The pursuit of Truth in film, a pursuit that is greater than any one medium, one grappled with by poet, playwright, author, painter, sculptor, chef, musician, and so on through all human expression, is a never-ending quest for a metaphysical unknown. As Orpheus pines for death, we see him juggle his own mortal life with Eurydice, his legacy as a poet, his unborn child, and public reputation. Like many great artists, Orpheus has a romantic quality that transcends simple logic and earthly commitments. In this way, Jean Cocteau takes the classic story, and presents it pretty faithfully, though of course transposed through time. His framing of Orpheus as poet, obsessed with death, who is also obsessed with him, may feel a little straightforward and traditional in approach, adopting a love is stronger than all tone, but these choices were all made for a deeper purpose of questioning the ambition of an artist, and the purpose of pursuing art at all. 

Orpheus symbolizes the legacy of an artist as death itself, as is often the case, a great artist is unappreciated in their time. Consider the saying, a person does not truly die until they are forgotten. The film makes it clear there is a great host of “Deaths” working in this spirit world. The one we are familiar in this poem, is simply the “Death” of our human characters. They speak this truth when first confronted by the then unknown woman. In the end, we see that death is, herself, going to judgement. Though she cannot die, this fate seems analogous to a worse form of it. Orpheus returns to his wife and child, but no longer has the same tone or artistic complex. He is a changed person, and even refers to writing books. This shift is sudden, and leads me to my interpretation of what actually was killed. 

I am of two minds. Either Death killed the poet in Orpheus, and he has abandoned his ambitions of legacy and the pursuit of art. It is hard to be a very great artist if one is so completely happy as it seems he has become. Likewise, it is possible that since his Death is seemingly removed and basically dying herself, that Orpheus has become an immortal poet. Perhaps his earthly body will die, but his name and works will become immortal in influence and fame. His happiness a simple joy in his reassured status. I lean towards the former thought, as it also fits with the idea her actions were a fate worse than death. She has killed their relationship, his death will not be hers to take, and she has also killed an immortal poet, his legacy is no longer notable. 

Beware the sirens! 

It is I who charm them.

Tremendously beautiful film, incredible surreal filmmaking. I can tell this is a massive influence on David Lynch. The spirit world seems so similar to the Lodge in many ways, the backwards writing/speaking, the disappearing/reappearing. Returning from a spiritual world with a seemingly new persona. The emphasis on love and death, intertwined in a conflict between worlds. Maybe this is where he thought of the Gardner glove also? I feel I better understand that weirdo prop from The Return now. My first Jean Cocteau will not be my last, he is a new priority director for the rest of the year. Really powerful and smartly made, telling an immortal story in such a dreamlike and thought provoking manner. Seriously intense, and asks serious questions about what we value and why.