Critic Reviews
| 88 |
Chicago Tribune
A seductive revisiting of an old classic - one that helps us see these lovers and their world with renewed passion.
|
| 80 |
Los Angeles Times
Totally captivating, as seductive as a samba.
|
| 75 |
Miami Herald
It's the slum, the favela, that emerges as Orfeu's most compelling character -- criminally poor yet rich in life.
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| 75 |
Boston Globe
Staff [not credited]
A heady, sometimes blurry combination of fable, legend, and social-political commentary.
|
| 70 |
Mr. Showbiz
For audiences new to this type of moon-mad magical realism and unembarrassed romanticism, Orfeu can spellbind.
|
| 60 |
The New York Times
Finds a sprawling, vivid middle ground somewhere between documentary and myth.
|
| 60 |
TV Guide
Dazzlingly colorful.
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
A film one watches at an emotional remove, but from that distance there are sights and moments to appreciate.
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| 50 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
While the film is technically polished and visually breathtaking, it lacks depth and becomes little more than a lawless fairy tale packed with pretty people.
|
| 50 |
New York Post
Fails to deliver the dramatic punch.
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| 50 |
Chicago Reader
I'm not sure how much has been gained in the updating.
|
| 50 |
LA Weekly
Unfortunately, the innovations that attend this updating dilute the iconic weight of the original.
|
| 40 |
Austin Chronicle
All in all, though, this Brazilian import is a small curiosity, intriguing more for its failures than its accomplishments.
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| 20 |
Village Voice
Hovers between mythic poetry and earthbound grit; the result is an inert, drably florid spectacle.
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