Black Orpheus **** (1959, Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira) – Classic Movie Review 10,149

Director Marcel Camus’s 1959 film Black Orpheus [Orfeu Negro] is a modernised version of the classical Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice set in modern Rio de Janeiro during the carnival, and filmed in Rio from 20 August 1958 to 20 December 1958.

Exotic imagery, vibrant colours (shot by Jean Bourgoin in Eastmancolor, production designed by Pierre Guffroy) and vigorous music (scored by Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim) accompany the intriguing story in the film, playing entrancingly on the myth.

It was awarded the 1960 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as the 1959 Palme D’Or for best film at Cannes in 1959, and the shared Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.

Breno Mello and Marpessa Dawn play Orpheus and Eurydice, who fall deeply in love, making Orpheus’s fiancée Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira) mad with jealousy.

It also features Ademar Da Silva as Death, Léa Garcia as Serafina, Waldemar De Souza as Chico, Alexandro Constantino as Hermes, Jorge Dos Santos as Benedito and Aurino Cassiano as Zeca.

It is written by Marcel Camus and Jacques Viot, based on a play by Vinicius de Moraes.

Black Orpheus [Orfeu Negro] is directed by Marcel Camus, runs 100 minutes, is made by Dispat Films, Gemma and Tupan Filmes, is released by Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France (1959) (France), Lopert Films (1959) (US) and Curzon Film Distributors (1960) (UK), is written by Marcel Camus and Jacques Viot, based on a play by Vinicius de Moraes, is shot by Jean Bourgoin in Eastmancolor and widescreen, is produced by Sacha Gordine, is scored by Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim, and is designed by Pierre Guffroy.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,149

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