NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray - August 2010: The 1999 DVD had some egregious edge-enhancement and boosting (see zoomed in capture below). On larger screens this will become more identifiable. Because of this the color schemes of both transfers are quite different. The 1080P rendering tends to look more pale with less detail - but this was a false representation of the DVD. It may have been done to more accurately reflect the original theatrical appearance - I don't know. Regardless, the Blu-ray appears to be far more faithful to the source - if we lose the perception of being crisp with richer black levels. The visuals on the new format edition are consistent and seem to support the film well - although it isn't at the atmospheric levels some have come to expect from HD.

The Blu-ray offers the English DUB as the DVD did along with the original Portuguese but both have a lossless transfer via a linear PCM track. There is a lot of music in the film and it seems buoyed by the HD track. Criterion have improved upon the subtitle font that is offered with the new edition.

Extras are stacked with everything but a commentary - there are archival interviews with director Marcel Camus (3:23 from the 1959 Cannes Film Festival) and actress Marpessa Dawn (5:10 from French television) - a feature entitled "Revisiting Black Orpheus" with Robert Stam for about 15-minutes, Black Orpheus and that Bossa Nova Sound for 18-minutes with Jazz historian Gary Giddens and Brazilian author Ruy Castro recalling the roots the film's score and the role it played in popularizing bossa nova sound. A la recherche d' "Orfeu negro," (Looking for Black Orpheus) is a 1.5 hour documentary from 2005 by Rene Letgus and Bernard Tournois tracing the making of Black Orpheus, its cultural and musical roots, and its resonance in Brazil today. It features interviews with actors Breno Mello and Lea Garcia, musician Gilberto Gil, Seu Jorge. Roberto Menescal, and Milton Nascimento; filmmaker Carlos Diegues, film historian Tunico Amancio and Silvio Autuori onetime assistant to director Marcel Camus. As usual all the video features are in HD as is an included theatrical trailer. There is also a 20-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson.

The new Blu-ray really does improve the film's presentation - via both the smoother video in-motion and the lossless audio which is a big part of the production. I really enjoyed the extras that were all absent on Criterion's initial DVD release and it is another package from the company that we endorse. I had forgotten what a great film this is - and the Blu-ray swiftly reminded me.     

Gary W. Tooze