Director: Marcel Camus
Few films are as colourful, musically energetic and tragic as Camus' Black Orpheus. As someone who loves Greek mythology, and in particular enjoys the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, I had high hopes for this film, all of which were met. It sticks reasonably close to the myth, with some interesting adaptive choices.
The cast are all good, with the two leads, Breno Mello and Marpessa Dawn, especially lovely. You understand their instant attraction, and believe that Dawn's Eurydice would inspire Mello's Orfeu to sing such beautiful love songs. And they are very romantic songs!
The film's highlight is surely the Carnival, which manages to be exciting and fun, yet full of menace and danger (mostly for Eurydice). The black sky makes the colours of the costumes pop, and the shadows hide the figure of Death who is pursuing Eurydice.
I enjoyed this film a lot. It reminded me of West Side Story, with its tragic love story and energy in telling its story. To me, Mello and Dawn are more believable as lovers, with their strong chemistry which makes us pardon Orfeu's lying to his girlfriend (her obnoxiousness helps too!). If you don't like musicals you may enjoy this one, as the songs are less theatrical than your typical Hollywood fare.
I enjoyed this for a lot of reasons, and the call out to West Side Story is a good one. For me, this is all about the spectacle and the way the story was interpreted to be both faithful to the myth and modern at the same time. A lovely film.
ReplyDeleteWhat is great about the spectacle is the lack of formality to it. Most musicals are clearly very thoroughly rehearsed, which is usually a good thing, but here the relaxed nature of the music and dancing works wonderfully.
DeleteI prefer Jean Cocteau's 1950 adaptation, which is a serious take on the Greek tale. Black Orpheus is indeed colorful and despite not being a fan of musicals, the film did put me in a good mood.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that it does leave one smiling despite the tragic ending.
DeleteI did like Cocteau version: love his approach to special effects! The flip to Orpheus' relationship with Eurydice, adding a fascination with Death, threw me slightly, but I shall definitely revisit it at some point.
What a joy to watch and, especially, listen to. The comparison to traditional musicals is a good one. The carnival music is so much more involving that a stage production. Even watching a carnival from the sideline in pale and dull Europe makes you want to join in and that is the feeling I get watching Orfeu Negro. Partytime!
ReplyDeleteThat music has the same effect on me as Middle Eastern music: darn it, I can't help but dance!
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