Very captivating film! I have watched it three times

Loved the cinemgratophy, photographically ahead of its time. Narrative didn't quite reach the same level.

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.

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.

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.

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.

16.07.2021 ---------

12 may 2021 The Black Orpheus Movie Review The Black Orpheus is a very complex and interesting adaptation of the Myth of Orpheus. It includes unique brazillian culture throughout the whole movie. The movie shows how the people really do live, and activities they do in real life. Such as carnival and the macumba ritual. They did this well still including the real myth of orpheus. They changed the myth just enough to where you could still decipher what part connects to what part in the myth. Well still making it to where it was unique to the movie and fit perfectly in the plot. The element of sound played a big part in this film; it contributed to the feeling of chaos, fear, grief, and suspense throughout the whole film. This movie was often very chaotic, the constant loud and crazy music in the background contributed to this. People were everywhere and everyone was moving fast. The creator used this to their advantage. For example when Hades first met Eurydice there was not much music, and there were very few people. It focused on just the few people in the scene, and it made you think about what role Eurydice could possibly have in the future of the film. This is the use of the element of film sound. The creator uses sound to his advantage again in the scene when Euridice is backstage running from death. The usual loud crazy music is now silent; only the buzzing of electricity and the steps of Euridice and death can be heard. This created much more suspense, and took away thesaurus. Allowing the viewers to focus on the chase, it causes the viewers to think about what could happen next. It retes viewers engaged and makes them want to know what happens next. Overall it really draws you into the movie which is exactly what any filmmaker would want to do. Color components were also used to portray a first impression on people. For example Eurydice was dressed in white in the beginning and during carnival she was in blue and yellow. This draws people to her, and leads people to believe she is good and innocent. Whereas mira is in a bright pink flashy dress the majority of the movie. This implies the impression she isn't very nice, it made me feel she is very bold, headstrong and rude. Then there was Orpheo who was in gold. This implies the feeling he is important, royal, and really justifies him as the mine character. Whenever he is in fram it draws attention to him because of the flashy gold color that stands out. As a final observation I feel the director used tone and sound very well. Along with the color of clothing to create the perfect first impression. The movie was well put together and the elements of the film were greatly incorporated. The challenge of combining the original myth with the culture was perfectly executed. FInally the adaptations to the myth were great, they make it fit perfectly into the movie and it still all made sense. It was an overall great movie and was well put together. I would definitely recommend it to anyone over the age of 10.

This is my 13-year-old daughter's review. I haven't seen it. Abigail Wright Mr. Jackman Rm 111 Literature And Film January 3, 2021 Black Orpheus Review (In Class Orpheus) Black Orphues was a very different movie for me because it was made in 1959 and I was not familiar with the music or dancing of that time. A 1959 movie is very different from a 2020 movie. A 2020 movie has a lot more details because we've come a long way when it comes to making movies since 1959. Black Orphues was very different, not just because it was a 1959 movie but from the language. Black Orphues is in Spanish and for some people that live in America. such as me, I do not know Spanish. I had to read English subtitles to know what they were saying, but it was hard for me to understand because they would talk too fast. In some parts of Black Orphues I would have to re-watch because I missed a subtitle or would get confused. I am a slow reader so you can imagine me missing something important that they said. For someone who doesn't speak Spanish, it was very hard to understand. In this movie, you have to pay attention or you will miss something and I got distracted a lot. So I had a rough time watching and it wasn't as interesting as I would have liked. If you are like me, I would suggest paying close attention at all times so you don't miss anything important. So Black Orphues was not my favorite movie to watch because it was so different from what I usually watch. Black Orpheus wasn't just different from 2020 movies, it had very odd lighting and shots. When a character was in the spotlight half of their face would be bright and the other half would be in a shadow. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or if that's how they wanted to shoot the movie. Either way, I didn't prefer it. In some parts of the movie, it would be so dark that I couldn't even see their facial expressions or what was happening. Not only was the lighting not very good, but their shots weren't the best. For example, they had really up-close shots that would make me uneasy. Again, not sure if they did this on purpose or if they were limited by 1959 technology. It gave me the feeling that I was right up in their face. They would also do weird shots in the wrong places or time period. For example, they did a really close shot when Orpheus fell at the end of the movie. I would've done a long shot so you could have seen everything that was happening. Now I've been talking a lot about bad traits about this movie, but there were a few good traits, so let me tell you about them. When I was watching Black Orpheus it was very exciting with a lot of action scenes. One of the scenes that I thought was exciting was when the bad guy was chasing a character named Eurydice and I didn't know what was going to happen. It was intense. I also liked how you get to see what really happens in Rio during Carnival because it is different from what I do to celebrate and way different than our traditions. The Black Orpheus showed what it was like losing someone that you can't live without and doing anything to bring them back. I don't want to give too much away, but it's about people dying just to be with someone they need the most in their life. I thought Black Orpheus was ok. It was just different and odd from what I would watch nowadays. I felt like if it was in a language I could understand better then I would've liked it a lot more. This movie was good and bad, kind of in the middle. I didn't really know what to think of it. Maybe it could have been better if it was in English, I didn't know what was going on half the time. It probably doesn't help that when it comes to movies, I can be kind of picky. If I had to rate Black Orpheus on a scale from one to ten, I would give it a five.

