Wednesday 30 August 2023

Le Testament d'Orphée (1959, released 1960 Jean Cocteau & scr)

In which Cocteau himself wanders through a - shall we say in his terms - a half-asleep world, including characters from Orphée. Amazing moments, such as Cégeste emerging from the sea - but unfortunately gets bogged down in talky and boring 'trial'.

Fortunately, things pick up considerably in the last third with a welter of interesting ideas. In a funny scene, a woman also unstuck in time, is found with her 'dog' (two semi-naked men). Cocteau encounters himself, and Yul Brynner. He is killed and in a striking scene in colour we see the Blood of the Poet - thereby taking us full circle - and a flower. But of course he doesn't die, because Poets are Immortal.




"Intellectuals in  love."





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