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     The beginning of the Marcel Camus’s Black Orpheus struck me as a glimpse into the culture of Brazil. From the children gliding kites on a sunny day to the dancers on the street, each shot is meant to introduce aspects of culture to the audience. The audience is meant to be experiencing this influx of sensory overload in the same way that the main character is. The age range of the population in these scenes stood out to me that some groups of younger children appeared more independent and may be given more freedom to go around the city at such a festive time. The bright culture of Brazil makes appearances in the food that the main character encounters at the market, the dancers in the market square, and even is placed upon her neck in the opening scene from an exchange which demonstrates the importance of respect for elders and kindness towards strangers. Many remarks were made about the main characters appearances highlighting the gender inequality and objectification made towards vulnerable women in cities. Although at some points I was afraid for Eurydice but the kind way in which characters interacted with each other on a personal basis assured me that the directors intended the city to feel exciting, a bit overwhelming, but not dangerous to the main character. I appreciated how strangers showed kindness to each other demonstrated in ways such as when the woman selling onions at the market helped Eurydice out of the dancers closing her in or when Hermes showed Eurydice which way her cousin’s house is. Music score is always a great way to convey tone in video format and the cheery, vivacious music encapsulates perfectly the bright factors of culture that is demonstrated in the first few minutes of this movie. 

What struck me in particular about Williams’ article was the attention to detail when emphasizing that culture is ‘ordinary’. As described by Williams, popular culture is made for and by the people of a particular society regardless of status. He notes the individual characteristics, professions, and inner workings of the town he grew up in…