Working with a non-professional cast of Brazilian blacks, French director Marcel Camus transposes the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to Rio de Janeiro at carnaval time. Based on a play by Brazilian poet Vinitius de Moraes, Black Orpheus tells the story of Orpheus, a streetcar conductor in Rio, and Eurydice, a country girl who has come to the city for the carnaval. In the exhilarating atmosphere of the festival, the two meet and fall in love. But Death, in the guise of a persistent suitor in skeleton costume, stalks the girl. In the space of twenty-four hours, the young couple relive the tragic myth.

While Camus focuses on the lovers, some aspect of carnaval is always present - vibrant color, delirious dance, costumes, Brazilian music. Jean Bourgoin's stunning color photography captures the slums and the bay of Rio with a strange mixture of naturalism and fantasy.