Title from container. Special features: Edgardo Cozarinsky's 1984 documentary Jean Cocteau, autoportrait d'un Inconnu; Villa Santo Sospir, a color film by Cocteau featuring many of the locations used in Testament of Orpheus; a gallery of photos from The Blood of a poet; a collection of Cocteau's writings on the trilogy; a Cocteau bibliofilmography. "The Classic collection, a joint venture between Janus Films and Home Vision Cinema." Lee Miller, Enrique Rivero, Jean Desbordes, Feral Benga (Disc 1). Jean Marais, François Périer, Maria Casarès, Maria Dea, Henri Cremieux, Juliette Greco, Roger Blin, Edouard Dermithe, Maurice Carnege, Rene Worms, Pierre Bertin, Jacques Varennes, Jean-Pierre Melville (Disc 2). Jean Cocteau, Edouard Dermithe, Jean Marais, Maria Casares, Charles Aznavour, Yul Brynner, Francoise Christophe, Nicole Courcel, Henri Cramieux, Daniel Gelin, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Pablo Picasso, Francois Perier (Disc 3).
Contents:
Testament of Orpheus (1959, 80 min.). blood of a poet (1930, 50 min.) -- Orphée = Orpheus (1949, 95 min.) -- Le testament d'Orphée = Testament of Orpheus (1959, 80 min.).
Summary:
1. Jean Cocteau turns the Orpheus legend into a story of a poet and his encounter with death and the middle world. 2. An artist is driven mad by the sight of his own blood and a drawing of a mouth that seems to come to life. The combination sends him off on a series of bizarre adventures that strive to explain how artists become obsessed with their own works. 3. In his last film Cocteau portrays an 18th century poet who travels through time on a quest for divine wisdom. In a mysterious wasteland, he meets several symbolic phantoms that bring about his death and resurrection. The film finished the circle of the journey begun in Blood of a Poet, exploring the torturous relationship between the artist and his creations.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.