Jean Cocteau Criticism
Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) was a prolific French artist whose work spanned several media, including poetry, novels, plays, essays, and films. Known for his engagement with mythological themes, Cocteau's oeuvre frequently explores the intersections between reality and fantasy. His approach is reflective of the escapist tendencies of the Jazz Age, a concept discussed by Paul West. Cocteau's notable contributions to literature, such as Les Enfants terribles, delve into the tragic aspects of childhood, death, and myth, capturing the tension between an idealized past and a harsh present reality, as examined by Leon S. Roudiez. His stylistic innovations are not confined to literature but extend into film, where avant-garde techniques and enigmatic prose have left a lasting mark on French culture, a point highlighted by Wallace Fowlie. Furthermore, his ballet Le Train Bleu exemplifies his ability to elevate the everyday into art, a contribution to modern dance that Frank W. D. Ries suggests deserves greater recognition.
Cocteau's theatrical works, including La Voix humaine and Les parents terribles, are marked by their poignant exploration of themes like art creation, reality versus illusion, and the constraints of free will. Despite mixed reviews of his later plays, his influence on twentieth-century theatre is undeniable, particularly through his reimaginings of Greek tragedies. These thematic explorations are further analyzed in Chester Clayton Long's analysis of Orphée and Annette Shandler Levitt's discussion of Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel. His adaptations of Greek myths, such as Orphée and Antigone, resonate with contemporary audiences through bold and avant-garde reinterpretations, as noted by Carol Cujec. Moreover, La machine infernale exemplifies his exploration of free will and determinism, integrating modern idioms and musical styles, a theme explored by Derek F. Connon.
Cocteau's transition into filmmaking began with Le Sang d'un poète (The Blood of a Poet), which reflects his fascination with the poet's role and dream imagery. C. G. Wallis underscores the film's allegorical richness, establishing it as a cinematic classic. His filmography, including standout works like La Belle et la bête (Beauty and the Beast), is celebrated for its sophisticated visual metaphors and philosophical depth, a view shared by Bosley Crowther. Cocteau's films often challenge viewers with symbolic and abstract narratives, as Crowther critiques in his analysis of Testament of Orpheus. Yet, they remain innovative contributions to cinema, creating a dreamlike world where death and reality intertwine, as explored by Roy Armes.
His adaptation of classical legends is further evident in Orphée (Orpheus), which critics such as Jean R. Debrix and C. A. Lejeune praise for symbolic depth and demanding intellectual engagement. Le Testament d'Orphée continues his cinematic exploration, offering a personal mythology through symbolic imagery, as analyzed by Roger Manvell. Overall, Cocteau's interdisciplinary approach and thematic richness continue to influence and intrigue scholars and artists, cementing his legacy as a seminal figure in both literature and film.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Cocteau, Jean (Vol. 1)
- Cocteau, Jean (Vol. 8)
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Cocteau, Jean (Vol. 16)
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'The Blood of a Poet'
(summary)
In the following essay, C. G. Wallis argues that Jean Cocteau's film "Le Sang d'un Poète" should be recognized as a classic of cinema, emphasizing its allegorical nature, timeless themes, and its depiction of a poet's journey toward depersonalization, amidst criticism of Cocteau's perceived superficiality.
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'Beauty and the Beast'
(summary)
In the following essay, Bosley Crowther argues that Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" is a remarkable cinematic achievement in poetic fantasy, appreciated for its sophisticated visual metaphors and dreamlike progression, and more suited to adult audiences capable of grasping its subtle philosophical and artistic themes.
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'Eagle with Two Heads'
(summary)
In the following essay, Bosley Crowther criticizes Jean Cocteau's film "Eagle With Two Heads" for its obscurity and lack of coherent narrative, arguing that the film's visual splendor and symbolic pretensions are undermined by convoluted dialogue and unclear themes.
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'The Storm Within'
(summary)
In the following essay, A. H. Weiler criticizes Jean Cocteau's "The Storm Within" for lacking imaginative depth and emotional resonance, describing it as a static drama filled with trivial conflicts and unremarkable commentary on love.
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'Orpheus'
(summary)
In the following essay, Bosley Crowther critiques Jean Cocteau's film "Orpheus" as a visually rich but intellectually challenging work, arguing that its abstract symbolism and dreamlike narrative may alienate viewers seeking conventional comprehension, though it might appeal to those who embrace its surreal art for art's sake approach.
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Cocteau's 'Orpheus' Analyzed: Its Chief Virtue Is What It Tried to Do
(summary)
In the following essay, Jean R. Debrix examines Cocteau's film Orpheus as a dual exploration of poetry and cinema, highlighting its symbolic depth and creative ambition while critiquing its plot weaknesses and outdated surrealism, ultimately arguing for the potential of cinema to offer new poetic forms.
