Orpheus

Leong Su Zhen|leongsz@hotmail.com
the ridge transmedia
A NUSSU Publication

“A legend is entitled to be beyond place and time”. This is how Orpheus or Orphée, the French title of Jean Cocteau’s surreal masterpiece begins. A legend himself today, he is considered to be one of the best avant-garde filmmakers of his age, influencing the works of various artists and filmmakers, including David Lynch, Matthew Barney and Morrissey.

Based on a stage play which Cocteau himself wrote, the film draws on the Greek myth of Orpheus the gifted poet and son of Apollo and his wife Eurydice. Updating the myth to suit modern times, the Orpheus of Cocteau’s film is a successful Parisian poet who has earned himself the ire of a younger generation of poets through his smug and egotistical attitude.

His stagnant life comes to an abrupt halt after witnessing an accident. Roped in reluctantly to help transport his injured rival, the poet Cègéste, to a mysterious chalet, he is accompanied by an even more mysterious Princess and her chauffeur, Heurtebise. Returning to Eurydice the next day, he becomes increasingly obsessed with a series of peculiar radio broadcasts that rifts the couple part. Soon, his fascination leads him steadily deeper into an alternate world, one where the living do not usually tread…

Picture credits: flickr.com

Clearly borrowing from the German expressionist filmmakers, Orpheus is part fantasy and part absurdist horror. Shot in grainy black and white, the sombre, slightly other-worldly quality of the film is brought out to the forefront. There is, for some strange reason, something creepy about looking at spindly black bushes and trees being swept about in eerie silence. Then, there is the mysterious chalet, which looks remarkably like a haunted house with darkened walls and glowing windows.

Drawn into the world of dreams, he is increasingly attracted to the Princess, a lady who takes the meaning of femme fatale to new heights. Smitten with the haunting call of his muse, he becomes trapped by his own obsession. More a Narcissus than an Orpheus at this point, he descends into a hell of his own making. Often seen as being semi-autobiographical, the film’s theme of a poet torn between living or dying for his art must resonate close to the heart of any artist who clearly cherishes his talent.

Sufficiently deviating from its mythic source such that those familiar with the myth are not bored by the old tale, it keeps faithful to its roots at the same time. A deft re-working of a story that has been frequently adapted, including as an opera piece (though not by Cocteau, multi-talented as he is), Orpheus is an enjoyable exploration of the issue of artistic license and far it can go. Readers who do know the original story can expect a major plot twist due to a rather Romantic insertion on the theme of the immortal poet and his muse.

Picture credits: flickr.com

The opening act of the Odysseys of Myth programme at the National Museum, Orpheus is part of a series of films inspire by Greek mythology. The programme, which is an accompaniment for the Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre exhibit, runs from the 27 Feb to 1 March. By no means a featherweight programme, the series includes other films of note, including Jason and the Argonauts, which some of the older readers might recall with fondness as a swashbuckling sea adventure in togas.Though it has been many years since the film was released and even longer since the play was written, the film remains a legend till today. First released in 1949, this old gem still shines, remembered as one of Cocteau’s finest works. Conceived by legends, the film outlives its maker to remain a masterful piece that still resonates with its audience today.