Blog #6 Black orpheus

Black Orpheus to my surprise is actually a re-imagining of the Greek myth of Orpheus son of Apollo and Calliope. The original is a heartbreaking fatalistic tale of two lovers, who shortly after their marriage were doomed to never be together…at least in this world. Black Orpheus is scarcely any different. Now as farfetched as redoing a Greek myth with the backdrop of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil may sound it is actually quite plausible. When you think of the powerful presence of the Orisha tradition intertwined in Brazilian culture. Few places would be as suitable as this retelling and fewer still would be able to conjure a backdrop as beautiful so that gods indeed may run about. Colors seemed to leap from the screen and the music was at least as effective.
Costumes and color helped set the tone of many scenes, especially when Eurydice is first introduced. She disembarked from the ferry wearing all white, a telltale sign of her “innocence” so to speak. This is further emphasized by her being seemingly overwhelmed at the atmosphere that she has just into. This is indicated by the appearance of her giving the vibe of being threatened by all of the revelers, musicians and crowds until she is encircled by death.
Another aspect of Afro-Brazilian culture that we’re given a glimpse at is when Orfeu finally confronts Death. Being a martial arts fan, I was elated, even though the sequence is much too short. Orfeu pounced at Death, and almost seamlessly Death went into a defensive. Capoeira an Au which is a somersault used to defend for quick retreats and then counterattacking with one, or multiple low kicks.

The Babylonia School) and his boss, Hermes. Orfeu’s attraction for Eurydice is apparent, and expected after literally every man in Rio looked at least twice, but is surprising given that him and his fiancée, Mira (The Queen of the Day), is in the process of obtaining their marriage license and engagement ring. This is where single-handedly I am shown the importance of Carnival to the people. Mira will buy her own engagement ring because Orfeu is more concerned with the preparations of his Samba dance. Orfeu is also depicted as a seducer of women, and is reinforced by him bumping into one of his ex-girlfriends that very day. Orfeu and Hermes do, however, manage to help Eurydice with her destination; she is seeking refuge with her cousin Serafina (Queen of the Night) for protection from a mysterious threat. As fate would have it, Orfeu lived near Serafina and this provided the opportunity for an impromptu tryst to occur. Things proceed as expected with any star-crossed lovers, arrangements are made for the lovers to die eventually.
This movie thought me about the core values of what love is and supposed to mean. The movie was not only great visual and spiritually but, gave a great message about one’s self. The simply love between them lasted forever up until Orfeu’s death. The stories may be different and this is the lighter side of the moon version but,still not failed to impress.