Aspen Art Museum

Movies at the Museum: Literary Classics, Adapted Modern

A good story can be endlessly reimagined. In this summer’s film series, Aspen Film and the AAM present three films that adapt classic literary works through a modern lens. These cinematic stories are infused with bold artistic expression, and ultimately reveal the human desire across time and cultures to make sense of our world. Each film stands as a unique work while connecting to larger allegories told from the ancient world through to the recent release of Native Son (2019), directed by AAM-exhibiting artist Rashid Johnson.

About the Film
Black Orpheus (1959)
Directed by Marcel Camus
Not Rated
107 min

In this retelling of the classic Greek myth, Orpheus and Eurydice meet, intertwine, and face loss during Carnival week in Rio de Janeiro. Filmed with rich technicolor splendor and the constant beat of a samba and bossa nova soundtrack, this film was recognized with awards including the Palme d’Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and the Best Foreign Language film at the 1960 Academy Awards.

AAM education programs are made possible by the Questrom Education Fund. Additional funding in 2018–19 is provided by the Laffey-McHugh Foundation. Additional support for Movies at the Museum is provided by the Etkin Family Digital Media and Moving Image Fund.