''Orfeu'' is a 1999 Brazilian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Carlos Diegues Carlos Diegues, also known as Cacá Diegues (born May 19, 1940), is a Brazilian film director. He was born in Maceió, Alagoas, and is best known as a member of the Cinema Novo movement. He is popularly known for his unconventional, yet intriguing ...

, based on the play '' Orfeu da Conceição'' by

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

. It retells the

Greek legend A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

, setting it in the modern context of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

during

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

Toni Garrido Antônio Bento da Silva Filho (born September 7, 1967, in Rio de Janeiro), known as Toni Garrido, is a Brazilian singer, TV presenter and actor. He is the lead singer of the reggae band Cidade Negra. Born in a poor background, Garrido was adopted ...

stars as Orfeu,

Patrícia França Patrícia França Monteiro de Oliveira (September 28, 1971, Recife, Brazil) is a Brazilian actress. Biography She began her career in theater as a child and won awards, including the play ''A Ver Estrelas''. Her first job was in the national h ...

as Eurídice and

Murilo Benício Murilo Benício Ribeiro (born 13 July 1971) is a Brazilian actor. He is perhaps most famous for his roles in the telenovelas: ''O Clone'', '' América'', ''Por Amor'', '' A Favorita'' and '' Avenida Brasil''. In the early 1990s, he began his ca ...

as Lucinho. Mostly shot in scenographic ''

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

'' in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, it included scenes from the 1998 Carnival celebration in which Garrido paraded with the

samba school A samba school ( pt, Escola de samba) is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-Compound (enclosure), compounds ("quadras de samba") and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting sam ...

Viradouro.

Cast

as Lucinho *

Zezé Motta Maria José Motta de Oliveira (born 27 June 1944), known as Zezé Motta, is a Brazilian actress and singer. She is considered one of the most important actresses in Brazil. Life and career Born in Campos dos Goytacazes, she moved with her famil ...

as Conceição *

Milton Gonçalves Milton Gonçalves (; 9 December 1933 – 30 May 2022) was a Brazilian actor and television director, who was one of the most famous black actors in Brazil, having collaborated twice with acclaimed director Héctor Babenco. One notable role with ...

as Inácio *

Isabel Fillardis Isabel Cristina Teodoro Fillardis (born August 3, 1973, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian actress and model. Career Fillardis began her career as a model at age 11, and at 15 she became a professional model. Two years later, at the i ...

as Mira *Maria Ceiça as Carmen *

Stepan Nercessian Stepan Nercessian (born 2 December 1953) is a Brazilian actor and politician of Armenian descent. Nercessian was born in Cristalina, Goiás; his career began in the late 1960s, in the film ''Marcelo Zona Sul''. He also acted on stage and televi ...

as Pacheco *Maurício Gonçalves as Pecê

Reception

It won the

1st Grande Prêmio Cinema Brasil The 1st Grande Prêmio Cinema Brasil ceremony, presented by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, honored the best audiovisual productions of 1999. It took place on February 12, 2000, at the Palácio Quitandinha in the city of Petrópolis, Rio de J ...

for Best Film, Best Cinematography and Best Score. It was also the Brazilian submission to the 2001 Academy Award, but it did not enter the competition.

References

External links

* {{Brazilian submission for Academy Awards 1999 drama films 1990s fantasy drama films 1999 films Brazilian fantasy drama films Films set in Rio de Janeiro (city) Films shot in Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian films based on plays Films based on classical mythology Films directed by Carlos Diegues Orpheus

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links