Orpheus
d. Jean Cocteau, 1949
Jean Cocteau's 1949 masterpiece Orpheus is one of the most magical of all films. It manages to transport the original Greek myth into modern times seamlessly through Cocteau's own brand of storytelling, his signature special effects (The Blood of Poet), and his inimitable poetic dialogue ("Mirrors are doors through which death comes and goes. Look at yourself in the mirror and you'll see death do its work."). Orpheus is the story of a poet by the same name, who becomes distracted by visions of greatness - in the guise of a "talking car" - and must descend into the underworld once Death takes away his wife. There, a court decides to allow Eurydice to return with the condition that Orpheus is not allowed to look at her. Surely enough, Orpheus can not resist, and his wife goes back to the underworld. And though there's a happy ending to the story for Orpheus and Eurydice, Cocteau still fashions a rather melancholic view on death. The story of Orpheus unfolds here as it did in the original myth, but Cocteau inserts little plot details to enhance his film. The most notable of these is the tangled love web that includes Death, Orpheus, Eurydice, and Death's chauffeur. Cocteau is certainly one of the greatest of all filmmakers, and Orpheus is arguably his best film. A must see.
