Synopses & Reviews
This is a comprehensive, original and accessible account of all aspects of Jean Cocteau's work in the cinema. It is the first major study in English to appear for over forty years and casts new light on Cocteau's most celebrated films as well as those often neglected or little known. Jean Cocteau is not only one of French cinema's greatest and most influential auteurs whose work covered all the major genres, but also an experimenter, collaborator, theorist and all-round ambassador of film. This lucid account provides a complete introduction to Cocteau's cinematic project in the context of his entire oeuvre, detailed analysis of individual films, and a thematic engagement with all his cinema from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives. The Cocteau that emerges is at once a materialist filmmaker and visionary who is committed to realism in all its guises and reveals the wonder and mystery of what he called "the cinematograph."
Review
"James S. William's Jean Cocteau is both a welcome new study of the films of a versatile artist and director and a precious addition to Manchester University Press's useful series on French Directors. His study elegantly weaves historical context, biographical element and in--depth analysis of the formal characteristics of Cocteau's films. Williams produces an inspiring study and manages to suggest new paths in the exploration of the artist's unique corpus of film work. This captivating book should thus be of interest to students as well as to specialists in cinematic culture" --Martine Beugnet, Edinburgh University, Journal of Contemporary European Studies
About the Author
James S. Williams is Professor of Modern French Literature and Film at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Table of Contents
List of plates * Series editors foreword * Acknowledgements * His name was Jean * All is possible: 'Le Sang dun poète' * The tricks of the reel: * I. 'LEternel retour'/'La Belle et la bête' * II. 'LAigle à deux têtes'/'Les Parents terribles' * III. 'La Villa Santo-Sospir'/'Le Testament dOrphée'* In the zone:' Orphée * Cocteau, Jean Marais and collaboration * For our eyes only: body and sexuality in reverse motion * En route * Filmography * Select bibliography * Index