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Orphée

Orphée

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Summary

Fantasy directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais, François Périer and Maria Casarès. Orphée, a young poet, encounters a mysterious princess and becomes fascinated by the strange coded messages she receives. Her infatuation with him leads to conflict with the powers that rule life and death.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Calum Baker

Jean Cocteau's deeply felt retelling of the Orpheus myth is as magical as it is melancholic, and arguably the director's most accessible film. In postwar France, renowned poet Orphée (Jean Marais) becomes obsessed with a mysterious, beautiful "Princess" (Maria Casarès), who turns out to be one of many forms of Death assigned to wander the earth and lead souls to the underworld. When the Princess, in turn, falls for the poet, she wrongfully claims the soul of Orphée's wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa) - sending our hero on an otherworldly quest to make things right. Cocteau conjures a fantastic, dreamy atmosphere, using cinematic tricks such as reverse motion and superimposition to simple but convincing effect. But the film's surrealist cleverness would be nothing without a perfect cast ably selling the emotional complexity of this strange love story. Special mention must go to François Périer, who puts in a subtle and moving performance as Death's conflicted chauffeur. His presence is key to the film's distinctive tone: as gripping as a thriller, yet deeply, fittingly poetic.

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7.8/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameOrphéeJean MaraisHeurtebiseFrançois PérierPrincessMaria CasarèsEurydiceMarie DéaThe editorHenri CremieuxAglaoniceJuliette GrecoThe writerRoger BlinCégesteEdouard DermitheThe InspectorPierre BertinFirst JudgeJacques VarennesThe voiceJean Cocteau

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Crew

rolenameDirectorJean Cocteau

Details

Theatrical distributor

BFI

Released on

2018-10-19

Languages

French

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Black and white

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