SHORT ON STORY; LONG ON STYLE AND PERCUSSION

.

.
BLACK ORPHEUS
directed by Marcel Camus
released: 1959
.
I had seen BLACK ORPHEUS in the late 1980s and remembered being underwhelmed, but I procured a copy from my library to see it again as I’ve just discovered that I’ve been in love with Bossa-Nova music most of my life. (A long story and not worth retelling.) But my impression of the film remains mostly unchanged.
.
BLACK ORPHEUS is of course based upon the Greek myth in which Orpheus -- the offspring of the god Apollo and Calliope -- is able to tame beasts and alter nature with his music, but is unable to save his true love. In this movie, the “beasts” are represented by roosters, goats, kittens, song birds, and puppy dogs (they ALL taste like chicken), and the manipulation of nature is the belief among the poor children residing in the hills above Rio de Janeiro that the sound of Orpheus’ guitar and songs cause the rising of the sun.
.
The story takes place in the days leading up to Rio’s famous Carnival and, thus, the sights and sounds of that festive event just explode on the screen. The cinematography is a delight, featuring imaginative camera angles, compositions and movements, and gorgeous panoramic shots above and around Rio de Janeiro. 
.
I have very little desire to travel outside of the U.S. (Egypt and The Holy Land being my dream destinations), and other than a couple of misadventures South-Of-The-Border, I’ve stayed “home”. (The accommodations in a Mexican calaboose leave EVERYTHING to be desired -- another long story not worth retelling... or reliving.) But my second viewing of BLACK ORPHEUS has convinced me that an all-expenses-paid trip to Rio offered by a wealthy Brazilian woman desiring a (tired & old) kept man / love slave isn’t something I would automatically reject. Additionally, this is one of the most colorful movies I’ve ever seen; there’s enough color on the screen to turn Walt Disney from blue to green with envy in his cryogenic tube!
.
Most of the acting is of the amateur variety and it’s apparent (in ANY language). BLACK ORPHEUS sports two of the more annoying female film characters in my recent memory: Mira (played by Lourdes de Oliveira) and Serafina (played by Lea Garcia). But despite the non-professional status of their performances, Breno Mello (as Orpheus) and Marpessa Dawn (as Eurydice) are watchable: Mello for his charisma and handsome looks, and Dawn for her innocent charm and exotic attractiveness (pretty features and dark skin dressed in a crisp, virginal white dress. Yikes! Put me on her dance card!)
.
Orpheus’ true love, Eurydice, is pursued by a mysterious man (the personification of Death) throughout the picture, but nobody -- including Eurydice -- bothers to inquire why. (Ah, them Greek myths -- never overburdened by genuine character motivations.) And there are a few other problems: During the Carnival, it goes abruptly from morning light to the black of night while we’re in the midst of a single dance. (Man, the days are short in Rio, and when its Sun falls, it falls FAST!). And the story (what there is of it) periodically bogs down in excessive lingering over some sequences. (Say what you will about what a moral cesspool the U.S.A. has become, but when we tell stories well on the silver screen -- an increasingly uncommon occurrence in recent decades -- no country tells ‘em better.)
.
The truth (according to Stephen T.) is that, really, unless the viewer is paying their admission fee to vicariously experience Rio’s Carnival and/or to enjoy the complex rhythms of the Bossa-Nova beat and the simple beauty of composer Antonio Carlos Jobim's melodic lines, there isn’t a great deal of reason to spend 107 minutes with BLACK ORPHEUS. The score, however, is the main attraction here, and the payoff is rewarding if you’re a fan of Brazil’s great music. (I myself would be willing to view this movie yet again someday, just for that.)
.
I’ll add that the final scene wherein three small children begin to reprise the Orpheus / Eurydice story theme while the sun rises to illuminate them gave me a wistful, inarticulate joy -- a kind of Saudade. Their enthusiasm was infectious, making a lovely ending to a so-so movie. But, of course, we know that ultimately Enduring True Love, the “Happily Ever After”, will slip through their hands like a... well... like a myth, as it does to us all. (But I suppose that for me, living in Rio and listening to Bossa-Nova daily as a wealthy Brazilian woman’s kept man / love slave would be the next best thing.)
.
GOT BOSSA-NOVA?
[link> Bossa Nova for Lovers
.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
.