrant.
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