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Features: DVD, English
Editor's Note
Camus' winner of the Palme d'Or winner at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival is a modern reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus which simultaneously celebrates the beauty, music and people of Brazil. In this version of the ages-old tale, Orpheus is a streetcar conductor and star Carnival dancer who is betrothed to the determined Mira but is in love with Eurydice. As Mira and Death himself pursue the doomed Orpheus and his lover through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Carnival literally brings the streets to life. Lush photography and the timeless and brilliant bossa nova sounds of Jobim give the film a distinct power and beauty.
Plot Summary
A modern retelling of the Orpheus legend, played out against the background of Rio de Janeiro's famous carnival. Frightened after she notices a mysterious man stalking her, Eurydice flees her hometown to take refuge with her cousin in Rio. There, she meets a young man named Orpheus, who wins her love with the beautiful sambas he plays on his guitar. But during the carnival festivities, they become separated when Eurydice bolts after spotting her pursuer in the crowd -- dressed as Death in his carnival costume. Once again, as in ancient Greece, it seems as if Orpheus will lose his beloved Eurydice...
| Features | Keep Case | | Full Frame - 1.33 | | Audio:
| Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono - Portuguese | | Subtitles - English |
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: Image |
| Release Date: 2/10/2009 |
| Running Time: 107 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1958 | | Catalog ID: 009 | | UPC: 00715515043113 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Portuguese | | Available Audio Tracks: Portuguese | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew | Marpessa Dawn - Featured | | Andree Feix - Editor | | Sacha Gordine - Producer | | Breno Mello - Featured | | Antonio Carlos Jobim - Composer | | Venitius De Moraes - Screenwriter | | Marcel Camus - Source Writer | | Jacques Viot - Screenwriter | | Luiz Bonfa - Composer | | Lea Garcia - Featured | | Jean Bourgoin - Director of Photography | | Marcel Camus - Director |
| Awards |
Academy Awards (1959) |  | Winner, Best Foreign Language Film | |
Cannes (1959) | | Winner, Palme d'Or | | Marcel Camus, Winner, Palme d'Or |
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| | Professional Reviews | Los Angeles Times
"...[A] vivid, romantic reworking of the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice....BLACK ORPHEUS holds up amazingly well, its rich color and incessant samba beat as intoxicating as ever..." 01/06/1986 p.C4USA Today
"...Brilliant color, a dynamic score and attractive performers..." 02/16/1989 p.5D Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "The carnival scenes are exhilarating, a riot of color, music and movement..." 04/01/2007 p.145 |
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