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&nbsp;<strong><em>Black Orpheus</em></strong>&nbsp;(<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&rsquo;s legendary city. Along with the arresting visuals and pounding rhythms of Carnival, the film introduced to the world a&nbsp;<strong>New Beat</strong>&nbsp;called&nbsp;<strong>Bossa Nova</strong>, with a soundtrack of classics like &ldquo;<strong>Ma&ntilde;ha de Carnaval</strong>&rdquo; and &ldquo;<strong>A Felicidade</strong>&rdquo; 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>
Tags: Janeiro Highs