Black Orpheus janitor takes him down a large darkened spiral staircase – a reference to the mythical Orpheus' descent into the underworld – to a Macumba ritual, a regional form of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. At the gate, there is a dog named Cerberus, after the three-headed dog of Hades in Greek mythology. During the ritual, the janitor tells Orfeu to call to his beloved by singing. The spirit of Eurydice inhabits the body of an old woman and speaks to him. Orfeu wants to gaze upon her, but Eurydice begs him not to lest he lose her forever. When he turns
Greek mythology in popular culture been traditionally depicted in classical Greek warrior armor. Jean Cocteau regarded Orpheus as "his myth", and used it as the basis for many projects, including "Orphee" The film "Orfeu Negro" is Marcel Camus' reworking of the Cocteau film. The 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!" is also based on the Orpheus story, but set in 1899, and containing modern pop music. The 1997 Disney production of "Hercules" was inspired by Greek myths, but it "greatly modernizes the narrative, ... going to great lengths to spice up its mythic materials with wacky comedy and cheerfully anachronistic dialogue," which, Keith Booker says, is playing