Coriolan (1950)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Jean Cocteau

Cast

Jean Cocteau
Josette Day
Henri Filipacchi
Jean Marais

Country:

France

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Filming Locations:

Milly-la-forêt, Essonne, France

Trivia:

The film was shot over the course of several years, mostly during weekends at Jean Cocteau's country house at Milly-la-foret outside Paris. The filming was done by Henri Filipacchi with his amateur 16-millimeter camera. There is no negative since the film used was Kodak 16 millimeter "inversible" (translated from French). The principal actors where Jean Marais, Josette Day and Jean Cocteau himself but certain friends who where invited to his country house on those weekends are visible at the beginning of the film. They include Paul Morhien, Jean Genet, George Mathis, the owner of the restaurant "Le Catalan" whose name is forgotten as well as Henri Filipacchi himself among others. Le film was silent and there was no crew other then Henri Filipacchi the cameraman. Henri Filipacchi showed the movie several times in his apartment on rue d' Assas in Paris to guests on Sundays: they included, Roberto Rosselini, Hughes Panassie, Simone Signoret and Micheline Presles. Henri Filipacchi kept the original and only copy of this film and at his death in 1961 passed it on to his son Daniel who is its current owner. Since then, the film has never been shown since Jean Cocteau and Henri Filipacchi had cleared instructed that this movie never be shown to anyone other then close friends. Jean Cocteau and Henri Filipacchi said: "It is our 'Chef d' Oeuvre Inconnu'" (Unknown Masterpiece).