Jean Cocteau & Jean Marais

Jean Cocteau & Jean Marais

3 Episodes

Creative Marriages

Visionary artist, playwright, poet, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau found the perfect muse around whom to construct his lyrical, surreal dream worlds in the dashing Jean Marais, the golden-boy actor who would become both his lifelong creative collaborator and lover. Two of their immortal classics—the ravishing fairytale BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and the mythic masterpiece ORPHEUS—are presented with an introduction by critic Michael Sragow, who discusses how these two very different but complementary artists came together to form one of the most miraculous actor-director partnerships in French cinema.

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Jean Cocteau & Jean Marais
  • Creative Marriages: Jean Cocteau & Jean Marais

    Episode 1

    The multifaceted artist, playwright, poet and filmmaker conjured up lyrical, surreal dream worlds with his dashing partner and muse.

  • Beauty and the Beast

    Episode 2

    Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1946 • France
    Starring Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély

    Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece—in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast—is a landmark of motion picture f...

  • Orpheus

    Episode 3

    Directed by Jean Cocteau • 1950 • France
    Starring Jean Marais, Marie Déa, Maria Casarès

    Jean Cocteau’s update of the Orpheus myth depicts a famous poet (Jean Marais), scorned by the Left Bank youth, and his love for both his wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa), and a mysterious princess (Maria Casarès). ...