About the movie

Author: Jean Cocteau
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This book is a true reflection of Cocteau's creative philosophy, compiled into several parts: "Film and Poetry" (thoughts on film presented under different subtitles, such as on tragedy, the secret of beauty, etc.), "Honor and Critique" (discussing directors, actors, and a series of important films like Charlie Chaplin, Bonjour Paris, etc.), and "Poetry of Film" (Cocteau called all his film works "the poetry of film" and provided a comprehensive and detailed analysis and explanation of them).
Cocteau and Charlie Chaplin were both born in 1889, but unlike Chaplin, who was born into a humble family in London, Cocteau was born into a wealthy family in Paris and grew up immersed in the atmosphere of high society. At the age of six, Cocteau watched early films by the Lumière brothers, such as Water Sprites, and became exposed to theater and circus. When he was nine, his father committed suicide with a gunshot. His father's death became a curse he could never shake off, and the theme of tragedy recurred in his later works. Death and blood haunted his creations, such as Blood of the Poets, The Eagle with Two Heads, The Eternal Return, and The Testament of Orpheus. His highly cultured maternal grandfather took him to concerts every weekend, where he discovered composers like Beethoven, Liszt, and Wagner. The influence of music profoundly shaped his creative spirit throughout his life.
Although he numerous artistic fields, what truly remained, as Fran?ois Perrier said, "was still his film." His artistic reputation primarily came from film, and he was even considered one of the greatest directors of France in the 1940s and 1950s. He was not only renowned alongside directors like Renoir and Raynaud but was also admired by later Nouvelle Vague directors like Godard, Truffaut, Raynaud, and Demme as a free artist unbound by dogma, who created with freedom. In reality, Cocteau only began experimenting with film in 1927, and the 16mm film he shot with friends, titled Jean Cocteau Makes a Film, has long been lost. When the Noa family suggested he direct an animated film in late 1929, it could be said that he knew very little about filmmaking at the time. However, he quickly found a new space and language to realize his dreams in film, and the initial animated film ultimately became the legendary avant-garde work Blood of the Poets in 1930.
If the Blood of the Poets, which displeased the surrealists, became a subject of interest for psychologists and film enthusiasts, then The Eternal Return, filmed in 1943, finally earned him an audience. This modern story, based on the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, reignited his passion for film. And his highly successful Beauty and the Beast can be considered one of the most outstanding works in the genre of dream theater. Cocteau used film as a means to express himself. Under the name of Orpheus, the Greek mythological poet, he composed the songs Orpheus and The Testament of Orpheus. He said, "Orpheus was my 'totality,' and I poured all my life into it." And "The Testament of Orpheus would be my farewell to film," "a handkerchief waved before a ship or train disappears." For Cocteau, film should be a poetic way to explore the world. His unique insights into film are extensively discussed in his book On Film. He always emphasized the artistic nature of film, calling it the "tenth Muse," and believed that even though it was young, it should possess the noble status of the other Muses. He often quoted the astonishing prophecy of Musorgsky on his death: "The future of art will be the moving statue." The moving statue is film, and film is art. He despised films made for commercial purposes, believing that the pursuit of quick success would lead to a misunderstanding of film's sacred mission as a Muse. He admired black-and-white films, viewing color as "artificial flowers that attract insects," which would dilute the mythic quality of film and make the moving statue in it seem ordinary and vulgar.
Cocteau's films were often appreciated by a niche audience, perhaps aligning with his artistic demands for film. He hoped that film, like the other Muses, could be a female mantis that consumes its loved one, allowing the loved one's work to live on instead. Great works of art often gain value only after the artist's death. The value of Cocteau's films fully emerged in film history. It should not be forgotten that Cocteau also wrote scripts for many famous French directors, including the masterpiece The Women of the Boulonnais Forest by Renoir. Thus, this poet-filmmaker holds an undeniable position in French cinema.