Orfeu Negro aka Black Orpheus (1959) Mythic Carnevale Noir

Hiding in plain sight. How about that! In 1959 Noir barely registered. 

Blame the writings of Raymond Borde and Etiene Chaumeton in A Panorama of American Film Noir, 1941-1953. Charles O’Brien who researched the use of “film noir” in Film Noir In France: Before The Liberation points out that...  “According to Borde and Chaumeton,” O’Brien writes, “certain prewar films directed by Marcel Carné, Julien Duvivier and Jean Renoir are only superficially similar to American film noir because the French films are exclusively ‘realist.’ For Borde and Chaumeton, the French films belonged to the past whereas the Hollywood films manifest a new, distinctively postwar sensibility. “The single sentence in Panorama du film noir américain, continues O’Brien, “that alludes to prior discussion in France of film noir implies that such discussion was inconsequential. Later studies of film noir accept this suggestion at face value and even go as far as to attribute origins of the term solely to the postwar writings of critics such as Nino Frank.”

Since we now know that Nino Frank and Jean Pierre Chartier (the other French critic) used “film noir” as a reference and not as a coinage....O’Brien points out that the term “film noir” seems to have been coined by the political rightwing and that may be because many – but not all – of the film noirs were from the poetic realist movement that was closely associated with the leftist Popular Front.  

There are nine film noirs identified in O’Briens essay: Pierre Chenal’s Crime and Punishment (1935), Jean Renoir’s The Lower Depths (Les Bas-fonds) (1936), Julien Duvivier’s Pépé le Moko (1937), Jeff Musso’s The Puritan (1938), Marcel Carné’s Port of Shadows (Le Quai des brumes) (1938), Jean Renoir’s La Bête Humaine (1938), Marcel Carné’s Hôtel du Nord (1938), Marcel Carné’s Le Jour se lève (Daybreak) 1939, and Pierre Chenal’s Le Dernier Tournant (1939). 

None of these films are about private detectives hard-boiled or otherwise and none of them are police procedurals or stories where the police – or any member of governmental society – are seen as heroic. The films are about the working class and those below the working class or, in a few films, what was once referred to as the Lumpenproletariat. In fact, there isn’t a single crime film – as that term is conventionally used – in the list. Pépé Le Moko, a film that centers on a fugitive criminal hiding in the Casbah of Algiers, is a film about memory and desire more than anything else and its suicide ending has to do with facing what the character believes he has lost and not the possibility of incarceration...

When A Panorama of American Film Noir was published in 1955, the notion that a “film noir” described a Crime film, it created a gospel from which the form would never recover.  (William Ahern) 

Directed by Marcel Camus. Written by Marcel Camus and Jacques Viot, and based on a play " Orfeu da Conceição"  by Vinicius de Moraes that was in turn an adaptation of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. The excellent Cinematography was by Jean Bourgoin (Dédée d'Anvers (1948), Mr. Arkadin (1955), The haunting Music was by Luiz Bonfá, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. 

Black Orpheus's all amateur cast starred Breno Mello (a soccer player walking on the street with no acting experience was cast as Orfeu by Marcel Camus) as Orfeu, Marpessa Dawn (a dancer from Pittsburg Pennsylvania) as Eurydice, Marcel Camus as Ernesto, Fausto Guerzoni as Fausto, Lourdes de Oliveira as Mira, Léa Garcia (the only cast member of the film to have a long career, her last credit is 2020) as Serafina, Adhemar da Silva (Olympic medalist) as Death, Alexandro Constantino as Hermes, Waldemar De Souza as Chico, Jorge Dos Santos as Benedito, and Aurino Cassiano as Zeca.

Marcel Camus captured some genuine magic. The Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice timelessly encored, this go round in a mountain top favela during Carnevale. Is it a modern version of 'bacchanalia" in Rio de Jannero?  Was this what a Saturnalia was like, or the earlier Greek holiday of Kronia? It makes me smile when I contemplate the thought of it being a glimpse into antiquity. 

