Orfeu (1999)

That was an excellent one.

So much average

Fresh and Exciting

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie captivated me from the very beginning. This sparkling, contemporary portrayal of Black Orpheus recaptures the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and again sets it in a favela in the hills above urban Rio de Janeiro. The lives, loves and losses of 3 generations of shanty town dwellers are vibrantly documented over the course of a Carnival holiday. Dreadlocked, handsome Orfeu, who has achieved local fame through the success of his shows at the Sambadrome faces the usual pressures of a celebrity who comes from poor beginnings. He chooses to remain living in the favela, he claims, to show the youth that there is more than one way to success, the other way being that of his 'almost brother', Lucinho, a psychotic gang leader who reigns over the 'hood with drugs and terror. When beautiful, otherworldly Eurydice arrives in the rough-hewn streets to visit a distant aunt she captures Orfeu's heart, much to the disdain of the local women, most of whom have some claim on him, whether real or imagined. The two find true love against a pulsating backdrop of Carnival performances, jealousy, police violence, interfering relatives, and flimsy homes held together by not much more than romantic and colorful scarves. The acting in Orfeu is raw and energetic and the passion that interweaves the mythical tale is ethereal by design, and enchanting by its very nature.

Orfeu Negro for the 90's. Complete with laptops, cell phones and automatic weopons in the hillside ghetto of Rio de Jainero. Visually the movie is great. I especially enjoyed the lead actor playing Orfeo, and the actors playing his mother, father and the teen-ghetto artist Michael. Orfeo and Euridice never quite connect in a powerful way. So emotionally the movie didn't move me as strongly as it might have. I did enjoy watching the Carnival and the music in the film is very nice.

ORFEU is a good reworking of the Orpheus story. It has been remade using all of Vinicius de Morais' criteria for an updated version. Among the criteria was adding the modest modern forms of the art. ORFEU does that wonderfully in depicting the current underworld ruling the favelas (poor shanty towns), and the modern trends in language and music, including Brazilian rap. It is definitely an updated version of the late 50's "Black Orpheus." Now, whether one prefers the comparatively nostalgic '50s ORPHEUS or not is another matter. And that should not be the yardstick on which this film is rated. Understandably, a lot of people have problems with accepting rap in Brazilian samba, overt sexuality (which is rampant even on Brazilian prime-time TV) and the nuanced acting of Brazilian telenovelas, which, like it or not, is what the people are used to, and the popular standard for acting in Brazil. Whether this style of acting is good or bad is definite subjective. Regular people in Brazil overact more than those in the movie have been accused of doing. Go there and see people in a normal discussion, then argue about who overacts. I therefore assure you that ORFEU delivers what it intended, and with fabulous sound and cinematography, state of theart. Whether you preferred the "innocent" days of the 50s to today's rougher climate is of course your choice, but it's not fair to vent your anger or to criticize the film for it. Criticize society, whomever. But not the artists in this movie. They are representing things as they are right now, whether you like it or not. It's unfortunate that since most don't like the general state they take it out on the movie. The movie is definitely worth watching. It only reflects society, and kind of sanitized at that. The acting is the best you'll get from a bunch who have to master Samba dancing, singing, looking wonderful, and seeming realistic, just for starters. They do that and more in this movie.

I just got back from Orfeu. I wish I could say this movie was good, cause I like Diegues, but it was not. His excellent movie Quilombo sold me on his historical honesty and ability to tell a story. Using the backdrop of Rio and Carival you don't even get a sense of the city and the joy of the Carnival. He uses some shots that show the beauty of the city and intricate scene shots but there just isn't enough. The acting is not good. It was poorly cast. The female roles should have been re-arranged. Mira should have played the "best dancer". The best dancer should have played Euridice and Euridice should have been eliminated and barred from the set. The lead role of Orfeu was decent enough, but he needed much more to play off of. And there was no romance. This was a disappointment.