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The Orphic Trilogy

The Blood of a Poet

51m

Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1930 • France
Starring Enrique Rivero, Lee Miller, Jean Desbordes

“Poets . . . shed not only the red blood of their hearts but the white blood of their souls,” proclaimed Jean Cocteau of his groundbreaking first film—an exploration of the plight of the artist, the power of metaphor, and the relationship between art and dreams. One of cinema’s great experiments, this first installment of the Orphic Trilogy stretches the medium to its limits in an effort to capture the poet’s obsession with the struggle between the forces of life and death.

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    Orpheus

    Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1950 • France
    Starring Jean Marais, Marie Déa, Maria Casarès

    Jean Cocteau’s update of the Orpheus myth depicts a famous poet (Jean Marais), scorned by the Left Bank youth, and his love for both his wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa), and a mysterious princess (Maria Casarès). ...

  • Testament of Orpheus
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    Testament of Orpheus

    Testament of Orpheus

    Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1959 • France
    Starring Jean Cocteau, Edouard Dermithe, Henri Crémieux

    In his last film, legendary writer/artist/filmmaker Jean Cocteau portrays an eighteenth-century poet who travels through time on a quest for divine wisdom. In a mysterious wasteland, he meets several...

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