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Orphée
(summary)
In the following essay, C. A. Lejeune examines Jean Cocteau's film Orpheus, highlighting its intriguing blend of fantasy and reality, and praises its provocative and exhilarating qualities, though she questions the coherence and wisdom behind its conceptual execution.
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Poetry in Three Films of Jean Cocteau
(summary)
In the following essay, Neal Oxenhandler examines Jean Cocteau's films, arguing that they convey the essence of Cocteau's poetic vision by employing a unique "discontinuous poetry" that emphasizes visual and thematic innovation over traditional narrative structure, thereby challenging conventional expectations of morality and reality.
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Aftermaths
(summary)
In the following essay, William Whitebait critiques Jean Cocteau's film Le Testament d'Orphée, noting Cocteau's enduring poetical allure and innovative flair, while arguing that the film ultimately serves as a postscript to his earlier masterpieces, characterized by its ingenious yet repetitive theatricality and reflections on death and immortality.
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Film Reviews: 'Le Testament d'Orphée'
(summary)
In the following essay, Peter John Dyer evaluates Jean Cocteau's Le Testament d'Orphée as a culmination of his cinematic journey, highlighting its thematic cohesion, symbolic clarity, and enchanting self-parody, ultimately portraying it as a work of personal and artistic fulfillment.
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New Films: 'Le Testament d'Orphee'
(summary)
In the following essay, Roger Manvell argues that Jean Cocteau's film Le Testament d'Orphee exemplifies the cinematic realization of the poet's personal mythology through a sequence of symbolic imagery, illustrating Cocteau's belief in revealing familiar elements anew while challenging the audience to interpret the film's mythological relevance.
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'Testament of Orpheus'
(summary)
In the following essay, Bosley Crowther criticizes Jean Cocteau's film "Testament of Orpheus" as an indulgent and incomprehensible exploration of Cocteau's own artistic journey, accessible mainly to those already familiar with his work, and lacking the emotional engagement to resonate with a broader audience.
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Jean Cocteau
(summary)
In the following essay, Roy Armes explores the complex artistic techniques and thematic elements in Jean Cocteau's films, highlighting Cocteau's fusion of myth and reality, the interplay of contrasting elements, and his personal mythological vision where death lacks finality, thus creating a dreamlike and unique cinematic world.
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The Testament of Jean Cocteau
(summary)
In the following essay, George Amberg argues that Jean Cocteau's film The Testament of Orpheus serves as a complex and self-revealing confessional document, intertwining personal autobiography with poetic exploration, challenging conventional art forms, and ultimately presenting a profound self-portrait that blurs the lines between reality and illusion.
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'The Blood of a Poet'
(summary)
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Cocteau, Jean (Vol. 15)
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Paul West
(summary)
In the following essay, Paul West discusses Jean Cocteau's works, highlighting their elements of fantasy and somnambulism as reflective of the Jazz Age's escapist tendencies, and describes how Cocteau's Les Enfants terribles fondly captures adolescent fantasies without deeply exploring them, unlike other contemporary authors.
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Cocteau's 'Les Enfants terribles' as a Blind Text
(summary)
In the following essay, Leon S. Roudiez examines Jean Cocteau's novel "Les Enfants terribles," arguing that it explores themes of death, reality, and myth, ultimately presenting a tragic dichotomy between the impossibility of returning to an idealized paradise of childhood and the bleakness of the contemporary world.
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Jean Cocteau 1889–1963
(summary)
In the following essay, Wallace Fowlie examines Jean Cocteau's stylistic contributions across literature and film, highlighting his enigmatic prose, innovative cinematic techniques, and dramatic experimentation, while also recognizing his role as an influential figure in the evolution of French art and culture in the 20th century.
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Acrobats, Burlesque and Cocteau: The Creation of 'Le Train Bleu'
(summary)
In the following essay, Frank W. D. Ries argues that Jean Cocteau's ballets, particularly Le Train Bleu, are unjustly neglected, emphasizing Cocteau's innovative use of dance to explore themes of modernity, youth, and the everyday, and his unique ability to elevate the commonplace through artistic expression.
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Paul West
(summary)
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Cocteau, Jean (Drama Criticism)
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Criticism: General Commentary
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Modernizing Antiquity: Jean Cocteau's Early Greek Adaptations
(summary)
In the following essay, Cujec asserts that Cocteau's early classical adaptations—Antigone, Oedipus-Rex, Oedipe-Roi—are “bold avant-garde experiments reflecting the radical revision of the theater by modernist innovators of the era.”
