Saturday, November 3, 2012

223. Orphee

Orphee
Orpheus
1950 (!)
Directed by Jean Cocteau












I was all proud of myself for going through so many movies and blog posts today.  You can do a lot of writing and watching if you ignore all your important work.  I recommend this method.  In any case, my drive is starting to lose fuel so I will pump out this review and Asphalt Jungle and call it a day.

I told my mom today that I was starting the 50s and she said "maybe now I will have heard of some of these movies." Well, sorry Mom, because we are kicking off the 50s with a movie no one has ever heard of. Such is the way of the list.

Anyway, you most likely have heard of the story of Eurydice and Orpheus. This is like that except he really does love Eurydice; he is in love with Lady Death.  Poor Eurydice.

I have a deep respect for French films; the acting is nearly always phenomenal, at least from the movies I have seen.  This film is no exception.  The movie is also filmed in a very dreamlike way that I got really into.  However, it is not the most exciting film; I'd say I was bored for about one third of it.

It had its merits but ultimately is not worth it.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais were lovers.

Cocteau drew the opening titles.

4 comments:

  1. This more goes too far into Bizarre-land for me. And, yeah, it is pretty boring.

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  2. Yep, tend to agree with the consensus...

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  3. Not really my thing, but I must say that it was a much better, more rounded film than Cocteau's Beauty & the Beast. And many details to be impressed by along the way.

    Also interesting to note that it was obviously a key influence of . . . the video to A-Ha's Take On Me! The use of mirrors as a portal into the netherworld, the two black-clad motorcyclist angels of death.

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    1. We talked about this film in a playwriting class I took. All about the function of mirrors in a story. I don't think my professor believed me that I had seen this before.

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