Black Orpheus (1959)

Black Orpheus (Portuguese: Orfeu Negro [ɔhˈfew ˈnegɾu]) is a 1959 romantic tragedy film directed by French filmmaker Marcel Camus and starring Marpessa Dawn and Breno Mello. It is based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes, which set the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice in a contemporary favela in Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval. The film was an international co-production among companies in Brazil, France and Italy. The film is particularly noted for its soundtrack by two Brazilian composers: Antônio Carlos Jobim, whose song "A felicidade" opens the film, and Luiz Bonfá, whose "Manhã de Carnaval" and "Samba de Orfeu" have become classics of bossa nova. The songs performed by Orfeu were dubbed by singer Agostinho dos Santos. Lengthy passages of filming took place in the Morro da Babilônia, a favela in the Leme neighbourhood of Rio. Black Orpheus won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film. While the film has been celebrated internationally, it has been criticized by some Brazilian film critics and scholars for exoticizing Brazil for an international audience, reinforcing stereotypes.