Black Orpheus (1959)

 Marcel Camus's "Black Orpheus"

Although Marcel Camus's 1959 film "Black Orpheus" takes elements from its story, along with its title, directly from the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, the real crux of the film rests upon the notion that black Brazilians will never be able to elevate themselves out of their economically disparate circumstances. Co-produced between Brazil, France, and Italy, the film directly adapts the Vinicius de Moraes 1956 Brazilian play "Orfeu da Conceicao." Its legacy extends well beyond its release year, influencing a vast array of filmmakers, from Spike Lee to Bong Joon-Ho.

The film centers on Orfeu, a trolley driver living in Rio de Janeiro, who has just taken Eurydice, a visitor, to the end of the trolley line. The two spark up a romance, despite Orfeu's romantic connection to another woman. Orfeu and Eurydice must go on the run. Not only from Orfeu's financee, but from a masked figure dressed like Death. In the end, tragedy strikes, and we close the film with children dancing as the sun rises.

To me, the film revolves around characters unable to free themselves from their ultimate fates. As much as they spend the film living life and celebrating life, they are no match for the forces of the universe in determining their finality. This not only exists with their existential circumstances, but their place in society. Our characters live on the outskirts of the bustling metropolis of Rio, only able to view its cityscape from their rural perch. In the final shot, the small children dancing to the music as the run rises iterates the eternal return of it all. The three children are the next generation of characters who must play out the same theater, even its tragic finality. 

What enables the film to adapt the Orpheus fantasy are the film's adherences to a more fantastical impressionism, favored over a more realist style. This somewhat took me out of the film upon first watching, as many things throughout were a bit distracting and over-theatrical. However, I understood this stylistic adherence by the film's conclusion. 

There are some, however, who view the film through a racially critical lens. The film centers on a group of black Brazilians. But many argue that this lens is too racially insincere. Many Brazilians viewed the film as displaying harmful racial stereotypes. These concerns have been far more adopted with more modern audiences, as the film's critics at the time were not able to iterate these concerns over the megaphonic noise of the film's success. 

Regardless of your viewpoint of the film's racial lens, its success was international and its reach was palpable. "Black Orpheus" remains an important milestone in Brazilian cinema, introduced modern audiences to samba music, and touched young aspiring filmmakers.