Past Film/Video | Classics | Series & Festivals

Black Orpheus

(Marcel Camus, 1959, Brazil) 

Introduced by Isis Barra Costa

A young Black man wearing Roman garb sits in front of twirling dancers.

An intoxicating film with an undeniable rhythm, Black Orpheus brought Rio—and its music—to the world.

French director Marcel Camus revives the ancient Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice against the lush pageantry and madcap genius of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. With its eye-popping color photography, extravagant costumes, and beautiful stars, Black Orpheus was an international cultural event in the 1950s. Its soundtrack by Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim—one of the most iconic of the 20th century—kicked off the era's global bossa nova craze. Black Orpheus is one of only five films to win both the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In Portuguese with English subtitles. (107 mins., DCP)

Isis Barra Costa, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Ohio State, will provide a short introduction the film to place it in greater context.

See the entire Musicals! Summer World Tour lineup.

IMAGE CAPTION
Black Orpheus, courtesy of Janus Films.

"A pulsing parade of abundant humanity…suspended somewhere between reality and myth."
Keith Phillips, A.V. Club

About the speaker

Isis Barra Costa chevron-down chevron-up

Isis Barra Costa was born in Belo Horizonte and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. She received an MA in English literature and a PhD in comparative literature from New York University. She has coauthored anthologies with Eduardo Muslip (Argentina), Denis Renó (Portugal)and Emanuelle Oliveira-Monte (United States). Barra Costa’s main area of research is Afro-Brazilian oral literature, performance, and philosophy. She serves on committees in several professional associations, including the Brazilian Studies Association, the Brazilian section of the Latin American Studies Association, and the Afro Digital Museum (UERJ in Rio de Janeiro).

COPROMOTIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Getaway Brewing
Seventh Son
Antiques on High

FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY 
National Endowment for the Arts 
Ohio Humanities

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY 
Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY 
Ohio Department of Development

Greater Columbus Arts Council

The Wexner Family 
Institute of Museum and Library Services

Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts 
CampusParc 
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme 
The Columbus Foundation 
Axium Packaging 
Nationwide Foundation 
Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY 
Mike and Paige Crane 
Nancy Kramer 
Ohio State Energy Partners 
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection 
Larry and Donna James 
David Crane and Elizabeth Dang 
Bruce and Joy Soll 
Melissa Gilliam and William Grobman 
Rebecca Perry Damsen and Ben Towle 
Jones Day 
Alex and Renée Shumate

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Past Film/Video

Black Orpheus