---
title: "Black Orpheus: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/black-orpheus/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/black-orpheus"
critics_score: 68
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Black Orpheus (1959): what the critics said

Critics' score 68 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative.

The reviews lean towards admiration, with praise clustering around the music, colour and Carnival imagery rather than the storytelling. The more enthusiastic critics find the retelling of the Orpheus myth persuasive in its mixture of everyday life and fantasy, carried by bossa nova, dance and Rio’s scenery. The cinematography draws praise for its contrast between daylight celebration and nighttime menace. Variety also singles out Marpessa Dawn, finding that the cast’s fresh performances help a somewhat cerebral film.

The spread is wide: reservations range from idealised cultural tourism to doubts about whether the story has much force. Even some admirers acknowledge concerns about stereotyping. The Guardian offers the clearest dissent, finding the narrative weak and the film short of resonance beside Cocteau’s Orphée. The central divide is between critics carried along by the music and images and those who find the drama insufficient.

## The AV Club — Keith Phipps

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2010. 

Phipps praises the film as a brilliant, intoxicating retelling of the Orpheus myth. He singles out the bossa nova, Rio’s scenery, and the film’s vibrant blend of reality and myth, while noting its idealized cultural tourism.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/black-orpheus-1798165871)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Parkinson calls the film an accomplished, eye-and-ear-pleasing musical melodrama. He singles out the cinematography’s contrast between the Carnival’s daylight vibrancy and the menace of its nighttime scenes.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/black-orpheus-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Glenn Heath Jr.

Rating 4/5. 18 August 2010. 

The review celebrates the film as a rousing, visually rich interpretation of the Orpheus myth. It especially praises the vivid Carnival imagery and the way music, color, and dance turn communal celebration into a meditation on love and tragedy.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/black-orpheus/)

## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 1959. 

The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. I can’t reliably identify what the review singles out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1959/12/22/archives/screen-legend-retold-black-orpheus-bows-at-the-plaza.html)

## Time Out — TJ

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2005. 

The available description suggests the critic sees some datedness in the film. The page text does not reveal what the critic praises or the full verdict.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/black-orpheus-1)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1958. 

The review finds the film somewhat cerebral but says the cast’s fresh performances help it. It particularly praises Marpessa Dawn’s playing and the excellent color.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/orfeu-negro-1200419350/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2005. 

French finds the film’s story weak and says it compares poorly with Cocteau’s *Orphée*. He criticizes its lack of resonance, suggesting it could have been a Brazilian version of *Carmen* with little reworking.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/nov/06/features.review6)

## The Skinny — Lucy Weir

Rating 4/5. 12 March 2007. 

Weir calls the film stunning despite criticism in Brazil for stereotyping Latin mentality. She singles out its overall impact as a strength.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews?commit=set&page=51&user_location=135/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/black-orpheus.md