Every Sunday, film school rejects presents a film that was done before you were born and tells you why you should like it.
This week, old Ass Movies presents the story of two star Cross'd lovers who are miles and years away from its origin. A remake of the tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus ditches the Greek classical definition and opt instead for the rich images and sounds of Brazil during Carnival.
Endless is a beautiful story of drum beats and crazy so that everyone succumbs.
directed by:Marcel Camus
cast:Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira, Lea Garcia and Adhemar Ferreira da Silva
While Orpheus (Breno Mello), a trolley driver, is dedicated to marry the beautiful and showy Mira (Lourdes de Oliveira), it is not exactly enthusiastic about it. Of course, she can shake your God-given talent like no other woman throughout the city of Rio de Janeiro, but she also is viciously jealous, angry and demanding.
Type Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn), a shy country girl trekking to see her cousin Serafina (Lea Garcia) in Rio de Janeiro to flee from a man who alleges that is trying to kill her.
Orpheus and Eurydice don't fall in love at first sight, but that hardly matters. They soon, and they will do to the undulating rhythms of sweat and celebration, as the Brazilian music night explodes with color, milling bodies covered in costumes ostentatious and adult beverages that flows like the Atlantic coastline.
Director Marcel Camus seemed to give equal weight to the story of love and the celebration of the new configuration. Half of the film (and that is no exaggeration) is full of singing, playing guitar, dancing and picture postcard shots of Rio de Janeiro. Is the incredibly effective propaganda for the festival and part tragic love story. Still, the two elements feeding off each other in equal measure – so much so that it is easy to imagine that Orpheus Eurydice might not have the time of day had it not been for Carnival. As a result, unlike most films that seem to use sprawling geographic shots and scenes of advantage as filling, Camus and company meet the film with temptation desk which is filled to the brim with history and changing character chart.
And everything is beautiful. The multicolored dresses for arpeggios clean a delicate acoustic guitar that sings to the right player, this film is an experience for all senses. He puts on display the environment in which we all expect to fall in love.
Of course that's just what happens. After just dancing and staring into the eyes of others, Orpheus and Eurydice create a link that is rising in its simplicity. There is no question. They love each other. It is essential, a part of their DNA and the destination.
Unfortunately, that love has a price. Not only is Mira no happy about his sudden disinterest in it man, but man that Eurydice was racing has caught up with her and he is wearing a proper skeleton costume Carnival Carnival inappropriate and a desire to commit murder.
As innocent as it starts, the film has a sharply ironic with the joy of the festival in the background. People are celebrating as hard as they will throughout the year, while the lives of some of its neighbors is revealing. Duality is the featured player in Orpheus. The casual love of Mira against the unending love of Eurydice. The brilliant costumes and music vs. the feeling of terror that a crowd of stupid drunk can bring. Carnival vs lent. Love vs death. Hope for A new mate versus the fear of losing this precious person.
Perhaps the most important duality here, though, is reality vs mythology. This is a mythic story after all, and it would be difficult to recount without a little big magic. To do this, playwright Vinicius de Moraes (whose game was the basis for the script written by Camus and Jacques Viot) transforms a man wearing a skeleton costume in Phantom of death, a ladder on descent into Hades, a stray dog in a ritual hoodoo Cerberus and the chance to meet Orpheus and Eurydice.
All these elements flow perfectly the exotic nature of locale. Each element of the production is intended to confuse and disorient (which makes the soothing effect of Marpessa Dawn smile more welcome). Is a film that excites and cedes just long enough for the Viewer to take breaths he or she missed during the dancing and revelry. Is both a film frivolous about clothes and styles of dance and an important work on the nature of our emotions more profound, more transcendental.
It is also important to note that Camus never uses the poverty of the film for the shock value. Whole story occurs in a favela (and was filmed in one) that overlooks the skyscrapers of the big city, rich, but people are cheerful, have their homes humble and never seem to be in need of food. In fact, actually never even economic status is taken (except when Orpheus grabs her paycheck weekly working-class and Mira calls him "loaded"). These people are all of us, each one an everyman (which has the good fortune of being able to sleep outside on networks under the stars).
Above all, the beauty of the film cannot be overstated. Language and character are as vibrant as the samba steps being paraded down the streets. However, it is a tragedy that simply found its way to a more lively, tropical. Passion between Orpheus and Eurydice radiates onscreen, the fear of death (and its inevitability) reaches a carnal level, but the Sun continues to grow (and music continues to play) even when those we love are gone.
A story of hope versus a story of loss.
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