Black Orpheus is told accompanied by a wild, feverish, Samba percussive score, seemingly beating out the timeless, infinite pulse of life itself. Jean Bourgoin's camera work masterfully juxtaposes the earlier Film Soleil segments of the film with the long fall of the Film Noir finale, effortlessly producing very memorable haunting and atmospheric sequences all through the work. 

The Story

A guitar plucks some opening notes. A copy of part of a stone bas-relief of relief that was probably part of a prominent public monument of the fifth century BC in Athens. We just see the 2/3rd's that show Eurydice and Orpheus

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

The full bronze relief (above) is of Hermes, Eurydice and Orpheus. Orpheus is shown leading back Eurydice from the underworld, with Hermes, the god of travelling, in attendance. Hermes far left is identified by the straw sun hat he has hanging off his shoulder, Orpheus the musician on far right by his lyre. 

The stone bas relief shatters with a samba beat. A native Brazilian band brings up the rear of a small Carnivale parade on a hill top trail. The players are wildly gyrating to the samba. They pass a line of women carrying tin cans of water on their heads going the other way. We follow the women. 

The mountain top favela

Serafina in print dress at right

The last woman the one in a light dress is Serafina. her upper torso is motionless but her hips are dipping down and up and down with each step. Think of it as say, a Brazilian equivalent of the "behind" shots of Marilyn in most of her films. lol 

A house of sticks and mud

The million dollar view

Home is a hilltop shack

We follow Serafina into a grassy ramshackle favela neighborhood of winding foot paths among homemade houses, made of recycled castoff material and from the good earth itself. Stick and mud homes with mud plastered walls, corrugated tin and board roofs, lovingly decorated with found doodads. They haven't got pot to piss in but they've got a million dollar view on the mirante do telegrafo no morro da babilonia (Telegraph lookout at Morro da Babilonia) of Rio and the beaches. The higher peaks some shaped like shaggymane mushrooms jot up in the distance.   

Benedetto and his Sun kite

 

Léa Garcia as Serafina with Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mt) left)

When Serafina gets to her place  Benedetto, and Zeca, are flying their homemade paper sun kite. They yell out for her to watch and they launch it off the steep hillside.

Botafogo

Flamengo

The kite momentarily rises majestically but it looses the updraft and then begins to drop. Benedetto, pulls in fast on the string, it starts to rise again . He runs backwards with the string to force it still higher but the string parts, and the kite tips level floats like a giant autumn leaf down into Rio. We hear a ferry blow its horn. 

The "Samba" ferry

The blindman

A ferry is samba-ing its way to the dock. It's overloaded with bands and dancing Carnevale celebrants. Eurydice a young woman, a "country girl" is on her way to visit her big city cousin Serafina. She gets easily frightened and she jumps when a blind souvenir seller accidently bumps into her trying to make his way off the ferry. 

Marpessa Dawn as Eurydice

The blindman pardons himself and gives Eurydice a flower lei. She tells him she can lead him off the ferry but that she doesn't know Rio. He tells her he knows Rio like the back of his hand and he can at least steer her in the right direction. They part with the blindman pointing Eurydice the way to downtown Rio. 

Marketplace onion seller

Seafood seller

Eurydice passes through an outdoor market where again, the samba is everywhere. Eurydice eventually makes her way into downtown Rio. The images suggest that she is a bird trapped in a a concrete and steel cage. The streets seem more deserted than they should be. The reason could be because there's a parade going on as part of Carnevale. 

A parade in the distance

Eurydice walks towards the parade. She asks a policeman for directions to the streetcar line that she is looking for. 

We see a spontaneously, "Carnevale" decoration bedecked, green streetcar approaching. Car #49 named "Babilonia,"on the Santa Teresa Line. It's way overloaded with revelers. It passes on the street swaying with all the shifting weight of the celebrants on board. It looks like the car itself is also dancing. Orpheus is the motorman.

