Cocteau’s Orpheus Trilogy | WTF is This?

Host: Eric Trommater

Panel: Erin Brown, Sila Blume, and Jennifer Trujillo

In this episode, we step through the mirror into the cinematic life of Jean Cocteau. We examine the foundational trilogy—The Blood of a Poet (1930), Orphée (1950), and The Testament of Orpheus (1960)—not as technical exercises, but as a shared space where the image carries a specific, undeniable weight.

We’re moving past the usual "film school" vocabulary to discuss how Cocteau demands a unique kind of recognition from his audience. From the post-war static of the car radio to the literal thresholds of death, we explore how these films function when we stop treating them as "social commentary" and start treating them as a lived, theological reality. We also place Orpheus ('50) in its proper sequence on our "Road to Godard," between the elegance of Grand Illusion ('37) and the eventual collapse of Weekend ('67).

​YouTube Chapters: Cocteau’s Orpheus Trilogy

​00:00 John Simon's Challenge: Try Harder for Cocteau

04:00 Jean Cocteau: Poet, Painter, Filmmaker, Surrealist

10:00 The Poet's Struggle: Art, Self-Portrait, and Discomfort

14:00 Through the Mirror: Cocteau's Evolving Symbolism of Mortality

22:00 Cocteau's Practical Effects and Filmmaking Legacy

28:00 Eric's Journey: Cocteau's Films and Digital Restoration

34:00 The Uncomfortable Truth: Punishment and Fetish in Art

41:00 From Myth to Modernity: Orpheus and the Burden of Celebrity

44:00 Orpheus's Obsession: Radio Signals and the Nature of Addiction

56:00 Jean Cocteau's Controversial Wartime Conduct and Queer Aesthetic

1:03:00 Unpacking Power Dynamics: From Nazis to Modern Political Parallels

1:16:00 The Final Film: Cocteau's Confession and Technical Decline

1:20:00 Recurring Motif: Eyes, Perception, and Artistic Cameos

1:27:00 Unstuck in Time: Immortality, Death, and Evolving Perceptions

1:34:00 Cocteau's Complex Legacy: Confession, Narcissism, and Horses

1:42:00 Children of Paradise: Next Week's Film and Podcast Wrap-up

Clips and Music Featured:

​Archival Resonance: German troops marching (1939) and the BBC’s 1945 broadcast of the crossing of the Rhine, grounding the Orphic myth in the shadow of history.

​Sonic Texture: The surrealist "horse-sense" of the Mr. Ed theme, the precision of Saint-Saëns' Violin Sonata No. 1, the ethereal "Space Ambience" by Alexander Nakarada, and Philomena Cunk’s vital inquiry: "What the f*** is this?"

Links:

​German Troops Marching: https://youtu.be/cQXS6yWuyWw

​1945 BBC Broadcast: https://youtu.be/67m3jOU94Pw

​Mr. Ed Theme: https://youtu.be/6GAbc5uQXJo

​Saint-Saëns Violin Sonata: https://youtu.be/qdmz1PjC1oM

​Space Ambience: https://youtu.be/sB6jXSr7_wQ

​Cunk (What is this?): https://youtu.be/2ek8WvBI48w

​Orpheus Clip 1: https://youtu.be/c4CeP3tuHVU

​Orpheus Clip 2: https://youtu.be/2a-VL1VoHJ0

​Orpheus Clip 3: https://youtu.be/m5NHeauBtTM

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