Testament of Orpheus
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Edouard Dermit
Henri Crémieux
Françoise Christophe
Maria Casarès
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In an effort to understand the world in which he lives, poet Jean Cocteau, dressed in 18th-century clothing, contacts a scientist who is working on an invention that would enable him to enter a new dimension of time and space. After several unsuccessful attempts, the scientist finally succeeds by murdering the poet; Cocteau then rises from the dead and begins his search for identity. In a mysterious wasteland, he encounters gypsies, a man-horse, and Cégeste, the dead poet from Cocteau's film Orpheus. Cégeste offers to serve as his guide and presents him with the Flower of Folly. Although the poet would like to give the flower to Minerva, the Goddess of Reason, he first has to stand trial before underworld judges Heurtebise and the princess, also from Orpheus , and they condemn him to live. Cocteau then offers the flower to Minerva, but she kills him with a lance; again arising from the dead, the poet continues his journey. He passes the Sphynx and Oedipus, but they do not recognize each other. Later, the poet hears the roar of approaching motorcycles and assumes them to be the messengers of death; the motorcyclists, however, are merely policemen who ask for his identity card. When one of the officers drops the card, it turns into the Flower of Folly as it hits the ground and is blown away by a passing car. Cocteau then follows the bidding of Cégeste and vanishes.
Director
Jean Cocteau
Cast
Jean Cocteau
Edouard Dermit
Henri Crémieux
Françoise Christophe
Maria Casarès
François Périer
Yul Brynner
Jean-pierre Léaud
Daniel Gélin
Nicole Courcel
Jean Marais
Claudine Auger
Georges Chretelain
Michèle Lemoigne
Philippe Juzau
Daniel Moossmann
Alice Sapritch
Marie-josèphe Yoyotte
Henry Torrès
Michèle Comte
Alec Weisweiller
Philippe
Guy Dute
Jean-claude Petit
Alice Heyliger
Brigitte Morissan
Pablo Picasso
Jacqueline Roque
Luis-miguel Dominguin
Lucia Bosè
Serge Lifar
Charles Aznavour
Michael Goodliffe
Françoise Arnoul
Françoise Sagan
Roger Vadim
Annette Strøyberg
Brigitte Bardot
Crew
Georges Auric
Johann Sebastian Bach
Pierre Bertrand
Lucien Clergue
Jean Cocteau
Charles Frank
Christoph Gluck
Pierre Guffroy
George Frederick Handel
Janine Janet
Janine Janet
Irénée Leriche
Jacques Metehen
Claude Pinoteau
Roland Pontoiseau
Eugène Raichi
René Sarrazin
Martial Solal
Jean Thuillier
Richard Wagner
Marie-josèphe Yoyotte
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Opened in Paris in February 1960 as Le testament d'Orphée; running time: 80 min. Alternative French title: Le testament d'Orphée ou ne me demandez pas pourquoi. Also known in the United States as Testament of Orpheus or Don't Ask Me Why. Jacqueline Roque is also known as Jacqueline Picasso.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in France February 1960
Released in United States 1962
Released in United States on Video 1992
35mm
b&w
dialogue French
subtitled
Last film to be directed by Jean Cocteau.
Released in United States 1962
Released in United States on Video 1992
Released in France February 1960
