Myths have a pervading magic that does not ever seem to diminish with time. So it is that the wonderful myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, brought to the screen by Marcel Camus in 1959 as BLACK ORPHEUS and set in a Rio de Janeiro carnival, thrilled audiences and critics alike, walking away with a Palme d’Or at Cannes, a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best foreign language film.
The tale of the lovers meeting and falling in love, pursued by the macabre figure of Death, is woven into a rich tapestry framed by the vibrant world of the Rio carnival. Shot in 1959, before the sambódromo was built, Camus was able to film a more authentic original carnival, when the streets and neighbourhoods themselves were still the venue for the samba schools, in their superb costumes, that poured out of the favelas, mingling and dancing with the crowds.
The ancient myth tells of a youth who travels to the land of the dead to find the woman he loves. Set in the slums (favelas) overlooking the bay, the Orpheus here (Breno Mello, previously a champion football star) is a trolleybus conductor, whose songs and music have elevated him to the position of great favourite in his neighbourhood where he is pursued by all the girls. Eurydice, (Marpessa Dawn, a dancer from Pittsburgh) unlike her aristocratic namesake from the myth, is a simple girl from the country, who is in awe of the city as she visits Rio for the first time. They fall in love despite the fact that he was recently engaged to Mira, superbly played by the notable Lourdes de Oliviera.
Lourdes de Oliveira as Mira
Eurydice is pursued by a mysterious figure through the streets of Rio, while the music and the carnival seems to devour them, as they disappear and re-appear. With the desperate Orpheus in pursuit, we are taken on his dramatic journey through the streets, to a macumba ceremony, and then into the black marble underworld of the Bureau of Missing persons, as he tries to find his love.
Adheman da Silva as Death
The screen never stops vibrating with the stunning music. This is the film that brought Brazilian music, in particular the Bossa Nova and Samba to the notice of the world. It had been popular for some years in Brazil, but it was here, through the unique talents of Antônio Carlos Jobim, Luis Bonfá, and Vinicius de Moraes that it really took off. The theme tunes A Felicidade (Jobim) and Manhã de Carnaval (Bonfá/Antônio Maria) became massive hits and are still played today. As David Ehrenstein pointed out in a review, no other film themes had captivated the audiences’ imagination as intensely “since Anton Kara’s unforgettable zither theme for the Third Man.” Music and dance fills the screens, and when these themes are not being played, the film rocks to the undulating rhythms of superb Brazilian batucada drumming, with the distinctive sounds of the atabaque, agogô, berimbau, cuíca, and the pandeiro to name a few, the latter played with great panache by Zeca,(Aurino Cassiano)a street kid.
Zeca( Aurino Cassiano) & Benedito ( Jorge Dos Santos)
But Black Orpheus does not only benefit from the music of the great Jobim & Bonfá, there is also the poetic eye of ex-diplomat, poet and musician, Vinicius de Moraes, who wrote the original play on which the film was based: Orfeu da Conceição
Partly thanks to use of non- professional actors, the film is permeated with a natural freshness and innocent charm. Despite the bittersweet tale, all the elements, the stunning background scenery, the sweeping photography and the richness of colour and detail, combine to hold this timeless love story together in a unique and powerful way.
This brand new Blue Ray copy being released is immaculate. Well worth many a viewing. And the bigger the screen the better! It has been meticulously restored and the result is a treat for all film and music lovers!
BLACK ORPHEUS - available to buy on Blu-ray from 9th January 2017
