The Blood of a Poet

1932 0h 55m FR

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 204

Fantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a poet’s room, an armless statue abruptly comes to life. It invites the poet to step through a mirror and to discover another world. Strange places and characters present themselves to him. The poet tears himself away from these twisted fascinations and returns, with some difficulty, to his room.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Enrique Rivero
Poet
Elizabeth Lee Miller
Statue
Pauline Carton
The child trainer
Odette Talazac
Jean Desbordes
Louis XV Friend
Fernand Dichamps
Lucien Jager
A spectator in a box
Féral Benga
Black Angel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean Cocteau
Writers: Jean Cocteau
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 55-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "The Orphic Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jean Cocteau, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Auric. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jean Cocteau shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Enrique Rivero and Elizabeth Lee Miller and Pauline Carton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean Cocteau directs. Georges Périnal behind the camera. Georges Auric scores. Jean Cocteau cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 55-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
294 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Orphic Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Jean Cocteau, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Georges Auric. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jean Cocteau shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Enrique Rivero and Elizabeth Lee Miller and Pauline Carton carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0021331 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "hotel", "artist", "mythology", "painter".
11Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Original score: Georges Auric
Editing: Jean Cocteau
Production design: Jean d'Eaubonne
Costume design: Coco Chanel
Runtime: 55 min · 0h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Blood of a Poet (1932)

Part of

The Orphic Trilogy

Decadent, subversive, and bristling with artistic invention, the myth-born cinema of Jean Cocteau disturbs as much as it charms. Cocteau was the most versatile of artists in prewar Paris. Poet, novelist, playwright, painter, celebrity, and maker of cinema—his many talents converged in bold, dreamlike films that continue to enthrall audiences around the world. In "The Blood of a Poet," "Orpheus," and "Testament of Orpheus," Cocteau utilizes the Orphic myth to explore the complex relationships between the artist and his creations, reality and the imagination.