This one would be the last film of the known Orphic Trilogy by Jean Cocteau, and also the last of his films. And that is a circumstance that after watching the picture, one gets the feeling that it did not got unnoticed to the multifaceted French author. After
The Blood of a Poet (1932) and
Orpheus (1950), first and second elements of the triptych, respectively, the good Cocteau closes his famous trilogy and as well his film career, in what is clearly not only the testament of Orpheus, but the creator himself's testament, reaching the twilight of his career in this film. The director continues with the main guideline of the entire trilogy, with the thread by which the characters move, that is, search that makes the artist, the search for knowledge, truth, of himself, a search that brings his own person findings, his fears, his obsessions. Keeping all or many of the previous guidelines of the prior two films, the feature continues that exploration, but now the filmmaker is put on the skin of the protagonist, including interacting with his own creations, with his characters from previous movies, setting up a compendium of his career. Enlists all actoral list of the previous
Orpheus for this picture, continues to combine reality with dream-like fields, and is a beautiful example of how an artist, feeling that the end is already imminent and near, strives to capture all the knowledge acquired in a great and final work.
The film begins with some spoken lines by Cocteau, definitions, after which we see the filmmaker, the Poet, who moves instantly from one place to another, is looking for a professor, finds him, (Henri Cremieux), he reminds him of a past experience. The Poet then has dreamlike journey where sees a man-horse, reaches a kind of bar where he meets Cégeste (Edouard Dermithe), a character from one of his filmS. Followed by his young character, runs some unreal spaces, until arrives a trial where time and space do not exist, and where two judges are expecting (Maria Casares and Francois Perier interpret them). These judges immediately accuse him of abandoning the real world, of his fantasies, while the poet defines, at the request of those, what is for him a movie, cinema, in addition to answering many other questions that are made in a process in which, besides Cégeste, other individuals get involved. After much deliberation, the judges condemn him to
live, while Cocteau recognizes in the timeless judges his characters, Death and Heurtebise, converses directly with the latter. Cégeste, after revealing some details, accompanies him to leave the courtroom, together see a strange statue that devours autographs, and then leaves. The poet has time for a last journey, where he will find most bizarre characters.
In some version of the film, the connection is so evident and highlighted that there are even moments, images of the final sequences of
Orpheus, when Princess or Death part to his conviction, thereby the connection to the third and final chapter is evident and reinforced. The start itself of the picture is a spoken prologue, is a perfect reflect of what the film is, of his illustrative character, prefacing his testamentary work, giving us some of the most important definitions, important concepts and issues for the artist, he directly speaks to us his concept of film, his cinema, his art. The outgoing master in his final work, starts giving us his views on these important matters, his reflections at the end of his existence as a filmmaker are eloquently embodied with the beginning of his film. The filmmaker soon presents himself as whom he is, the absolut protagonist, main character of his farewell film, again surreal trip will take place, but now has changed the character of the same; he, Cocteau, is now who moves from one dimension to another, from reality to the land of the fantastic, the surreal, is the one who moves freely between both worlds, moving from the role that in
Orpheus was the almost all-powerful Death or Princess. In the beginning of his film he is presented to us as an irreverent individual with an outfit reminiscent of the past classicism and has certain aura reminding of moments of both
Orfeo and
The Blood of a Poet, with dress and wig of past centuries, while the dominator individual has as one of his first actions, snorting cocaine. But after receiving the shot that asks the professor, he losts that attitude to become the character we'll see the rest of the film, to become virtually Cocteau himself, facing timeless trial in a place where time does not apply, where judges are his own creations, Death and his driver Heurtebise, both performers have identical appearance to that of the characters who embodied a decade ago.
There are lyricism and parsimony in many of his images, particularly pleasing is the journey where he meets the horse man, a strong figure that suggests perhaps an allegory of the immortal Guernica by his friend Picasso -to whom by the way pays tribute in the feature-, or it could also be a figure from the very imagery of French filmmaker, a figure of his own dream world. As noted above mentioned, the filmmaker becomes so aware of the journey, his journey, that even interact with his own characters, with Cégeste, with Heurtebise and with Death, for these characters, his creations have exceeded condition of these, and have acquired their own existence and evolution, becoming more than mere creations, to be able to illuminate and give teachings to their creator (nice moment, after the trial, when Cocteau speaking to the judge, and talking to
his Heurtebise, getting answers of what he created). The strong character of reflection on the picture has one of the highest points when we see the filmmaker painting a flower in a pot, but actually turns out making a self-portrait, slipping the idea that art is a reflect of the artist himself, that his artistic creation is actually a reflect of himself, an image of himself reflected through what is represented, even is said that it is always done, is certainly a very powerful and significant figure, that good Cocteau, in the twilight of his life as an artist slips to us, shares his thoughts with us. In this special moment for the creator, represents himself to us in the timeless trial, Kafkaesque situation in which he is questioned for his status as an artist, for escaping from reality, for thinking the way he thinks. But that time-hermetic trial finally is almost an excuse for the French director to openly slide us all his views, the complaint to which he subjected serves to expose to us his opinions, his thoughts.
