The Blood of a Poet

If you have had your fill of dizzy, computerised characters this summer, if Hollywood with its predictable plots, acting and never-ending adaptations, has left you uninspired, then rejoice, for Cinémoi has your tonic. Jean Cocteau constructs his surrealist masterpiece into four sections, presenting a highly personal and poetic recital about an artist falling into oblivion. Perpetually plagued by controversy and infamy, not least when the chief financer realised his cameo performance (a scene where he simply applauded) was actually in reaction to a man’s suicide, he demanded the film be re-shot with his appearance removed. This was not the sole cause, however, for the year delay before Cocteau’s film could secure release. Perceived as promoting an anti-Christian message, the furore from the Catholic Church cemented Blood of a Poet’s inclusion in the blacklist of mainstream morality. Talking statues, mirrors leading to other dimensions, sinister snowball fights and fatalistic gambling will have you more confused yet more engrossing than any big budget CGI action sequence could. Cocteau truly cements his mastery within the poetic genre, guiding us through doorways and passages, past suicides and flying boys. An unrelenting visual feast not to be missed.