Drama · Romance
French (Orfeu Negro)
1959 · Directed by Marcel Camus · 100 min
The ancient Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice is moved to Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. A tram conductor who plays guitar and a young woman newly arrived in the city meet amid samba rehearsals, costumes and hillside shanties, in a film of saturated colour, music and mythic undertones.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining example of 1950s European art-house cinema looking outward, and one of the first films to give worldwide exposure to Brazilian popular music and Carnival imagery.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a modern city seen through myth, where music and colour carry as much meaning as dialogue.
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