Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

dlbhina622 I agree with the reviewer who says it is a successful attempt to recreate an old myth in modern times, but take it a step further and add it is a magnificent attempt, one that has not gotten the attention it deserves.As a young adult, seeing it made me look at film story-telling in a different perspective; how an ensemble of actors, with a great screenplay, can take a story written in the clouds and bring it down to earth so easily and realistically. I can tell you that I only had the desire to see it once, but it has stayed with me as one of those enlightened moments, and in black and white, as it should be.I think it is a classic, made at a time when the world was on the verge of transformation, yet not quite there yet, which makes it all the more remarkable.

Jackson Booth-Millard I did remember this title rather well having seen it featured in the book 1001 Movies You See Before You Die, and of course with that recommendation there was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to watch this French/Brazilian film. Basically in Rio De Janeiro, trolley conductor and musician Orfeus (Breno Mello) is engaged to Mira (Lourdes De Oliveira), and new in town is Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) arrives during the time Carnival week. She is running away from a stalker, Orpheus is instantly attracted to her, and he introduces her to life in this new place, including meeting station guard Hermes (Alexandro Constantino), and given directions she finds her cousin Serafina (Léa Garcia). Orpheus is not enthusiastic about his upcoming wedding, he even buys a new guitar instead of an engagement which Mira wants, this is so that he can eventually celebrate and join in the carnival. He is happy to see Eurydice living next door to him, they do have her stalker Death (Ademar Da Silva) come and find her, but he is chased away, and Serafina's sailor boyfriend Chico (Waldemar De Souza) distracts her attention, so they can connect properly. Orpheus, Mira, Serafina and Eurydice all take part in the carnival with colourful dresses and instruments and join in all the dancing and celebrations, and of course during this Mira finds out about the deception. Death shows up again, and Orpheus tries to chase him away again, and in the process Mira hangs from a power line to get away, and her fiancé accidentally kills her turning the power on. A distraught Orpheus tries to look for Eurydice, but he is told by someone that she may be dead, he goes into essentially the Underworld to search for her. There is a point when he finds what may be her in an older being, and she may in fact be dead, and he mourns, but he finds her body in the dark world and carries it away to take home and bring her back to life. The end is not happy though, as jealous Mira spots Orpheus holding Eurydice on the edge of a cliff, throws a stone that hits his head, and both them fall to their deaths. Also starring Jorge Dos Santos as Benedito. I will be honest that I guess I didn't fully catch on to the Greek story being retold in a more modern form, the cast were all fine, and the love story was interesting enough, but what I personally enjoyed was all the brightly coloured and musical carnival action in between everything, overall however it is a worthwhile romance. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film from any Source, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Good!

MartinHafer This film has a wonderful reputation and is regarded as a classic, so when I got a copy of the film I was expecting something amazing. And, by the time it was complete, I felt like I just didn't get it--why was this film so highly regarded? Perhaps most of the reason this film left me so cold was that Jean Cocteau's version of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice was so much better--with amazing camera work and acting. On the other hand, "Orfeu Negro" just seemed to have one thing going for it--its intense Samba score. The problem is that after a short time I wanted the music to stop!! The viewing experience was like having ADHD and taking crack--it was just so hyper-kinetic it made me want to scream. As for the story, it sure seemed a lot more superficial--they dance and dance and Orfeu falls for Eurydice so easily--with no real character development or even build up. The citizens of Rio all seem like mindless children--dancing their lives away--a rather patronizing view of the nation! And, because of this, I can see why the Brazilians disliked this one-dimensional view the film gave of them.As I said, I just don't get this film--it didn't do much to satisfy me and I will strongly suggest to my friends they see Cocteau's version instead--it seems much closer to the original source material and is just so much more interesting.

Marcin Kukuczka Rarely have we encountered movies like this one: a timeless mythical story from Greece brought to screen in Brazilian context, the couple come from the very heart of Brazilian society, from Rio. Yet, what links them is the same sweet feeling that have linked the people for thousands of years no matter what nationality, beliefs or family background. Yes, that is what BLACK ORFEUS offers undeniably. The great romance that bursts out in the magnificence and lavishness of Rio's carnival when, truly, body in dance combines with heart in love. Yet, is that the only reason for calling this movie classic? As a matter of fact, there have been lots of love stories on screen that were quickly forgotten. What is, in fact, the very uniqueness of BLACK ORFEUS that differs it from other movies and that makes it an interesting cinema production after all these years? We could say, though ridiculous this may seem, that it is everything about this movie that makes it a timeless work on screen. Yet, such a generalized view may, of course, result in simplification and confusion. There are specifically two factors that make BLACK ORFEUS significant or still worth attention: the first one aforementioned timeless love story uniquely and accurately put in the context of Brazil, which, in itself, must have been a challenge due to its innovative nature but the task was beautifully crafted by the director; the second being the cinematography of the movie which still, after almost 50 years, appears to be astounding. Those two aspects, for many viewers, constitute this "everything." This enthusiasm may be compared to a beautiful painting you admire thanks to its exquisiteness. In the same way, any film which has an interesting story and is visually stunning occurs to be an unforgettable work of art. And indeed, BLACK ORFEUS is a lovely visual work, the colors are stunning and the imagery is brilliant. The gorgeous views of Rio, the beautiful moments of sunrise and the charming views of little houses overwhelm even the most cynical viewers. But what about the rest? Such aspects like performances or action cannot be analyzed in terms of modern cinema, according to what we find in the majority of Hollywood productions. Acting is superb yet their evaluation is exposed to certain opinions that not necessarily occur consistent. These are all Brazilian actors, many of whom are unexperienced when concerning "grand cinema" but this very fact appears to be beneficial for the film since their performances result in authenticity and freshness. You really have a feeling that you watch real people in the very circumstances of the carnival in Rio and their love is genuine. There is a perfect chemistry between Breno Mello as Orfeus and Marpessa Dawn as Eurydice. They beautifully fit to their roles and even their life stories proved that mysterious link. Consider that they both died the same year... Lourdes Oliveira gives rather a funny performance as Mira but is also memorable.IL ORFEU NEGRO is a very valuable film, a sweet and authentic love story that will for long maintain in your memory as body in dance during the carnival and heart in love during romance. I highly recommend it hoping that like the song of Orfeus was capable of bringing sunrise to the world, this movie will bring in many people the rise of quest for beauty and a profound admiration of tenderness. Only then we can find simple things unusual just like the little boy who perceived his kite as the beautiful sun.