Review of Black Orpheus (1959) by Lenard K — 18 May 2008
A famous Brazilian movie from the acclaimed director Marcel Camus. The film won the foreign language Oscar in 1959 and is considered a landmark for Latin American cinema. The film is loosely based on the Orpheus myth, but is set in modern Rio.
The first most striking thing about the film is simply how well Camus uses Rio as a character of the film. All the color and energy of Carnival is on display here, the movie simply would not be the same if it were in Black and White.
Also interesting is a certain racial role reversal on display, here all of the black characters are strong and interesting, while the white characters are jolly and slightly buffoonish shopkeepers and servants, which may have been a deliberate answer to how African Americans were depicted in Hollywood films.
That said, the story here isn?t wildly strong, especially when divorced from the original myth, and I also think it could have done with a little more cutting, but for the most part it?s quite interesting.
This review of Black Orpheus (1959) was written by Lenard K on 18 May 2008.
Black Orpheus has generally received very positive reviews.
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