Black Orpheus

Black Orpheus

1959

Young lovers Orfeu (Breno Mello) and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) run through the favelas of Rio during Carnaval, on the lam from a hitman dressed like Death (Ademar Da Silva) and Orfeu's vengeful fiancée Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira) 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.

The film that introduced Bossa Nova to the world...

JBscale
84
Excellent

Film Detail

Genre
Drama - Romance
Length
1 hr. 48 mins.
US Theatrical Release
December 21, 1959
US Box Office
No Data Available
Global Office
No Data Available
Rating
NR
Not Rated

Collection Detail

Edition
Criterion Collection #48 Digital Only
Resolution | Digital Platform
Aspect Ratio
FS 1.33:1
Audio
Portuguese: DD+ Stereo
Studio
Criterion
Released
August 17, 2010
Acquired Date
May 25, 2024
Times Seen
0 Times
Last Watched
Haven't seen it yet.

Actors

Breno Mello
Breno Mello
Marpessa Dawn
Marpessa Dawn
Lourdes de Oliveira
Lourdes de Oliveira
Léa Garcia
Léa Garcia
Adhemar Ferreira da Silva
Adhemar Ferreira da Silva
Waldemar De Souza
Waldemar De Souza
Alexandro Constantino
Alexandro Constantino

Directors

Marcel Camus
Marcel Camus

Producers

Sacha Gordine
Sacha Gordine

Writers

Jacques Viot
Jacques Viot
Marcel Camus
Marcel Camus

Awards & Accolades

  • 1959 Oscar : Best Foreign Language Film

User Reviews

Ratings

JB Users
--
 
RT Fresh
88%
Tomatometer
72 votes
RT Fresh Certified
86%
Popcornmeter
356 votes
METASCORE
81
8 votes
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
12,663 votes