Black Orpheus is a Brazilian film released in 1959 directed by Marcel Camus. The film adaptation of the famous myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has cultivated an international cult following with high regard for its theatrical colors, festivities, music, costume and culture.
While the film is now seen as a cherished work of art it was initially received with much accredited criticism.The criticism of the film arose because it was made by a French director and seen as “portraying an exoticized version of the country and characters, for its lack of realism, and for exporting the idea that the poor Black citizens of Rio did nothing but sing and dance their cares away.” As stated by an excerpt from James N. Green and Thomas E. Skidmore’s textbook “Brazil: Five Centuries of Change”. This online resource gives a deeper understanding of the exoticism that warranted the critiques of the film.
Even attempts to depict accurate cultural events within the film contributed to the problems pointed out by Brazilian writers and filmmakers. There’s different aspects of the direct political problems in the film and the context of where and when the film was made in accordance with the literary source. For example: the moment in the film when Orpheus is traveling through the building of records to find a now deceased Eurydice, there are clouds of papers floating in the air, crumbled on the floor. This ghastly scene is a direct connection to Orpheus’ descent into the Underworld. The reason why this is seen as important for the context of the film is that I believe it showcases the lack of care and attention many Black and Brown people are victims of within a racist governmental structure.
What other scenes could be reinterpreted in this film as a form of criticism towards the Brazilian government? Does doing this recreate the criticism of an outsider’s view the way that Brazilian film critics were talking about?
-angel
