Orfeu Negro (1959)

Director:

Marcel Camus

Writers:

Marcel Camus (writer)
Jacques Viot (writer)

Release Date:

21 December 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Carnival | Trolley | Samba | Latin America

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

Also Known As:

Black Orpheus (USA)
Orfeo negro (Italy)
Orfeu do Carnaval
Orphée noir (France)

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) | 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cidade de Deus (2002)

Soundtrack:

Samba de Orfeo

Orpheus and Eurydice

If there is a film that deserves to be restored, "Orfeu Negro", seems to be a logical choice. Judging by the copy we recently saw at New York's Film Forum, it shows how the Eastmancolor in which it was photographed, has faded. This is a film that is about color as seen in that photogenic city that is Rio de Janeiro, with its infinite cacophony of colors and sexuality at the time of carnival.

Vinicius de Moraes play, "Orfeu do Carnaval", served as the basis of inspiration for French director Marcel Camus and his co-writer, Jacques Viot, for the movie. Mr. Moraes adapted the Greek tragedy and transplanted it to Rio at the time of carnival. Nowhere in the world do people live just for those precious days of the year where everyone goes crazy during the annual ritual.

The tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice plays well against that backdrop. Orfeu, a tram conductor meets and falls in love with the beautiful an sweet Eurydice. Their love is doomed from the start because Orfeu has promised Mira he will marry her. They are seen prior to the fateful meeting going to register for a marriage license.

Eurydice has a premonition that something will happen to her as a man dressed in a death costume and mask keeps following her, and at one point, he promises the young woman, he will return for her. In the meantime, Orfeu and Eurydice realize they are meant for one another. During the parade, Serafina, Eurydice's cousin exchanges places with her so she can stay home with the merchant marine boyfriend who has just arrived. Mira realizes the deceit and fights with Eurydice, who flees in horror, only to be follow by the Death figure.

"Orfeu Negro" relied on unknowns for the main characters. The handsome Bruno Mello and the gorgeous Marpessa Dawn play the doomed lovers with conviction. Jean Bourgoin's camera loved them and they are photographed against the colors of the carnival and Rio. Lourdes Oliveira and Lea Garcia have good moments as Mira and Serafina, respectively and Jorge DosSantos is a natural as Chico.

The other best thing in the film is the fabulous music by Luiz Bonfa, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The songs and the music we hear in the soundtrack proved these two men were on the way to establish themselves as the best composers and in the case of Mr. Jobim, interpreter of their creations which will culminate with the triumph of the Bossa Nova period that was produced in Brazil at the time.

Marcel Camus, ultimately, is the man to be congratulated because of his vision in finding beauty even in the favelas where most of the action takes place in capturing the color and sensuality of Rio de Janeiro during carnival.