Black Orpheus

"The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world..."

1959 1h 40m PT

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 247

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Young lovers Orfeu and Eurydice run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death and Orfeu's vengeful fiancée Mira and passing between moments of fantasy and stark reality. This impressionistic retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice introduced bossa nova to the world with its soundtrack by young Brazilian composers Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

“The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Breno Mello
Orfeo
Marpessa Dawn
Eurydice
Lourdes de Oliveira
Mira
Léa Garcia
Serafina
Adhemar Ferreira da Silva
Death
Waldetar De Souza
Chico
Alexandre Constantino
Hermes
Jorge Dos Santos
Benedito

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marcel Camus
Writers: Jacques Viot
Languages: Portuguese
Countries: Brazil, France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Brazil, France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marcel Camus, shot by Jean Bourgoin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andrée Feix shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Breno Mello and Marpessa Dawn and Lourdes de Oliveira carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053146 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marcel Camus directs. Jean Bourgoin behind the camera. Antônio Carlos Jobim scores. Andrée Feix cuts. Produced in Brazil, France, Italy. Dialogue in Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 3 countries: Brazil, France, Italy.
3Directed by Marcel Camus, shot by Jean Bourgoin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Andrée Feix shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Breno Mello and Marpessa Dawn and Lourdes de Oliveira carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world...".
8IMDB entry: tt0053146 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "guitar", "rio de janeiro", "samba", "trolley".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jean Bourgoin
Original score: Antônio Carlos Jobim
Editing: Andrée Feix
Production design: Pierre Guffroy
Costume design: Isabel Pons
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: PT
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Black Orpheus (1959)

Awards

Palme d'Or
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Marcel Camus

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-02-12
★ 6/10
I reckon this was always going to be a bit of a creatively risky venture and for me: a Frenchman moving a Greek myth to the culturally diverse Brazil was always going to be quite an ask. It's colourful and well cast, but I am afraid the story just muddled up too many themes for me. The premiss is the same as the ancient story, with this time "Eurydice" (Marpessa Dawn) having fled her home town to avoid the unwelcome attentions of a suitor. She encounters tram driver "Orfeu" (Breno Mello) and pretty much instantly they hit it off. He serenades her with his carousing guitar music - despite the fact that he is already promised to "Mira" (Lourdes de Olivera). Guess what? "Mira" isn't too impressed with her boyfriend's philandering and when "Eurydice" goes off the grid amidst all the celebrations and colour that is mardi gras, "Orfeu" suspects everyone and must set off on a search that will test his mettle and his love - and put him in the path of death itself! I enjoyed the idea but somehow it just didn't quite work. Surely there must be local mythology that could have been better applied here? It reminded me a little of Preminger's "Carmen Jones" (1954) in that by simply relocating a classic story to a new and vibrant scenario, you lose quite a lot of what made the original story work in the first place - even if it is a timeless love story that ought, on paper, to be easily transferrable. There's no doubt, though, a cracking chemistry between Mello and Dawn and I did enjoy Olivera's performance too. There is some beautiful and captivating photography of Rio de Janeiro that does illustrate the vibrancy of the place, and it's a beautiful film to watch. The story? Well I'm not so sure it marries so well and there's just too much focus on the environment and not enough on developing the characters.

Production companies