Breno Mello as Orpheus

Orpheus spots young Eurydice looking at the streetcar and immediately whistles and makes a pass. This car is the one Eurydice needs to take but there seems to be no room. The car momentarily stops for foot traffic. She walks ahead of it. As the streetcar starts up again and passes Eurydice an arm snakes out  snags Eurydice and brings her aboard.

Eurydice about to be brought aboard

We now get a nice little sequence of a streetcar POV of Rio during Carnevale circa 1958-9 of course it's again all to a samba beat.  

The sequence ends when we watch an articulated trolley car clack it's way across the Carioca Trolley Viaduct that's at the end of the Santa Teresa Line. We are back in the almost empty Babilonia trolley as Orpheus moves it off the main line and into the spur track that lead into the trolley depot. We finally pull into the car barn at the Largo do Curvelo trolley depot.

Carioca Trolley Viaduct 

Orpheus and Baibilonia on the yard spurs at Largo do Curvelo

Trolley Barn at  Largo do Curvelo trolley depot.

Hermes the trolley line guard / watchman, greets Orpheo and tells him to pick up his paycheck. Orpheus brakes the car, hops out, grabs the retriever rope and pulls the trolley pole wheel down off the overhead wire with a spark of electricity. 

The trolley wheel 

He then ties it off to a cleat on the trolley. Orpheus pulls out his pocket handkerchief in an explosion of confetti. He then notices Eurydice still sitting in the trolley. 

Orpheus, "Hey you what are you doing here?" Eurydice tells him that she was told to go to the end of the line. Orpheus, tells her well this is it. She tells Orpheus that she is looking for her cousin. Orpheus tells her to talk to Hermes, because he can find anything. Orpheus calls to Hermes points to the girl and then goes to the window to pick up his paycheck. 

Alexandro Constantino as Hermes

The clerk in the window and another motorman, kid Orpheus about whether that girl he was just talking to is another one for his collection. He tells them that she's too young. They also warn Orpheus that Mira has been hanging around waiting for him. 

No sooner that said, they all hear Mira calling to Orpheus.

Mira [from out in the street] "Orpheus!"

Lourdes de Oliveira as Mira

Orpheus is engaged to Mira. But he's starting to get second thoughts. Mira is a very pushy broad. Mira is there to bring Orpheus down to the city hall to get their marriage license. When she passes Hermes speaking with Eurydice she makes a snide remark. 

Mira latches on to Orpheus and takes him out of the depot and off into Rio. At city hall, while in the process of applying for their marriage license clerk first asks Orpheus his name. Orpheus tells him "Orpheus." The clerk writes it down. The clerk chuckles to himself. He pauses thinking.

Then you must be Eurydice?

The clerk then innocently makes a joke that Mira then must be Eurydice.

WTF? The clerk then compounds the error by saying "everybody knows Orpheus loves Eurydice." Mira goes off on that. Turning her wrath upon Orpheus. The clerk explains that it's an old story.  When Mira finally calms down they go back out to the street.

Mira now wants a ring but what Orpheus really wants is his guitar out of hock. He tells her he needs it especially now that it's Carnevale. Mira tells Orpheus thats OK, she will buy the ring with her money and he can pay her back. 

Orpheus with his guitar

Eurydice finally makes her way through the favela to Serafina's and the cousins reconnect. Serafina thought at first that it was her sailor boyfriend Chico Boto who she has been patiently waiting for coming to call. Serafina coincidentally lives next door to Orpheus their shacks share a common wall. 

Eurydice tells Serafina that she ran away from home because she was scared of a man who was chasing her around.

Eurydice: I'm scared, Serafina.

Serafina: What's all this about? Scared of what... or whom?

Eurydice: A man who came to the farm and kept chasing after me.

Serafina: Because you're pretty, silly!

Eurydice: No. I'm sure he wants to kill me.

Serafina: Are you crazy? He just wants to get into your pants.

Eurydice insists that she is sure that he wanted to kill her.

Serafina has nothing but onions to offer Eurydice so they go down the Portuguese grocer to get food.  The grocer she tells Eurydice lets her have food for kisses and laughs. 

