Black Orpheus and the Globalization of Afro-Brazilian Culture - (Global Media and Race) by Darién J Davis (Paperback)

About the Book

Black Orpheus and the Globalization of Afro-Brazilian Culture presents a nuanced transnational analysis of the development, production, reception, and legacy of the 1958 movie Black Orpheus. It highlights the role of new Afro-Brazilian actors, musicians, and performers and their interlocutors in the circulation of Afro-Brazilian popular music.

Book Synopsis

"Black Orpheus" and the Globalization of Afro-Brazilian Culture is the first historical study in English to examine the development, production, and reception of the 1958 film Black Orpheus and its legacy in the 1960s and 1970s. It focuses on the making of the film and the trajectories of the major actors and musicians who helped construct an image of Black Brazil and provides an analysis of the globalization of Afro-Brazilian images and music in France and the United States in the wake of the movie's success. Using archival sources, interviews, and the secondary literature from France, Brazil, and the United States, this book reveals information about the cultural histories of all three countries and gives readers new insight into the trajectories of diverse actors such as Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, and Léa Garcia and performers such as Agostinho dos Santos, Baden Powell, and Maria D'Apparecida.

Review Quotes

"In this excellent book, Davis offers a wealth of information about the production, international impact, and legacy of Marcel Camus's Black Orpheus, especially its projection of an image of Brazil through its all-Black cast and its vibrant music, which resonated deeply in France and the United States."

--Randal Johnson "distinguished professor emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Los Ange"

"Taking a highly original approach, Davis takes director Marcel Camus's 1958 Black Orpheus as a point of departure for exploring the transnational migrations of Afro-Brazilian popular culture in the 1960s and 1970s. Following a detailed exploration of this landmark film's soundtrack and casting, Davis's ambitious study focuses on its cultural repercussions in the United States and France, charting the flows of Afro-Brazilian music and its performers."

--Lisa Shaw "author of Tropical Travels: Brazilian Popular Performance, Transnational Encounters, and the Constru"

"Davis explores how Black Orpheus became one of the most important vehicles of Brazilian culture abroad. The sources are myriad and his blend of transatlantic and transamerican perspectives is effective and inspirational."--Charles A. Perrone "author of Chico Buarque's First Chico Buarque"

About the Author

DARIÉN J. DAVIS is a professor and the chair of Africana studies at Rutgers University-Newark. He is the author of four books, three edited volumes, and more than forty essays and articles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.