Rio de Janeiro Highs
<p>The recent passing of noted samba and bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto has turned my thoughts to Brazil and especially to Rio de Janeiro. I fell madly in love with A Cidade Maravilhosa (marvelous city) half a century before I ever set foot there, when I saw <strong><em>Black Orpheus</em></strong> (<strong><em>Orfeu Negro</em></strong>) for the first time. The 1959 film, directed by French director Marcel Camus, plays out the tragic Greek love story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a modern favela (shantytown) overlooking Brazil’s legendary city. Along with the arresting visuals and pounding rhythms of Carnival, the film introduced to the world a <strong>New Beat</strong> called <strong>Bossa Nova</strong>, with a soundtrack of classics like “<strong>Mañha de Carnaval</strong>” and “<strong>A Felicidade</strong>” that to this day are beloved worldwide.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/batw-travel-stories/rio-de-janeiro-highs-438308da2568"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>