An intoxicating film with an undeniable rhythm, Black Orpheus brought Rio—and its music—to the world.
French director Marcel Camus revives the ancient Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice against the lush pageantry and madcap genius of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. With its eye-popping color photography, extravagant costumes, and beautiful stars, Black Orpheus was an international cultural event in the 1950s. Its soundtrack by Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim—one of the most iconic of the 20th century—kicked off the era’s global bossa nova craze. Black Orpheus is one of only five films to win both the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In Portuguese with English subtitles. (107 mins., DCP)
Isis Barra Costa, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Ohio State, will provide a short introduction the film to place it in greater context.
