Testament of Orpheus

1960 1h 20m FR

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 136

Fantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An 18th century poet travels through time in search of divine wisdom. In a mysterious wasteland, he has a series of enigmatic encounters with symbolic phantoms with whom he muses about the nature of art and his own career. Ultimately, the poet strives to achieve his rebirth as a celestial being.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jean Cocteau
Le poète
Édouard Dermithe
Cégeste(non crédité)
Henri Crémieux
Le professeur(non crédité)
François Périer
Heurtebise(non crédité)
Claudine Auger
Minerve (non crédité)
Françoise Arnoul
Elle-même (non crédité)
Lucia Bosè
Une amie d'Orphée(non crédité)
Charles Aznavour
Le Curieux(non crédité)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean Cocteau
Writers: Jean Cocteau
Languages: French, English, German
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

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean Cocteau and Édouard Dermithe and Henri Crémieux carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0054377 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean Cocteau directs. Roland Pontoizeau behind the camera. Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French, English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
266 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, English, German.
4Part of the "The Orphic Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Jean Cocteau, shot by Roland Pontoizeau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean Cocteau and Édouard Dermithe and Henri Crémieux carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0054377 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roland Pontoizeau
Editing: Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte
Production design: Pierre Guffroy
Costume design: Janine Janet
Makeup / hair: Alexandre Marcus
Runtime: 80 min · 1h 20m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: Testament of Orpheus (1960)

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.