Orfeu (1999)

You won't be disappointed!

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Orfeu mixes elements of Greek mythology and classical theatre with Brazilian telenovelas. That may sound like a recipe for disaster, but to me the director actually pulled it off.It was fascinating to me as someone from Western Europe to see how different life in the favelas is (both in good and bad ways), and to see the ancient Greek story set in such a different context. The cinematography is also great.I can see how some would be disappointed if they were expecting to get immersed into a convincing story set in the midst of a full blown carnival extravaganza though.The main characters Orfeu and Euridice didn't really come to life to me as genuine likable individuals that I could identify with, but more as the original Greek personas. However most other members of the cast did not have this "problem" and provided plenty of convincing drama.Also although we are treated to some scenes of the amazing Rio carnival, the director doesn't really seem to immerse us in that world of extravagance. We are almost looking at it from a distance, as if to say it's not that important to the actual story.To sum it all up: what makes Brazil interesting is that it is such a melting pot, and melting very different elements into a lively stew is exactly what happens in Orfeu. It may not always be that easy to digest, but boring it is not!

The cinematography of this film is beautiful. The symbolic use of light to indicate mood (and abrupt changes in it) is very well done. Also the colors are vibrant, beautiful affairs with vibrant, samba music to go with it.The part of the movie that fails is the acting. It is hard to follow simply because the characters' emotions are hard to read. I have watched many subtitled or silent films, take Chaplin's "The Kid" for example, that are easy to follow simply because of the good acting. In this film I had a hard time keeping up with the plot because I didn't have a clue what was going on without reading the subtitles. Even then I had a hard time following the motives on occasion. For example, the drug dealer Lucinho seems to have no motivation for his violence late in the film, yet his actions are a crucial plot point.The real shame about this being a foreign language film, at least for me, is that reading all the subtitles to keep up kept my eyes away from the beautifully composed shots. Any one of those stills could be taken as a photograph and be a work of art on their own. Sadly, they would probably be better artwork than the film itself.

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.

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.