Black Orpheus
Movie · Drama · Romance

Interwoven with the spectacle, madness and vibrancy of the Rio de Janeiro carnival, comes the multi-award winning retelling of the classic legend of Orpheus (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn). Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) is awash with intoxicating samba music, frenzied dancing and violent costumes, as French auteur Marcel Camus unfolds the melancholy tale of love and tragedy for two people who fall rapturously in love during the annual carnival. From the moment of its first appearance, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959 - where it won the Palme d’Or and went onto win an Oscar and Golden Globe - it was apparent that Black Orpheus was a very special film. Inspired by the ancient Greek myth of a youth who travels to the land of the dead to bring back the woman he loves, but set amongst the slums of modern-day Rio de Janeiro, this bittersweet romantic tragedy has charmed audiences worldwide with its sheer colour, joie de vivre and especially its music. From the opening shot of an ancient frieze of the lovers, Orpheus and Eurydice, and a guitar softly strumming the chords of the film’s main musical theme to the fast-moving shots of dancers preparing for Carnival to the convulsive, infectious beat of the Latin American bossa nova beat, Black Orpheus is simply a feast of sound and vision that all movie lovers will admire.

1959 · 1h 47m
  • 88%
Starring Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira
Director Marcel Camus

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Cast & Crew

  • B‌M
    Breno Mello
    Orfeo
  • M‌D
    Marpessa Dawn
    Eurydice
  • L‌D
    Lourdes de Oliveira
    Mira
  • L‌G
    Léa Garcia
    Serafina
  • A‌D
    Ademar Da Silva
    Death
  • A‌C
    Alexandro Constantino
    Hermes
  • W‌D
    Waldemar De Souza
    Chico
  • J‌D
    Jorge Dos Santos
    Benedito
  • A‌C
    Aurino Cassiano
    Zeca
  • M‌C
    Marcel Camus
    Director
  • S‌G
    Sacha Gordine
    Producer

About

Black Orpheus

Drama

Interwoven with the spectacle, madness and vibrancy of the Rio de Janeiro carnival, comes the multi-award winning retelling of the classic legend of Orpheus (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn). Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) is awash with intoxicating samba music, frenzied dancing and violent costumes, as French auteur Marcel Camus unfolds the melancholy tale of love and tragedy for two people who fall rapturously in love during the annual carnival. From the moment of its first appearance, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959 - where it won the Palme d’Or and went onto win an Oscar and Golden Globe - it was apparent that Black Orpheus was a very special film. Inspired by the ancient Greek myth of a youth who travels to the land of the dead to bring back the woman he loves, but set amongst the slums of modern-day Rio de Janeiro, this bittersweet romantic tragedy has charmed audiences worldwide with its sheer colour, joie de vivre and especially its music. From the opening shot of an ancient frieze of the lovers, Orpheus and Eurydice, and a guitar softly strumming the chords of the film’s main musical theme to the fast-moving shots of dancers preparing for Carnival to the convulsive, infectious beat of the Latin American bossa nova beat, Black Orpheus is simply a feast of sound and vision that all movie lovers will admire.

88%

TOMATOMETER
Average 8
Reviews 72
Fresh 63
Rotten 9

Information

Studio
Dispat Films, Gemma, Tupan Filmes
Released
1959
Run Time
1 hr 47 min
Rated
PG
Regions of Origin
Brazil, France, Italy
© 1959 Janus Films

Languages

Original Audio
Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese
Audio

Portuguese (Brazil) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United Kingdom) (Always On)

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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
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  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

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  • Antigua and Barbuda
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  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

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  • Canada (English)
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  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)