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Greece in Cocteau; Cocteau in Greece
(summary)
In the following essay, Tsakiridou explores the defining characteristics of Cocteau's plays, in particular his interest in Greek mythology and culture.
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Modernizing Antiquity: Jean Cocteau's Early Greek Adaptations
(summary)
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Three Concealments: Jean Cocteau's Adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray
(summary)
In the following essay, Christensen evaluates the significance of Cocteau's Le Portrait surnaturel de Dorian Gray and discusses the issue of homosexuality in the play.
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Criticism: Les MariéS De La Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party)
(summary)
In the following essay, Levitt examines the relationship between art and reality in Cocteau's Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel.
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Cocteau's Orphée: From Myth to Drama and Film
(summary)
In the following essay, Long contrasts the mythical, dramatic, and cinematic versions of Orphée, emphasizing Cocteau's versions of the Greek myth.
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Almodóvar on the Verge of Cocteau's La Voix humaine.
(summary)
In the following essay, Willem judges the influence of Cocteau's La Voix humaine on Pedro Almodóvar's film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
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Criticism: La Machine Infernale (The Infernal Machine)
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The Theatre
(summary)
In the following review, Carter critiques a production of The Infernal Machine performed at the Arts Theatre Club.
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Folded Eternity: Time and the Mythic Dimension in Cocteau's La machine infernale
(summary)
In the following essay, Connon addresses the critical reaction to Cocteau's La machine infernale and considers the treatment of time in his play.
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The Theatre
(summary)
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Criticism: L'Impromptu Du Palais-Royal
(summary)
In the following essay, Crowson investigates the relationship between his essay “Le Numéro Barbette” and L'Impromptu du Palais Royal.
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Criticism: General Commentary
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Cocteau, Jean (Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism)
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Le Sang d'un Poète: Film as Orphism
(summary)
In the following essay, Thiher examines Cocteau's poetics in his film Le Sang d'un Poète as a point of departure from modernism to postmodernism in cinematic history because of Cocteau's interpretation of the myth of Orpheus.
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Cocteau, Cauchemar, Cinema
(summary)
In the following essay, Hanlon examines the influence of nightmares, somnambulism, and an obsession with death on Cocteau's films.
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A Sense of Magic Reality and Illusion in Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast
(summary)
In the following essay, Galef discusses the ways in which Cocteau's use of his camera lend magical elements to Beauty and the Beast.
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Cocteau Revisited
(summary)
In the following essay, Cismaru provides an overview of major themes in Cocteau's work and life.
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The Other as Self in Cocteau's Les Enfants terribles
(summary)
In the following essay, Grayson argues that the children in Les Enfants terribles represent a pre-Oedipal refusal to acknowledge the separation of self from other.
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Jean Cocteau and His World
(summary)
In the following essay, which was printed as an excerpt from the book Jean Cocteau and His World, Peters recounts major events in Cocteau's life and work.
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Jean Cocteau and ‘la poésie du théâtre.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Gates discusses Cocteau's dislike of narrative poetry in drama, noting that he preferred instead to use all the characteristics of theatrical production as poetic elements in his dramatic works.
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The Jean Cocteau Collection: How ‘Astonishing’?
(summary)
In the following essay, Archambault examines the Cocteau collection at the Syracuse University Library, concluding that Cocteau “perhaps put talent into his work and genius into his life.”
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In Pursuit of Cocteau
(summary)
In the following essay, Winegarten reexamines Cocteau's achievements in light of the publication of his diaries and letters.
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Beauty and the Beast: From Fable to Film
(summary)
In the following essay, Pauly offers a comparison of Cocteau's film version of Beauty and the Beast with the original fairy tale ostensibly written by the Frenchwoman Jeanne-Marie le Prince de Beaumont.
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Where He Danced: Cocteau's Barbette and Ohno's Water Lilies
(summary)
In the following essay, Franko discusses the presentation of gay identity and gender roles in Cocteau's “Une leçon de théâtre: Le numéro Barbette” and the Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno's performance of the piece Suiren.
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Jean Cocteau's Theatre: Idea and Enactment
(summary)
In the following essay, Levitt discusses Cocteau's theory of avant-garde theatre as it is put forth in his preface to The Wedding on the Eiffel Tower. Written in 1922, Cocteau's Preface offers his manifesto of the theatre, setting forth ideas that epitomize the avant-garde theatre and revealing much about the Parisian avant-garde theatre.
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Jean Cocteau's Snow
(summary)
In the following essay, Hatte examines the significance of the appearance of snow in Les Enfants terribles and its meaning to the “mythology” of Cocteau's other works.
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Le Sang d'un Poète: Film as Orphism
(summary)
- Further Reading