Black Orpheus
Seen it?1959 | 100 min | Drama, Romance
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (88% on Rotten Tomatoes), it won an Oscar and it's still drawing plenty of interest. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Great for romantics and people who like stories about real, flawed people. Leaves you with something to think about. Critics like it more than audiences, which usually means it takes its time or takes risks.
- The mood
- Warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 40 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- It's in Portuguese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Made in 1959: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Young lovers Orfeu and Eurydice run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death and Orfeu's vengeful fiancée Mira and passing between moments of fantasy and stark reality. This impressionistic retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice introduced bossa nova to the world with its soundtrack by young Brazilian composers Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 81 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
Our audience score: 62%
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 Oscar: Best International Feature Film. Won 1 Cannes award: Palme d'Or.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$750K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 116K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Marcel Camus
- Breno MelloOrfeo
- Marpessa DawnEurydice
- Lourdes de OliveiraMira
- Léa GarciaSerafina
- Adhemar Ferreira da SilvaDeath
- Waldetar De SouzaChico
- Alexandre ConstantinoHermes
- Jorge Dos SantosBenedito
- Aurino CassianoZeca
- Maria AliceLittle Girl