Another very powerful and remarkable figure is the statue devourer of autographs, where he plays with the concept of celebrity, fame and recognition that can reach certain artists, something false and that can be harmful at times. Cocteau speaks frankly, we can perceive the feeling of one who is aware that is printing a compendium, a testament, as conscious as Cocteau is in his film of the journey that takes, that his characters are the judges. The filmmaker reflects on extrahuman issues, metaphysical topics, the language of art, a language that few understand and even fewer individuals can speak. As suitable as poignant and meaningful it is that Cocteau use for this final feature and reflecion at a time, all the acting flat from
Orpheus, in his last reflections on the world of cinema, works with the entire team of the early part of the trilogy, and adds himself directly to the collective effort, forming central part of the acting cast. Finalizing the film, bizarre death has the poet, again with horse men riding intervening, is witnessed by some people among which is the mentioned and immortal Pablo Picasso. As for the film technique, continues using tricks and resources that had already exhibited in his previous pictures, with those setbacks cameras that achieve certain effects and illusions of onirism. Beautiful feature by Cocteau, would be his last film, his latest feature, the young prodigy, friend of the surrealist poets, the friend of the Dadaists, the as very few versatile artist finished with this work his particular film career, full of remarkable, immortal works, some even rise them to the level of cult films. Thus ends the picture and film production of Cocteau, with this film that begins almost playfully, appearing in the initial credit, the expression "do not ask me why" after the title of the movie, to which end the author states that he would be sad if we do not like his work, because he took great efforts to do it, as any member of the production team. Thus it dismisses one of the most interesting French filmmakers of contemporary decades, the multifaceted Jean Cocteau.
This one would be the last film of the known Orphic Trilogy by Jean Cocteau, and also the last of his films. And that is a circumstance that after watching the picture, one gets the feeling that it did not got unnoticed to the multifaceted French author. After The Blood of a Poet (1932) and Orpheus (1950), first and second elements of the triptych, respectively, the good Cocteau closes his famous trilogy and as well his film career, in what is clearly not only the testament of Orpheus, but the creator himself's testament, reaching the twilight of his career in this film. The director continues with the main guideline of the entire trilogy, with the thread by which the characters move, that is, search that makes the artist, the search for knowledge, truth, of himself, a search that brings his own person findings, his fears, his obsessions. Keeping all or many of the previous guidelines of the prior two films, the feature continues that exploration, but now the filmmaker is put on the skin of the protagonist, including interacting with his own creations, with his characters from previous movies, setting up a compendium of his career. Enlists all actoral list of the previous Orpheus for this picture, continues to combine reality with dream-like fields, and is a beautiful example of how an artist, feeling that the end is already imminent and near, strives to capture all the knowledge acquired in a great and final work.
In some version of the film, the connection is so evident and highlighted that there are even moments, images of the final sequences of Orpheus, when Princess or Death part to his conviction, thereby the connection to the third and final chapter is evident and reinforced. The start itself of the picture is a spoken prologue, is a perfect reflect of what the film is, of his illustrative character, prefacing his testamentary work, giving us some of the most important definitions, important concepts and issues for the artist, he directly speaks to us his concept of film, his cinema, his art. The outgoing master in his final work, starts giving us his views on these important matters, his reflections at the end of his existence as a filmmaker are eloquently embodied with the beginning of his film. The filmmaker soon presents himself as whom he is, the absolut protagonist, main character of his farewell film, again surreal trip will take place, but now has changed the character of the same; he, Cocteau, is now who moves from one dimension to another, from reality to the land of the fantastic, the surreal, is the one who moves freely between both worlds, moving from the role that in Orpheus was the almost all-powerful Death or Princess. In the beginning of his film he is presented to us as an irreverent individual with an outfit reminiscent of the past classicism and has certain aura reminding of moments of both Orfeo and The Blood of a Poet, with dress and wig of past centuries, while the dominator individual has as one of his first actions, snorting cocaine. But after receiving the shot that asks the professor, he losts that attitude to become the character we'll see the rest of the film, to become virtually Cocteau himself, facing timeless trial in a place where time does not apply, where judges are his own creations, Death and his driver Heurtebise, both performers have identical appearance to that of the characters who embodied a decade ago.
Another very powerful and remarkable figure is the statue devourer of autographs, where he plays with the concept of celebrity, fame and recognition that can reach certain artists, something false and that can be harmful at times. Cocteau speaks frankly, we can perceive the feeling of one who is aware that is printing a compendium, a testament, as conscious as Cocteau is in his film of the journey that takes, that his characters are the judges. The filmmaker reflects on extrahuman issues, metaphysical topics, the language of art, a language that few understand and even fewer individuals can speak. As suitable as poignant and meaningful it is that Cocteau use for this final feature and reflecion at a time, all the acting flat from Orpheus, in his last reflections on the world of cinema, works with the entire team of the early part of the trilogy, and adds himself directly to the collective effort, forming central part of the acting cast. Finalizing the film, bizarre death has the poet, again with horse men riding intervening, is witnessed by some people among which is the mentioned and immortal Pablo Picasso. As for the film technique, continues using tricks and resources that had already exhibited in his previous pictures, with those setbacks cameras that achieve certain effects and illusions of onirism. Beautiful feature by Cocteau, would be his last film, his latest feature, the young prodigy, friend of the surrealist poets, the friend of the Dadaists, the as very few versatile artist finished with this work his particular film career, full of remarkable, immortal works, some even rise them to the level of cult films. Thus ends the picture and film production of Cocteau, with this film that begins almost playfully, appearing in the initial credit, the expression "do not ask me why" after the title of the movie, to which end the author states that he would be sad if we do not like his work, because he took great efforts to do it, as any member of the production team. Thus it dismisses one of the most interesting French filmmakers of contemporary decades, the multifaceted Jean Cocteau.
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