Brazilian Popular Music and Globalization
Myth, Melopeia, and Mimesis: Black Orpheus, Orfeu and Internationalization in Brazilian Popular Music
Charles A. Perrone
Black Orpheus (dir. Marcel Camus, 1958; Grand Prize Cannes 1959) is a not a Brazilian film, yet it has been an extremely influential vehicle of image construction of Brazil in the international popular imaginary.The film is structured around musical material that represents mythical themes and real-world expressive behaviors. This article tells the story of the film from the point of view of music, from its origins in ancient Greek and Brazilian drama to its resounding worldwide success.Orfeu (dir. Carlos Diegues, 1998) is a Brazilian version of the myth recontextualized in the era of funk music in Rio. The contrasts between the two films prove revealing.
see 18 more around-the-world versions of this 1960 LP cover at second link below
About the author: Charles A. Perrone is Professor of Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, as well as an affiliate and concentration coordinator of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida.