Rent Orphee (1950)

If you liked “A Matter of Life and Death” you’ll probably like Orphée. - Orphee review by WS

Orphée is based on the Greek myth in which Orpheus, a musician who is the son of the god Apollo, goes into the Underworld in search of his recently deceased wife, Eurydice. Hades, the god of the Underworld, agrees to release her under one condition; Orpheus must not look back at his wife as she follows him back to the surface world. He complies at first, but makes the mistake of stealing a backward glance to check that Eurydice really is following him, and thereby loses her a second time. He is later killed and gets to be reunited with Eurydice.

In the film the story is transposed to the artistic scene of 1950s Paris, in which Orphée (Orpheus) is a poet. I did not find the love triangle element of the story wholly convincing, and it has a somewhat contrived happy ending. But it is an ingenious take on the myth, it cleverly integrates modern artefacts into the story (car radios and mirrors) and the special effects are charming although low-tech. The Underworld is portrayed as a deserted and decaying city in a state of perpetual night, in actuality an abandoned military academy. Jean Marais is very convincing in the lead role as the poet torn between his obsessive dedication to his work and his love for his wife.

Mirror, Mirror, What a Bore - Orphee review by griggs

In Jean Cocteau's hands the Orpheus myth becomes a séance with better tailoring, and I spent most of it wondering whether anyone on either side of the glass had a pulse.

Jean Marais plays the poet as a permanent sulk with a pen. Maria Casarès is the one to watch as Death: cool, severe, faintly romantic. Whenever she walks in, the film perks up. The mirrors are where Cocteau's ideas and craft click into place. You can feel the handiwork behind them, and pushing through the glass still looks terrific. Meanwhile the afterlife, known here as the Zone, runs like a joyless government department, all hearings and paperwork.

Cocteau assumes you've done the reading, so the second half became a footnote hunt through Greek mythology. I understood what Orpheus was risking long before I cared whether he succeeded.

Brilliant mirrors, seductive Death, one tiresome poet.

Tough but Brilliant - Orphee review by RW

To get the most out of this film it would help to read the story of Orphyus & Eurydice first, unless of course you are already familiar with it. The cinema photography is amazing at times and it is a bit tough to keep up. But Cocteau has cast a magic spell for you delight.