Talking about top ten lists -- on my list of Top Ten Brazilian Remakes of Classic Greek Tragedies, Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) has to be número um (that’s Portuguese for “number one”, in case you had any doubt – according to my precious Portuguese-American wife). Then again, there are no numbers two through ten ‘cause the competition was just a little thin. Latin America and Greek tragedy are not really a routine kind of pairing but there’s also very little at all that’s routine about this film. Set in Rio de Janeiro of the late 1950’s, Black Orpheus is a liberally altered retelling of the classic Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice. It is about three steps removed from the original, since the screenplay was based on a play by Brazilian writer Vinicius de Moraes, which was based on the 1949 film by Jean Cocteau, which was adapted from the Greek myth. In the original (just in case your recall of Greek myths isn't au courant), Eurydice is spirited off by Hades to you-know-where, but her lover, Orpheus, descends into the underworld to reclaim her. One catch though: as a test of his faith, he must not look back as he makes his return trip, with her in arrears, or he loses her forever. And, naturally (poor guy!), he can’t resist, looks back, and all is lost.

Now, however, in Black Orpheus, we have this marvelous love story transposed into Rio during Carnival time. The lovely and innocent Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) arrives in Rio from her rural home to visit her cousin, Serafina (Lea Garcia). As an irony of casting, the actress who played Eurydice, Marpessa Dawn, was a professional imported from Pennsylvania while the entire rest of the cast were amateurs and Brazilian natives. Upon arriving, Eurydice encounters Orfeo (Breno Mello), a handsome, full-of-life streetcar conductor. It is mutual love-at-first-sight, despite the fact that Orfeo is already engaged to the domineering and self-centered but exotic Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira). After this brief initial encounter, Eurydice makes her way to her cousin's house, only to find that Orfeo lives next door. Cousin Serafina, in a bit of subplot, is engaged to Chico (Waldetar de Souza), a somewhat doltish sailor whom she torments and tantalizes out of what little wits he possesses. Orfeo is head-over-heals in love with Eurydice, but is rather lax about breaking things off with Mira, spawning an inevitable love triangle. Orfeo also loves his guitar and is admired for his sensitive renditions on it by the local children.

Also standing between Orfeo and Eurydice and happiness is a sinister stalker, dressed in a black leotard with a skeleton overlay, who has been following Eurydice all the way from her home town. This is Death (Adhemar da Silva) himself and Eurydice correctly surmises that he intends to kill her. Nevertheless, Carnival is not to be missed, even when a deadly stalker lurks about, especially because Orfeo is a champion dancer who will be competing in the dance contests.

At one level, all of this strained plot is mainly a pretext for a colorful and energetic film bursting with vitality amidst the lively Carnival atmosphere and the pulsating bongo rhythms of Latin American music. Few films boast as much relentless enthusiasm as Black Orpheus. Marcel Camus, the French director responsible for this minor masterpiece, shot the film on a very small budget. Since all of the cast excepting Marpessa Dawn were amateurs, the acting is sometimes ragged, but for viewers who can get into the lively feel of this film as a celebration of life, the naturalness of the amateurs can be experienced as adding to the film’s wild energy. It cuts both ways. One gets the feeling, when viewing this film, that you’ve walked into an intoxicating real life Carnival celebration in progress. In a sense, that’s exactly what has happening.

Ultimately, Death – the stalker – tracks down Eurydice and she flees. Viewers need to suspend critical thinking a bit, here, and not ask too many questions like, “Why is he after her in the first place?” or “Why does she flee away from the crowd rather than seeking the crowd’s protection?” If you get excessively hung up on plot consistency, this sweet little movie morsel is sure to catch in your throat. Orfeo searches diligently for Eurydice, first at the Bureau of Missing Persons – which is presented as a bottomless sink of bureaucratic ineptitude buried in paper. Next, he seeks help at some kind of voodoo gathering, where a woman offers to put Orfeo in contact with his beloved provided he not turn around to look at her (in keeping with the myth’s premise). Orfeo hears Eurydice’s voice speaking but when he inevitably looks back, he sees only the body of the old women who has allowed Eurydice’s spirit to possess her.

Death, in the end, has his way, as must inevitably be the case with Greek tragedy. In a moving scene, near the conclusion, Orfeo carries Eurydice’s lifeless body along a cliff, but Mira, in a jealous rage, tosses a stone at him, plunging Orfeo to his death with his beloved in his arms. Still, this is Latin America, not Greece, so in a final reaffirmation of life and hope, one of the young boys who had earlier admired Orfeo’s guitar playing, picks up his guitar and imitates his idol while his friends dance.

Black Orpheus was warmly received when it appeared in 1959, by audiences and critics alike. It was all the rage at the Cannes Film Festival and later won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It introduced North America and Europe to the wondrous rhythms of Bossa Nova and that remains an enduring legacy. It is a passionate film full of youthful vitality and romance that is highly entertaining despite some crudeness in execution. I can’t promise you that you’ll admire this film after watching it; but the odds are pretty darn good than you’ll enjoy it thoroughly. Black Orpheus is rated PG, is in Portuguese with English subtitles, and has a running time of 100 minutes.


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from Brazil:

Behind the Sun
Central Station
City of God
The Motorcycle Diaries
Pixote
Quilombo.
Xica

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12