Orpheus steigt herab (1965)

Release Date: 1965-10-16
Runtime: 1h 36min
Production Company: Fernsehen der DDR
Production Country: East Germany, Germany
Director: Hubert Hoelzke

In the Jim-Crow South, Val Xavier is a bass-playing drifter who retains a wild, compassionate spirit amid neon-lit decay. Nicknamed “Snake Skin” for his animal-hide jacket, Val seeks to shed the emptiness of wealthy nightclubs and, after turning thirty, yearns for a modest, purposeful life grounded in honest work.