Image of the Day : Orpheus by Cocteau

the connection with the senses – meaning that they are the wings that make you fly -
I like his handwriting – so elegant -

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http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gyfN0cVDXj4
Orpheo Negro. A film of our times and a beautiful music.
LOVE,
THELMA

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Orpheus was one of many who was down in hell and turned alive into our world.Some saw that like meaning that art is able to turn our time and get us out of hystorical time into one mythical through the art.So we are escaping death by narating stories,or singing ,or acting on one scene.If I remember,there is something simillar in “The Zahir”,written by dearest Paulo Coelho.Am I wrong?
guess not.Love you,dear writer

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What a myth! My favourite maybe. I remember when I was told about for the first time. It was in college, and I was so sad for the end. I would have liked he goes again. But his fate was really dramatic then. I think he ain’t just got the time. :)

His lover Eurydice died, because of a snake. As Orpheus was a poet, admired for the magic of his words and songs he used to play on his lyre, he decided to go down to the hells to rescue her beloved. After beguiling a botman, a three-headed dog, and the judge of dead, he succeeded into obtaining from Hades and Persephone to bring back Eurydice. But under one only condition. That he never turned back to her until the light of the outside is to be seen. Orpheus played lyre to guide Eurydice into the darkness, but as he saw a glimpse of sunny ray, he moved back to see her, that disappeared immediately.

I think I never really understood that myth, and in the same time, I feel the opposite, that’s curious. Could be about the lack of patience, of faith.

As for Mister Cocteau: what a man! One we could also say, he lived his personnal legend. A birdy mystic poet. I love his poetry, though his books made me a little sick. Surely today, I’d see them differently.
I love his drawing, as the way he had to make it. I mean the hand that finds instantaneously.

Before 1999, I read some things here and there, but never really deeply interested myself with that “UFO”. But as we had to make a video of a self-portrait for school, I decided to paint myself and then make forward images, until the first point.
Later, I found that 2cds of Jean, and listened while I was painting. I suddendly felt that man very clever. So I decided to put his presence in my short movie. His photo and a sentence, that said: “The character I’m playing, lost himself in the space of time”. I found it fabulous, and so funny, also the way he has to tell it. After many hours, I ended with that short of myself triptych, showed it then to the classroom, ok.

Three months later, I was making my first short movie. Chroma-tics. Oh ma, the sad song of the princess that discovers that even she believes further in barbie, no prince charming will come her way. Well, the movie is far to be funny.
When my assistant-direction teacher told me I was too “green” to make a 27 minutes movie at that hour, it gave more strentgh to do it. :) But then I had to do it out of school.

It was magic, because all I wanted came my way. Unless two things: the chapel, and the rails for the scenes in.
Thanks to the producer from the association that helped me in doing, for free, because I had no one penny in pocket, we managed to find a chapel. When he told me It’s called the Chapel of Angels, I was with them.
Lastly, he called me during the shooting we had in a hostel, for free, to tell me he finally found rails.
“And guess what? There are those of Jean Cocteau, when he filmed Orpheus”.
I let you imagine my both joy and gratitude.

When we filmed in the Chapel, sometimes, in the stillness, I was looking at those rails, and told to myself Jean Cocteau, my dear friend had used it. He has shooted with them.
There were so large. The mechanisms was still fair. They were at their place.

Later, seeing a video, I discovered Jean Cocteau had painted drawings in forward images. I found the serendipty really really strange. If we know the personage, I maybe passed a moment with him. ;) And then he left, because I quit magic, in a way, as simply as it is.

Thank you Dear Paulo. A precious gift.

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Dear Sir,
I feel that it is a very interesting picture.
the man’s face reflects mixed feelings,he seems to be both happy and sad at the same time.But I think it is a wonderful picture ,so much to think about and learn.
wish you a good day
love anju

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