Marcel Camus’s restaging of the myth of Orpheus in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival was the surprise winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and later of the Academy Award for best foreign picture. Filmed using neorealist techniques – an amateur cast and extensive location shooting in the teeming streets – it was highly praised for its vibrant depiction of Brazilian life and folklore. Black Orpheus was also championed as revolutionary for being one of the first international art films to have an entirely black cast. Adding to this acclaim and sense of authenticity is one of the movie’s enduring charms: its glorious soundtrack composed by Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim, tow of the greatest composers of Afro-Brazilian sambas. Ironically, in Brazil the film is perennially criticized for exoticizing the country as an all-night dance party, populated by hot-blooded Latin caricatures. Although it is difficult to argue with these criticisms, which highlight many contemporary debates about visibility politics, the film is best appreciated on its own terms. Rahul Hamid