The Blood of a Poet (Le Sang d’un poète) (PG)

Directing his first film, Jean Cocteau approached the movie screen as ‘the true mirror reflecting the flesh and blood of [his] dreams’. Told in four parts, The Blood of a Poet begins with an artist in his studio speaking to a living statue, then stepping through a mirror into another realm.  

While its images and set pieces are dense with interpretive possibilities, broadly the film is understood as a kind of subversive autobiography and an exploration of the relationship between creator and creation. It is also a fascinating souvenir of a vanished avant-garde, featuring the only on-screen performance by photographer Lee Miller.  

Watch it here with a score by Paul Robinson performed live by HarmonieBand. The ensemble members are Dai Pritchard (Saxophone), Tim Massa (Counter Tenor), Kim Mackrell (Cello) and Paul Robinson (Accordion).