Black Orpheus
1959 ‘Orfeu Negro’ Directed by Marcel Camus
Synopsis
The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world...
In Rio, Orfeo is a trolley conductor and musician, engaged to Mira. During Carnival week, he sees Eurydice, who's fled her village in fear of a stalker; it's love at first sight. Her cousin Sarafina, with whom she stays in Rio, is a friend of Orfeo and Mira, so the star-crossed lovers meet again. Later, during the revels, wearing Sarafina's costume, Eurydice dances a provocative samba with Orfeo. Not only is Mira enraged when her rival is unmasked, but she is being stalked by Death: Eurydice is in danger, pursued through noisy crowds and a morgue. Can Orfeo conduct her to safety? Don't look back.
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Movie #376 of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". I've decided to watch them all in couple of years.
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Makes the sun rise.
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I owned the soundtrack to this for two decades before I actually saw it. Marcel Camus' modernized version of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is set against the otherworldly backdrop of Carnival in Rio, at once exotic and familiar. Leavened with clever little details and some unexpected humor, the climactic death of Eurydice is accomplished in a most unexpected manner, and the movie simply becomes more incredible as we reach the portion where Orpheus searches the Underworld for her, as imagined by taking place during a voodoo ceremony. Camus and crew handles these shift from the worlds of the real to the unreal with such sureness, you become half-convinced the myth began in Brazil, not ancient Greece.
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Orfeu Negro
I haven't watched a film since Sunday evening and it appears that three whole days away from film and other media has turned me into someone brain-dead who can't spot a good film when she watches one, even when she knows it is a film that has won lots of awards, and has appeared on "Must see before you die" lists.
It's going on my "Must watch again" list, as I'm sure that this retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice has a lot more going for it than I spotted, and I'll give it 5/10 because I don't want to show quite how brain dead the 3 days away has left me! -
Movie #376 of "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". I've decided to watch them all in couple of years.
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Was worried at first, because while insanely visually appealing, the story was almost too wandering and powered by those samba beats. But then it got much better and turned into something beautiful, tragic, and enthralling. All the more relaxed bossanova music is a pure treat, though the samba may grate on you a little bit. Overall a good film though, one I should probably give another shot now that I know what to expect.
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Makes the sun rise.
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it was good...
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Quite a scary film to see for little kid. Never forgot about it.
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I owned the soundtrack to this for two decades before I actually saw it. Marcel Camus' modernized version of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is set against the otherworldly backdrop of Carnival in Rio, at once exotic and familiar. Leavened with clever little details and some unexpected humor, the climactic death of Eurydice is accomplished in a most unexpected manner, and the movie simply becomes more incredible as we reach the portion where Orpheus searches the Underworld for her, as imagined by taking place during a voodoo ceremony. Camus and crew handles these shift from the worlds of the real to the unreal with such sureness, you become half-convinced the myth began in Brazil, not ancient Greece.
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Orfeo, en brasiliansk trikkekonduktør som bor i Rio De Janeiro er forlovet med Mira. Det er karnivalsesong og han møter Eurydice, som har rømt landsbyen sin da hun har en morder etter seg. Og det er kjærlighet ved første blikk. Eurydice bor sammen med en slektning, Sarafina som er en venn og nabo av Orfeo og Mira. Kort fortalt er dette en handling hentet litt i fra den gamle greske legenden blandet med brasilianske tradisjoner og et teaterstykke av Moraes.
Satt til i en moderne setting, nærmere sagt en favela i Rio De Janeiro under et karneval. Kanskje aller best kjent for er filmens musikk, som består av en rekke sambaer.
Dette er en film med et litt vidunderlig rykte…
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A then-contemporary re-telling of the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice set in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. The film is visually stunning (and how could it not be, with those gorgeous locations and wonderful costumes?), and the music is infectious. I had a bit of a problem with my viewing, because my wife was on the couch with me, working on a paper for class and only partially paying attention. Her interruptions and distractions really dampened my emotional investment in the film at times.
There is a moment when the film becomes all but silent, and it is genuinely chilling--especially in light of what is happening on-screen during this portion of the story. My wife had questioned how this…