Minutes FORL 3160-  March 18, 2002

Today we watched Black Orpheus (1959) by Marcel Camus.  The movie was depicting the old myth about Orpheus and Eurydice.  It was said that Orpheus charmed people with his music and one day he fell in love with a beautiful woman named Eurydice.  When death took Eurydice, Orpheus went to the Underworld and tried to get her back.  She pleaded that he not look at her.  He finally gave in and when he looked at her, she was taken away from him forever.

            In Camus’ version of this story he uses the setting of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival.  Orpheus charms people with his guitar playing and singing.  Several children in this film think that he charms the sun to rise in the morning.  Orpheus leaves his new wife for a beautiful woman named Eurydice.  Death occurs several times in the form of a masked man, and chases Eurydice.  At one point Orpheus saves Eurydice from Death.  Finally in the end, among all of the Carnival confusion, Death chases Eurydice, and takes her.  Actually, Orpheus accidentally electrocutes her in the streetcar station.  Orpheus tries to get her back not by going to the Underworld, but by taking her out of the morgue.  As he carries her to his home, talking to her as if she were alive, Orpheus irate wife throws stones at them.  A huge stone hits Orpheus in the face, and knocks both Orpheus and Eurydice off a cliff.  The end of the movie shows him falling slowing to death, and Eurydice’s body flopping down the cliff.  Ironically his wife screams in terror, because she knows he is going to die.

            Some of the most important elements in the film were the use of the myth, music, and all of the elaborate costumes and festivities that went along with Carnival in Rio.  Camus definitely used a dynamic, creative way to present this myth to viewers.

            Below are three reviews, ranked as weak, average, and strong:

Weak:  Filmcritic.com- gave the movie 3 ½ stars

                                      By Christopher Null

·        Very weak because it basically says the film is different

·        It has a very negative attitude towards the movie, without much justification

Average: Epinions.com- gave the movie 4 ½ stars

                                               By Brian Koller

·        Lists the pros and cons of the movie

·        Gives background of lead actors/actresses

·        Mentions the comic relief provided by the children that believe Orpheus brings the sun up

·        Says the film is overrated because of the insight it gives on Brazilian culture

·        Also states that the insight is not accurate because it depicted Rio as almost all blacks, and in the end the white policemen were the bad guys taking people away

·        Also recommends a suitable age group for viewers

Strong: TV Guide online- also gave the movie 3 ½ stars

·        Covers all aspects of the film from music, costumes, culture portrayed, Brazilian scenery depicted, running time of the film, and a list of the cast with links to each name

·        I thought it was very thorough

 I would also give the movie about 3 ½ stars.  It was a very entertaining film, but I’m not sure how accurate Camus was in his presentation of the Brazilian culture.  The use of music really drew me into the film and kept my attention.  I would say it is a fairly entertaining film considering the low budget provided.