This is a 45 minute (give or take) documentary on Jean Cocteau. It originally was made in French but was clumsily dubbed into English. I say 'clumsily' because you can still hear the original French dialog--and it's a bit confusing. Plus, there are no captions--and I really would have preferred to have read the captions and heard the film in French.
This film is a biography of Cocteau and there seemed to be a lot of archival footage of Cocteau himself--which is fortunate, as he died in 1963. In some ways this was well worth watching, as it gave a nice overview of the multitudes of mediums in which the guy dabbled--poetry, painting, music and film. However, because it was so short, little time was given to each of his pursuits. I sure would have loved to have seen more of his art and the discussion of his films was WAY TOO SHORT and bizarre. I say 'bizarre' because the only film mentioned was "Testament of Orpheus"--and it's NOT among Cocteau's more famous films. Why not talk about the brilliant "Orpheus" or "Beauty and the Beast"--who of his films that are masterpieces.
All in all, a decent overview of Cocteau's life and work--but far from what this man deserves. A good film probably would take a couple hours.
This film is a biography of Cocteau and there seemed to be a lot of archival footage of Cocteau himself--which is fortunate, as he died in 1963. In some ways this was well worth watching, as it gave a nice overview of the multitudes of mediums in which the guy dabbled--poetry, painting, music and film. However, because it was so short, little time was given to each of his pursuits. I sure would have loved to have seen more of his art and the discussion of his films was WAY TOO SHORT and bizarre. I say 'bizarre' because the only film mentioned was "Testament of Orpheus"--and it's NOT among Cocteau's more famous films. Why not talk about the brilliant "Orpheus" or "Beauty and the Beast"--who of his films that are masterpieces.
All in all, a decent overview of Cocteau's life and work--but far from what this man deserves. A good film probably would take a couple hours.