I saw this wonderful film my senior year in college, when it was already two decades old, but even now, half a century later, it still is as fresh and awesome as it was then. This re-telling of the Greek legend is a real feat of cinematic magic!

I should open by saying that I am not a scholar of myths and legends, so the story of Orpheus and Eurydice was new to me when watching Black Orpheus. I had certain expectations about how things might play out, because I know the way most myths work, but it was nice coming in without any knowledge of the plot. I was impressed by how the film captured that mythical feeling despite being based in the real world. The romance and certain events that take place have an otherworldly sense to them, as if they were all pre-ordained by some mystical fate. The acting was quite good, and I was particularly impressed with Breno Mello as Orfeo. This is a role that could easily annoy me in other films because he could come off as a womanizer or at least a player. Yet he has a wholesome aura in this performance, and makes the unexpected love with Eurydice seem sweet rather than scandalous. I haven’t seen many films that center in Brazil, so I wanted to be excited about Black Orpheus which took place during their big Carnaval celebration. However, this was probably the toughest part of the movie for me to take. I can find a way to tolerate a lot of unpleasant things happening in a movie, but there’s simply no way to ignore the constant sound of this celebration. It seemed like at least 80 of the 100 minutes in this movie were “scored” by the sound of Carnaval, and it gave me a headache. It would probably be different if the sound they were producing were more musical, but it’s almost exclusively percussive. Even typing this now I can hear that same rhythm beating in my head as it did in the background of most scenes of Black Orpheus. I wanted to like the movie more, even with some of the frustrating things that happen in the story, but that sound made it hard for me to endure. Overall, I think I had a positive reaction to the plot of Black Orpheus. But if I ever watch it again, I will frequently utilize the Mute button.

The music perfectly complements a neverending series of vibrant visuals to allow the energy to just explode off the screen in this satisfying and inventive adaptation of the classic source material. (4.5/5)

Wonderful, wild, incredible music. Not sure why it fails to get a full five stars from me, other than style over substance. Unusual that it won a foreign language Oscar for France in that it was financed by several countries/companies and is in Portuguese. I know a film no longer needs to be in the language of the submitting country...,but back then? But the music and just getting to look at the erotic, 3 dimensional presence of its stars (in an era when non White people were rarely shown this way in intelligent roles) is worth it.

Wonderful movie Beautiful

I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen for a second. Simply captivating!

Director Marcel Camus grabs us from the outset in this film, with the energy of samba music playing as women return to their village carrying large containers on their head. Children are scampering about and they're on a hill overlooking Rio de Janiero, surrounded by stunning mountain peaks and beautiful bays below. The film takes the classical tale of Orpheus and Eurydice and adapts it to Brazil at the time of Carnival, and while I liked the mythological reference, it was the setting, cast, and overall vibrancy that really had me enjoying it. How fantastic it is to see all this color and energy in a film from the 1950's. The cinematography is excellent, with those beautiful vistas and sunsets, and quite a few street scenes as well. There's also some great music, with the spontaneous wailing and drumming in the streets offset by a couple of love ballads with touching lyrics. The central characters of Orfeu and Eurydice are played by Breno Mello and Marpessa Dawn reasonably well, and it was fascinating to me to find out later that Mello had never acted before. Camus saw him on the street and asked him if he wanted to be in a movie, and then he was the star. Orfeu is a ladies man engaged to the vivacious Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira), but he's drawn to the simple purity of Eurydice, who has come to the city for the first time. It's a good-looking cast, and hard not to be drawn by its magnetism. The supporting roles are fine too, starting with Serafina (Léa Garcia) and Chico (Waldemar De Souza), who engage in delightful banter. The two little boys (Jorge Dos Santos and Aurino Cassiano) are also a joy to watch. Sensitivity surrounds the film, since dancing and partying are stereotypes some hold of Brazilians or people of color in general, e.g. reducing them to simple-minded people who do nothing else. I can see the concern and understand a possible negative reaction, and it carries even greater weight when it comes from Brazilian themselves, or the likes of President Obama. I confess I have not had to live with the consequences of these types of stereotypes, so you can take my opinion for whatever it's worth, but I saw it as a celebration of the culture, and it was fantastic to see the diversity. The characters are not single-dimensional, and I enjoyed seeing the love and tenderness alongside sassy playfulness in the romances. As for the lack of realism, well, it's a Greek myth adapted to Carnival, so it's fantasy by definition - and certainly meant to be a complete view of life in Brazil. You have Death chasing Eurydice around, for goodness sake. In adapting the myth, I wish it had been more closely tied to the classical story. It's interesting to me that amidst all of the colorful, wild, chaos of Carnival, which is an extreme representation of Life, we have Death so near, and maybe that's one of the points. The film drags a bit towards the end, though the final scene of the three children dancing nicely lightens the tragedy. Overall, well worth watching, and quite a unique film - just be mindful of the sensitivity.

