Set in contemporary Paris, the story of the film is a variation of the classic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The picture begins with Orpheus (Marais), a famous poet, visiting the Café des Poètes. At the same time, … See more

Cocteau wrote in The Art of Cinema:
"The three basic themes of Orphée are: The successive deaths through which a poet must pass before he becomes, in that admirable line from Mallarmé, tel qu'en lui-même enfi… See more

• Jean Marais as Orphée
• François Périer as Heurtebise
• María Casares as The Princess – Death
• Marie Déa as Eurydice… See more

In his autobiography, the actor Jean-Pierre Aumont claimed that Cocteau wrote the film for him and his then-wife Maria Montez, but then decided to make it with other actors. See more