#67: COCTEAU, Jean: The Blood Of A Poet (1930)

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COCTEAU, Jean (France)
THE ORPHIC TRILOGY: The Blood Of A Poet [1930]
Spine #67
DVD
OOP


"Poets . . . shed not only the red blood of their hearts but the white blood of their souls," proclaimed Jean Cocteau of his groundbreaking first film — an exploration of the plight of the artist, the power of metaphor and the relationship between art and dreams. One of cinema's great experiments, this first installment of the Orphic Trilogy stretches the medium to its limits in an effort to capture the poet's obsession with the struggle between the forces of life and death. Criterion is proud to present The Blood of a Poet (Le sang d'un poète).

50 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in French
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2000
Director/Writer


Jean Cocteau was 41 when he directed The Blood of a Poet.

Other Cocteau films in the Collection:

#6: Beauty And The Beast (1946)
#68: Orpheus (1949)
#69: Testament Of Orpheus (1959)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Cocteau.

Commentary

None.

Collection

Of rare behind-the-scenes photos
Documentary

66-minute doc by Edgardo Cozarinsky: Jean Cocteau: Autoportrait d’un Inconnu (Autobiography of an Unknown).
Transcript

Of Cocteau’s lecture given at a 1932 screening of The Blood of a Poet, and a 1946 essay on the film by Cocteau.
Bibliofilmography

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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