1001 movies to see before you die. Unique and simply made. Showing Rio's Carnival in a fun light with a predictable and beautiful story. A great cultural time capsule.

The looks are beautiful, the music couldn't be better, and the plot... Well, heart-breaking as it is since the Greeks, but I can't overcome the lack of drama from the actors and the almost inexistent direction.

Very beautiful how they filmed the way of life and culture of the people that live up in the mountains of Rio. Very lively atmosphere, I guess since the whole movie centers around the Carnival festival. It makes me wonder though if it's really like that during Carnival in Brazil with everyone dancing all the time or if they're just glamorizing it Hollywood style. I love how the women carry the baskets on their head and walk barefoot. That's some hardcore stuff right there. I love how colorful and lively this movie is. The technicolor really shines through beautifully. Jesus this girl is so jumpy and jittery. This poor girl chose a bad time to go to Rio lol. And the way every guy in town drools over her. As innocent looking as an angel, gowned in all white and as pretty as a sunrise. She really does stick out. The actress that plays Eurydice is really pretty, her facial structure is very attractive. Oh wow, this Mira desperately needs a reality check. What the hell is Orpheus doing with a girl like that? She's a temptress. You can tell she's no good. And they're planning on getting married?! I love how weird and funny the marriage license counselor guy is. Benedito is such a funny little boy. Oh wow, interesting how the man Eurydice is being followed by is portrayed as Death when we first see him. There's definitely creativity that surrounds this movie. I guess Eurydice and Orpheus are meant to be together. I love the scene where Death chases Eurydice in the train station. The way they creatively made it look as if it's hell or the underworld with all the atmospheric red lighting and fire pit burning in the background. Really nice touch. Oh shit!! He fucking turned the lights on and shocked her to death. Wow that took a quick dark turn lol. Oh wow, that pov shot from inside the ambulance as it going through the tunnel was so cool. I would definitely use that for something. Looked very iconic. And the way the lights in the tunnel warp into red gave off the illusion that Eurydice is being taken to the underworld. It's so interesting how the building of the Department of Missing Persons is basically meant to represent the afterlife or the underworld and all the pile up of papers are the people who have died or gone on to the next life. The janitor sweeping up the mess of papers is really interesting, he's very wise and seems to be the keeper of the underworld. His dogs name is Cerberus which in Greek mythology was the name of the multi-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld. That was pretty wild that whole ceremony with all the people dressed in white and the lady being possessed by a spirit. It was like a ceremony for the dead? The movie became very interesting and quite dark towards the end. Well at least Eurydice and Orpheus will be together forever in the afterlife. I love how lively, offbeat and chaotic this movie is. There's no doubt that the director was inspired by Fellini. I think they did a terrific job at casting the actors for their designated roles. Their looks and personality match perfectly with each character. I thought it was beautifully adapted. Some of the landscape nature shots in this movie look incredible. Like the shot of the sunrise from on top of the mountain. An interesting social commentary on poverty as well. Although it's a very enjoyable watch, I don't think it'd be worth buying on Criterion for $20. Or if I do end up buying it, it would be one of the last ones I get.

Black Orpheus keeps trying to hook up with the pretty new girl in town, but his meddling fiancée keeps cramping his style.