Orpheus (1950): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1950, Orpheus is a fantasy, drama and romance film directed by Jean Cocteau, running about 95 minutes.

What it’s about. At the Café des Poètes in Paris, a fight breaks out between the poet Orphée and a group of resentful upstarts. A rival poet, Cègeste, is killed, and a mysterious princess insists on taking Orpheus and the body away in her Rolls-Royce. Orphée soon finds himself in the underworld, where the Princess announces that she is, in fact, Death. Orpheus escapes in the car back to the land of the living, only to become obsessed with the car radio. This film is the central part of Cocteau's Orphic Trilogy, which consists of The Blood of a Poet (1930), Orpheus (1950) and Testament of Orpheus (1960).

Who’s in it. Orpheus stars Jean Marais as Orphée, François Périer as Heurtebise, María Casares as Death and Marie Déa as Eurydice, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.6/10, Orpheus has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel and TCM and rent or buy it from Artify. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Orpheus page.

If you liked it. Fans of Orpheus tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.