When a fellow poet is killed following a riot at a cafe, death obsessed Orpheus (Jean Marais) is escorted along with the corpse to a mysterious castle by Death herself (Maria Casares) where the dark angel and her cohorts pass between Earth and the netherworlds. When he returns home, he is unwilling to account for his whereabouts to his suspicious wife (Marie Dea) who falls in love with Death's chauffeur (Francois Perier) and when she meets her untimely Demise, Orpheus follows her on an ill-fated trip to Hades. Much the same as with his masterful adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, I had difficulty getting into Jean Cocteau's take on the Greek Myth during its initial reality set stages until its fantastical passages were unleashed, which again here are imaginative and riveting. The casting too is perfect with each actor just right for their specifically defined characters.
