Published on
Picture
Picture

so many movies ... so much to celebrate!!!
​

On this day in 1950 (in Italy), audiences in attendance of the Venice Film Festival were treated to the theatrical premiere of Orpheus.  Written and directed for the screen by Jean Cocteau, the film starred Jean Marais, François Périer, María Casares, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

Orphée (1950) is a French fantasy film directed by Jean Cocteau that updates the classic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to post-war Paris. [1, 2]
​
Story and Plot

  • The Famous Poet: Jean Marais stars as Orphée, a celebrated poet who is popular with the public but scorned by young upstart avant-garde poets.
  • Princess Death: Orphée becomes obsessed with a mysterious, wealthy Princess (María Casarès) after a violent cafe incident and a surreal car ride. The Princess is actually Death, and her chauffeur is Heurtebise.
  • The Underworld Gateway: Cocteau famously uses ordinary mirrors as gateways to the land of the dead. Orphée becomes transfixed by cryptic radio broadcasts coming from the car radio, eventually leading to the death of his loyal wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa).
  • The Fatal Rule: Orphée travels into the underworld to bring Eurydice back, under the strict rule that he must never look at her reflection or face. When he breaks the rule, she vanishes again before a final resolution restores balance and erases their memories. [6]
​
Artistic Style and Themes

  • Visual Effects: Cocteau created dreamlike practical effects using reversed film sequences, slow motion, shadows, and reflective water and glass.
  • Autobiographical Elements: The film reflects Cocteau's own complex feelings regarding aging, fame, public adoration, and the cost of artistic creation.
  • The Orphic Trilogy: It serves as the middle chapter of Cocteau's surrealist trilogy, sitting between The Blood of a Poet (1930) and Testament of Orpheus (1960). [2]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-jVZhQmJ_k
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus_(film)
[3] https://www.criterion.com/films/610-orpheus
[4] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041719/
[5] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orpheus
[6] https://www.facebook.com/LeCinemaWorld/posts/orpheus-1950director-jean-cocteau/1610233321104854/
[7] https://filmforum.org/film/jean-cocteaus-orphic-trilogy-orpheus
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t_detMB-mE
0 Comments

Reviews
​Archive
​

Daily
​Trivia
Archives
​

original content​