Showing of 'Black Orpheus' hopes to spark discussion about the ethics of filmmaking

Every month the Hillsborough Classic Film Society presents a classic film followed by a speaker and discussion. The society is starting the year with a showing of "Black Orpheus," a 1959 retelling of the romantic tragedy and Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

"Black Orpheus" will be shown on Jan. 12 at 3 p.m. at the Orange County Public Library. The event is free and popcorn will also be provided.

The Hillsborough Classic Film Society was founded two years ago by husband and wife duo Michael and Gail Corrado. The couple moved from Durham to Hillsborough because they loved the town and were inspired by their shared love of film to create the society. 

“Classic films are meant to be shown in an audience," Gail Corrado said. "It’s okay to sit in your den and watch a movie, but there’s something about being outside your den with other people. You’re removing yourself from the familiar and joining with others to sort of go through this experience, especially for the films that were meant to be seen that way."

Made in 1959, "Black Orpheus" is set in Rio de Janeiro and is credited for introducing the music style of bossa nova to the world. While the film is significant for its music and awards, the Hillsborough Classic Film Society chose the film for the potential discussions surrounding it, specifically around the ethics of filmmaking, Gail Corrado said. 

“In a way it is important to us precisely because of the French filmmakers' obtuseness to the problems of poor and working class people in Brazil at the time," Michael Corrado said. "It was acclaimed around the world. It was despised in Brazil as a European film that treated the people of the favelas more or less as children, and did so in the service of retelling a Greek myth."

The film will be followed by a speaker, Gustavo Furtado, who will lead discussion about the controversial film. Furtado teaches Latin American film and culture classes at Duke University. 

“I hope the viewers find it moving and beautiful and interesting," Furtado said. "I think it’s an interesting film to meditate and think about reception about how different publics will see a very different object on the same film and will have very different feelings while watching the same film."

Maximillian Owre is the only active UNC faculty member working with the Hillsborough Classic Film Society. 

“One of the joys of public-facing scholarship is engaging with our remarkable local community in a substantive way," Owre said. "The public humanities provide a great service to our community by encouraging reflection and dialogue on difficult but important topics, sharpening our critical thinking skills and encouraging us to think deeply about the information we take in."

Owre has no formal affiliation with the society aside from being one of the speakers for the films. He will be presenting next month’s film "Grand Illusion" on Feb. 9. 

“Its themes of war, peace, class loyalties and changing times will resonate with a lot of contemporary issues, plus it’s a prison break movie, which is always fun,” Owre said.

Michael Corrado encouraged students in the area to come to the presentation of "Black Orpheus" because unlike the big blockbuster movies flooding the theaters now, classic films are not created solely for entertainment. 

“I would say that some knowledge of the important films of the past, just like knowledge of any of the arts, is part of a liberal education," Corrado said. "But the important movies over time comprise an important part of our culture in a way more significant than many other art forms, precisely because they are popular and widely available. Of course, film is itself the art of illusion, and you have to remain aware that what you are learning about is not so much the events, but how people of the time thought about those events."

arts@dailytarheel.com