I'll be frank: whatever bigger meaning or ideas Jean Cocteau may have intended with this are beyond me. I see a cinematic experiment in surrealism, and nothing more. Thankfully that's all it needs to be, and this cornucopia of half-mad whimsy is quite well done and entertaining exactly as it is. If someone else Sees and Understands what 'Le sang d'un poète' is supposed to be, then good, I'm glad for them. I find no especial substance in it, but it's a weird, wonderful journey even just on that surface level.
Everything about this is splendidly sharp, demonstrating more skill and care in the 1930s than some modern pictures can claim. Take your pick: Georges Auric's flavorful, varied music; Georges Périnal's crisp cinematography; fabulous sets and props; imaginative costume design, hair, and makeup; artful shot composition; sharp editing and basic effects; acting and direction that seem very meticulously guided to a particular end. As the visuals present us with one odd vision after another, and the soundtrack follows a little behind, the underlying craftsmanship is terrific all the while.
I trust there is actually a rhyme and/or reason to this, and I just can't see it despite early voiceovers and blocks of text. Even if there weren't, however, whatever dreamscapes Cocteau waltzed through to concoct such wild imagery is a fine credit to him as a filmmaker. The scene writing is a total trip, and to whatever extent there's a loose through-line, maintaining focus here (such as it is) is kind of impressive - there's a sense of cohesiveness to a feature where it isn't even wholly necessary. With all this said, anyone who isn't at all receptive to such far-flung, strange movies are advised to just not bother with this at all; 'Le sang d'un poète' is definitely built for a niche audience. Yet for anyone of a mind in any measure for the experimental, the arthouse, the outrageous and abstruse, this may well be an essential classic, practically a forebear of like fare to come. Don't necessarily go out of your way for it, and be well aware of what you're getting into, but this is worth checking out if you have the chance.
Everything about this is splendidly sharp, demonstrating more skill and care in the 1930s than some modern pictures can claim. Take your pick: Georges Auric's flavorful, varied music; Georges Périnal's crisp cinematography; fabulous sets and props; imaginative costume design, hair, and makeup; artful shot composition; sharp editing and basic effects; acting and direction that seem very meticulously guided to a particular end. As the visuals present us with one odd vision after another, and the soundtrack follows a little behind, the underlying craftsmanship is terrific all the while.
I trust there is actually a rhyme and/or reason to this, and I just can't see it despite early voiceovers and blocks of text. Even if there weren't, however, whatever dreamscapes Cocteau waltzed through to concoct such wild imagery is a fine credit to him as a filmmaker. The scene writing is a total trip, and to whatever extent there's a loose through-line, maintaining focus here (such as it is) is kind of impressive - there's a sense of cohesiveness to a feature where it isn't even wholly necessary. With all this said, anyone who isn't at all receptive to such far-flung, strange movies are advised to just not bother with this at all; 'Le sang d'un poète' is definitely built for a niche audience. Yet for anyone of a mind in any measure for the experimental, the arthouse, the outrageous and abstruse, this may well be an essential classic, practically a forebear of like fare to come. Don't necessarily go out of your way for it, and be well aware of what you're getting into, but this is worth checking out if you have the chance.