I watched Black Orpheus (aka Orfeu Negro in Portuguese) for the first time this weekend and have fallen in love with this film. I've heard so many great things about the classic, especially from my mother, but just never got around to watching it.
Finally, I made time to enjoy this beautiful movie which takes place in Rio de Janeiro circa 1959, with a plot loosely based on the mythological character, Orpheus. Brazilian carnival serves as a festive and colorful backdrop to the dramatic love story. It was a joy to see and hear the early samba moves and sounds; before every step, every costume, and song became a overly-sophisticated form art. It all seems more improvised and free back then.
Side note: we have a Brazilian family friend who dances samba horribly, her moves are CRAZY in a bad way. But she always thinks she is killing it on th dance floor. She's an older woman and after seeing this film, which was released during her coming of age years, I now get it; because that's exactly how they're dancing in Black Orpheus!
I digress.
Over the weekend I also decided to spend more time sketching. Something I used to do all the time but have somehow neglected this beloved habit. I'm determined to explore my creative interests more regularly, therefore, with the inspiration of this film I sat down to sketch what I saw. This is only a little taste, but thought it would be fun to share.
Have you seen the film?
