Jean Marais,
Marie Déa,
François Périer,
María Casares,
Juliette Greco
... see more 
Cinematic poet Jean Cocteau explored the myth of Orpheus on no fewer than three occasions: Le Sang d'Un Poete (Blood of a Poet, 1930), Orphee (Orpheus, 1949) and Le Testament d'Orphee (1960). This sec... read more
Stats: 222 reviews
Orphee is visual treat, as you would expect from Jean Cocteau. Perhaps not as obvious as his other famous works but it's these subtleties that make it stand out even more. It's lovely to see the progression of ideas from some of his early works too, specifically Blood of a Poet. ... read more
a modern (or at least 50s paris) retelling with beautifully simple effects; almost as magical as la belle et la bete. wonderfully poetic dialogue. gotta love the death bikers :p i read cocteau wanted garbo or dietrich for casares' part. that's fun to imagine.
A modern retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice dies and Orpheus goes to the underworld to bring her back, with the understanding that he can never look at her.
I heard raves about this and was excited about seeing it, especially knowing that director Je... read more
The special effects are what really standout about this really interesting film.
A precursor to David Lynch, Tim Burton, Rex Meyer and Guillermo del Toro.
Another poetic and beautifully lensed film from Jean Cocteau on a subject he is very fond of both professionally and personally. This is his take on Orpheus set in 50s Paris and featuring some eerie and gorgeously gothic imagery much like his version of Beauty and the Beast. A gr... read more
Beautiful and dreamlike. A wonderfully scripted retelling of the Orpheus myth set in France circa the 1950s. The vivid imagery and imaginative direction of Cocteau will not disappoint fans of his version of "Beauty And The Beast."
A beautiful masterpiece. After "La Belle et la Bete" I didn't think it could get much better but I was wrong. Plus those effects are amazing!
... read more
Cocteau's fantasy films are all top notch, but I'm starting to get tired of french movies. I need to sort my movies by native title so I can get them frenchies all out of the way.
Excellent update (well for then at least) of the Orpheus story. Captivating portrayal of Death by the under-used María Casares. In addition Palpable obsession with Death in this version, there is also a great deal of humor that come through in the scenes where Orpheus must de... read more
Pretentious? Certainly, but full of the joy of filmmaking and there is a fairly coherent light through all the madness. It may illuminate man's obsessions and idol worship in a cautionary way, but Coc... Full Review
a paragon of magical realism that transports the ancient Greek myth into the then-modern realm of postwar France Full Review
If you're the kind of amateur existentialist who admires the ring of a sentence like "look a lifetime in a mirror and you will see Death at work", then this beautiful film is for you. Full Review
Comes as close as cinema can to poetry. Full Review
Notable for its vivid and inventive imagery, bringing the Greek myth of Orpheus to the present day with style and passion that's both poetic and realistically gritty Full Review
This is one of the most exquisite gems of cinema history. Cocteau's film of the Orpheus myth. Many moments are enchanting such as cryptic messages broadcast from a car radio.
Few films are as magical, and none are more haunting than this monumental work. Full Review
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