Marpessa Dawn

(On Cable TV, September 2020) As far as unusual takes on the Orpheus myth go, Orfeu Negro is in a class of its own—setting a story in a Rio de Janeiro favela and sticking close to a realistic treatment despite some eerie visuals, it brings its own interpretation of the classical story. Written and directed by French filmmaker Marcel Camus but entirely set in Rio de Janeiro with Portuguese dialogues, it remains a very colourful film with several striking sequences. While, in theory, the film avoids any outright supernatural elements, it does skirt the limits of magical realism by having a character meant to physically incarnate death, by setting itself in the revelry of carnival, and by adopting a poetic tone that clearly seeks to avoid realism. Very attractive actresses do help, led by the stunning Marpessa Dawn. Soccer player turned actor Breno Mello also does well in the title role, even if much of the film’s last act has him running from one place to another with a worried expression. Orfeu Negro has aged far better than many of its contemporary films, and retains quite a bit of interest today. Some of the images are stunning, whether it’s in portraying Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, or the way Camus uses colour and cinematography to get an impression. Where the film may open itself to criticism is in the way it has a French director come in and use the favelas as a colourful backdrop—the film does retain an outsider’s quality in how it presents colourful costumes in an exotic setting. It doesn’t take away anything from the result, but it’s easy to wonder how another filmmaker with knowledge of the context would have handled the same material.