7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set against the madness of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
Starring: Marcel Camus, Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Fausto Guerzoni, Lourdes de OliveiraDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Romance | 23% |
Music | 8% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Portuguese: LPCM Mono
English: Dolby Digital Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Marcel Camus' "Orfeu Negro" a.k.a "Black Orpheus" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental feature on the disc include an interview with Marcel Camus recorded at the Cannes Film Festival; rare interview with actress Marpessa Dawn; interview with Brazilian film scholar Robert Stam; interview with jazz historian Gary Giddins and Brazilian author Ruy Castro; Rene Letzgus and Bernard Tournois' feature-length documentary "Looking for Black Orpheus"; and original theatrical trailer. The disc also arrives with a 20-page illustrated booklet. In Portuguese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Eurydice and Orfeo
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Marcel Camus' Black Orpheus arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit HD Datacine from a 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Telecine colorist: Richard Deusy/Scanlab LTC, Paris."
This is a strong high-definition transfer. Despite the fact that there are signs of aging, such as extremely mild color pulsations and some background flicker, fine object detail, clarity and contrast levels are very pleasing. The color-scheme does not disappoint either; yellows, greens, blues, reds, browns, blacks and whites look rich and well saturated. Minor noise corrections have been performed, but the fine film grain has been preserved. Heavy edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either.
Criterion's Blu-ray release of Black Orpheus represents a notable upgrade over their old SDVD release of the film. Even viewers with mid-size screens - 40' to 55' - will immediately notice dramatically improved fine detail and better color reproduction. Stability, especially around the edges, is also improved.
(Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Portuguese LPCM Mono and English Dolby Digital Mono. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation."
The Portuguese LPCM Mono (1.0) track is solid. The dialog is clean, stable and easy to follow, and there is no excessive background hiss to report in this review. There are no balance issues with Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim's music score either. All in all, this is likely the best audio treatment Black Orpheus has ever received.
I tested only a couple of scenes with the English Dolby Digital Mono track. For the most part it is actually rather good, though some of the British accents are quite hilarious. I still prefer the original Portuguese LPCM Mono track.
Marcel Camus - a short interview with the French director recorded at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959 where Black Orpheus won the prestigious Palme d'Or award. The interview is conducted by Francois Chalais for the French television program Reflets de Cannes. It was originally broadcast on May 10, 1959. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080i).
Marpessa Dawn - a rare interview with actress Marpessa Dawn, who plays Euridice in Black Orpheus, recorded for the French television program Nord actualites tele and originally broadcast on March 20, 1963. In the interview Mrs. Dawn recalls her first encounter with director Marcel Camus. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080i).
Revisiting Black Orpheus - an interview with Brazilian film scholar Robert Stam in which he discusses the importance of Black Orpheus as well as some of the most common misconceptions about it. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).
Black Orpheus and that bossa nova sound! - a special program, produced by Criterion in 2010, featuring jazz historian Gary Giddins and Brazilian author Ruy Castro discussing the music score of Black Orpheus and its role in popularizing the bossa nova sound. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).
Looking for "Black Orpheus" - this 2005 feature-length documentary by Rene Letzgus and Bernard Tournois traces the making of Black Orpheus, its cultural and musical roots, and its resonance in Brazil today. It features interviews with actors Breno Mello and Lea Garcia; musicians Gilberto Gil, Seu Jorge, Roberto Menescal, and Milton Nascimento; filmmaker Carlos Diegues; film historian Tunico Amancio; and Silvio Autuori, onetime assistant to director Marcel Camus. In French, with optional English subtitles. (89 min, 1080i).
Trailer - the film's original theatrical trailer. In Portuguese, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080i).
Booklet - a 20-page illustrated booklet containing Michael Atkinson's essay "Dancing in the Streets" (the author writes about film for Sight & Sound, IFC.com, the Village Voice, and the L Magazine. He has also written seven books, including the novels Hemingway Deadlights and Hemingway Cutthroat).
Marcel Camus' Black Orpheus is a cultural phenomenon - it inspired an entire generation of Brazilian filmmakers and started the bossa nova craze in America. It is a very special film I urge you to see. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Criterion, looks and sounds very good. It also contains a number of very strong supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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