a poet LITERALLY falling in love with death? the frenchest thing that has ever happened
Directed by Jean Cocteau
Orpheus
Orphée
An acclaimed, atmospheric romance.
Romance
Fantasy
Drama
1950
1h 35m
A famous poet in postwar Paris, scorned by the Left Bank youth, is in love with both his wife Eurydice and a mysterious princess. Seeking inspiration, the poet becomes obsessed and follows the princess from the world of the living to the land of the dead.
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Cast & crew
6What people say
It would make sense that everybody speaks french in hell
80/100Cocteau understands dreams, and he also understands how certain effects can be transporting even if they're transparent. The journey to the underworld, for example, plainly has Heurtebise standing motionless before a rear-projected, moving Orpheus, but knowing that doesn't make it seem any less uncanny. (Equally great: Orpheus asking Heurtebise why the latter's hair is blowing around when there's no wind, and being told it's a stupid question.) The oneiric quality beautifully serves Cocteau's inspired reinterpretation of the myth, in which one of the most powerful love stories of all time instead becomes a portrait of the artist's obsession with death, viewed through the rubble of WWII. As with Beauty and the Beast, my only quibble, though a significant one, is with the ending, which gets imposed by authorial fiat rather than emerging naturally from events. As María Casares plays her, there's no chance in hell Death would make that sacrifice—it's a wish-fulfillment fantasy that undermines the film's mostly self-destructive impulses. But a little cowardice is a small price to pay for so much otherworldly beauty. Even simple ideas like Orpheus putting on the magic rubber gloves in reverse, or the color of Death's dress changing with her mood*, instill a genuine sense of uneasy wonder.* An underutilized concept in general. The only other example I can think of is The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover, in which costumes change from room to room.
Common questions
What is Orpheus about?+
A celebrated postwar Parisian poet becomes obsessed with a mysterious princess and follows her from the world of the living into the land of the dead.
Who directed Orpheus?+
Jean Cocteau directed the 1950 fantasy drama, known for his pioneering work in French surrealist cinema.
Has Orpheus won any awards?+
The film won the International Film Critics Award at the 1950 Venice Film Festival.
