rather than being a remake of the 1959 orfeu negro, orfeu (1999) is brazilian film directed by carlos diegues based directly on the play orfeu da conceição by vinícius de moraes.

 while director diegues appreciated the enthusiasm the 1959 film he felt that as a frenchman camus had missed much of the important subtleties of the rio de janeiro based story and lacked an authenticity that only a brazilian could demonstrate.

wanting to create a brazilian version of the film for many years, diegues, in the face of numerous obstacles including a long legal dispute of right of de moraes' play, finally managed to do so in 1999 - in this film he places a greater emphasis on orfeu's (toni garrido) relationship with his family and community.