Off to the grocers with Sugarloaf  in b.g.

While down the hill at the grocers, Serafina spots Orpheus, patiently waiting for Mira who is surrounded by women. She is proudly showing off her new ring. Serafina goes up to Orpheus and asks him if he wants her to distract Mira so he can get away. Orpheus thanks her. 

Serafina grabs Mira and gives her a hug of congratulations while in the process of turning her back to Orpheus. Serafina waves Orpheus off, indicating that he should go . Orpheus smiles and slips off up the hill. 

At his shack, Orpheus meets his two admirers Benedetto and Zeca. He greets them and says hello to all his pets.  Benedetto and Zeca ask him if now that he has the guitar will he make the sun rise tomorrow with a song. Orpheus tells them yes and that he made up a new song to do it. He plays it for them and sings the words.

Morning, such a pretty morning

A new song is born

Singing of your eyes, your laughter, your hands

There will be the day when you come

From the strings of my guitar

that only your love sought

A voice comes and talks about kisses

Kisses lost in your lips

Sing my heart happiness is back

In the dawn of this love  

Manhã, tão bonita manhã

De um dia feliz que chegou

O sol no céu surgiu

E em cada cor brilhou

Voltou o sonho então

Ao coração

Depois deste dia feliz

Não sei se outro dia haverá

É nossa manhã, tão bela afinal

Manhã de carnaval

Canta o meu coração

A alegria voltou, tão feliz

A manhã desse amor

       (Antônio Maria, Luiz Bonfá)

Eurydice, who got back up the hill to Serafina's with some food, also hears Orpheus's new song. She dances to it. 

When a couple of Orpheus' other girlfriends show up and start fighting outside his place, Orpheus gives the guitar to Zeca, and slips out a window onto a patio. He tells the boy to tell them that he is not there.

Orpheus is surprised when he sees Eurydice in Serafina's house. Oh, he realizes, that Serafina is her cousin. Small world.

He asks Eurydice her name when she tells him Eurydice he remembers what the license clerk said and he says that he's always liked Eurydice he tries to hold her, she pushes him away. 

She asks him is name and he tells her Orpheus. She remembers the women gossiping about Orpheus down at the grocers and tells him that then she doesn't like him. Orpheus laughs and tells her it's just because she's just to young to remember. (Is it ancient mythos destined to be replayed over and over into infinity whenever the correct entities randomly intersect?)

Orpheus: Try to remember. It's a very old story. Thousands of years ago, Orpheus was sad and melancholic, like this little bird trapped in its cage. But one day, from the strings of his guitar that sought only one true love, a voice spoke to him of lost kisses from the lips of Eurydice. Eurydice's lips trembled anxiously, and her mouth opened slightly like a fragrant flower - [he tries to kiss Eurydice and she pushes him away]

Orpheus: No, you're too young to remember!

Eurydice: But I do. I remember the words you sang.

Orpheus: They were the same words.

Eurydice: That's right. But it was the melody I liked best.

Orpheus:  [Eurydice leaves, Orpheus follows, finds her sitting on a rock looking at the landscape with a tear in her eye] Forgive me, Eurydice.

Forgive me Eurydice

Of course it goes Noirsville as destined, when Orpheus falls in love again with Eurydice and both Mira and Death are now after her, re animating once again the ancient mythological tale. 

Noirsville

Pão de Açúcar - Sugarloaf

Its got to be experienced watched and heard to see how well it all blends together. The exotic local, the ancient myth, the costumes, the non professional actors, the thousands of extras, the Stylish Noir cinematography, and the songs, all enhanced by an unrelenting samba beat. It's intoxicating. The screencaps are from a pristine Art63 streamer. 

Black Orpheus won an Academy Award Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and Cannes Film Festival 1959 Winner Palme d'Or. Bravo 10/10.

Samba - Black Orpheus (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa, João Gilberto)

Batucada -- Batterie de Cappela