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Black Orpheus (1959)
'A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.'
To me this was a film watching adventure dripping in exotic locales before they became ruined by mega hotels and slums running to the horizon. Gosh I want to visit Brazil but in the year 1959!...and at carnival like shown in this film.
Black Orpheus was a Palme d'Or winner at Cannes and also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. I'm embarrassed to say I was unaware of the film before watching it. I did appreciate the chance to see such a beautifully told and wonderfully filmed re-telling of the ancient Greek mythological love story. The movie works almost like a documentary as it doesn't rely deeply on character building or story telling. Instead it watches the people of the region as they get ready for the much anticipated yearly carnival celebration.
I read that the director ran out of money and literally lived on the beach as he tried to get enough cash to finish the film. And it does seem to be a very personal film, ala indie film. Black Orpheus is like a time capsule to another place, quite magically.
Black Orpheus (1959)
Director: Marcel Camus
Screenplay: Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot
Starring: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn
Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Screenplay: Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot
Starring: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn
Language: Brazilian Portuguese
'A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.'
To me this was a film watching adventure dripping in exotic locales before they became ruined by mega hotels and slums running to the horizon. Gosh I want to visit Brazil but in the year 1959!...and at carnival like shown in this film.
Black Orpheus was a Palme d'Or winner at Cannes and also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. I'm embarrassed to say I was unaware of the film before watching it. I did appreciate the chance to see such a beautifully told and wonderfully filmed re-telling of the ancient Greek mythological love story. The movie works almost like a documentary as it doesn't rely deeply on character building or story telling. Instead it watches the people of the region as they get ready for the much anticipated yearly carnival celebration.
I read that the director ran out of money and literally lived on the beach as he tried to get enough cash to finish the film. And it does seem to be a very personal film, ala indie film. Black Orpheus is like a time capsule to another place, quite magically.