The beginning of Black Orpheus, set in Rio de Janeiro, transported me to a world of rhythm, colour, dance and vibrancy. As the woman, whom I presume is Eurydice, finds her way through the city and carnival, the richness of celebration is met with contrastingly ‘ordinary’ or ‘business-as-usual’ goings on as well. From the loud, bustling and expressive parades to empty squares and commuters strolling along sidewalks, it felt like there were two very different Rio de Janeiro’s presented in this opening scene. Observing Eurydice’s journey through the city, as she sets off to meet her cousin, the novelty and ‘foreignness’ of the celebrations evident in her hesitancy sort of reflected my own lack of familiarity with such a collective and immersive cultural experience. Though I have yet to experience the exciting and invigorating experience of carnival in many Latin American countries, I found myself vividly imagining the smells, sounds, and sensations of drum beats pulsing through the air.

As the film introduces Orpheus, a streetcar driver, and his fiance Mira, I quickly did a little digging on the original ancient Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice to familiarize myself with the framework of the plot. This, somewhat relevant, diversion had me considering the universality of some stories, and their ability to mold and evolve as different cultures offer their own interpretations. Admittedly, I only watched the first 20 minutes or so of Black Orpheus, but I am curious as to how the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, to put succinctly- a tale of love, loss and grief- changes and takes shape when set in a Brasilian culture and context? I feel as though such an interpretation offers such valuable perspective and cultural insight, and I wonder if anyone knows any other examples of Latin American interpretations of historical/widely-known stories?