an unusual realtionship between two siblings

books:

	• Les Enfants Terribles Jean Cocteau Emc Pub, 1977 average customer review:based on 12 reviews
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highly recommended

How many people can we be at the same time?

1.)This is a terrific film for anyone fond of Cocteau or anyone fond of the screwed-up nature of human beings. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? might be more human, more passionate and more real, but this film is an appropriately stranger, whimsical tragedy. It's enjoyable, the DVD is very fine. The Orphic Trilogy is Cocteau; it demonstrates his failure as a director and success as an eccentric artist and I enjoy it (them.) Yet only when Melville acts as foil does he become the master by being a servant.

OR

2.) Good... Not too weird, not too normal. Good. A nice pack of adequate French cinema and twisted Cocteau fantasia. Don't we all love the Dargelos persona? Isn't it a nice manipulation of victory over fear by re-designating the symbolism or the perception of symbolism assigned to the people involved in our lives; or relationships. Huh? Yeah. It's pretty good. Thank the Lord it's on DVD in the US. America could use some decency.

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Good, but not great, and I don't know why...

"Les Enfants Terrible" is a collaboration between one of France's greatest authors, Jean Cocteau, and one of its greatest directors, Jean-Pierre Mellville. It should be, and according to many, is, a superb, excellent film. But to me there was something... missing. I don't know what.

The plot of the movie centers around a brother and sister who have an unusually close relationship. It's not made clear in the movie if it's an incestual relationship, but the overtones are certainly there (indeed, when they make references to the "games" they play, one can easily substitute the word "sex", and remove all doubt).

Both children, apparently around sixteen, spend a great deal of time isolated in the room they share, and woe betide anyone who invades their sanctum. All is reasonably well until the sister marries a wealthy man, who soon dies, giving her, her brother and their friends a large house to live in.

From a technical standpoint a lot to admire in this film. There's a great deal of poetry in the visuals, some wonderful acting, and some powerful dialogue. But for me, as I said, something was missing. I'm not sure what it was. I SHOULD have liked this movie more than I did. Perhaps on subsequent viewings, I will like it more.

For now, though, it gets three stars. But at least it's a SOLID three stars, and I certainly don't feel as though I wasted my money by buying it.

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an unusual realtionship between two siblings

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Les enfants terribles is about an adolescent brother and his adult sister. When the brother is injured in a schoolyard fight, the sister takes care of him. They live in recluse and have an eccentric relationship. It is based on a story by Jean Cocteau and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville.

I found the film to be odd which is to be expected as this was partially intentional.

The special features are an interview with producer Carole Weisweiller actress Nicole Stéphane, actor Jacques Bernard, and assistant director Jacques Bernard. Also included is "Around Jean Cocteau" a short film about the collaboration of Cocteau and Mellvill, a slide show of production photos, a theacrical trailer and audio commentary by movie critic, Gilbert Adair.

This film is not for everyone but does have some interesting moments.

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at last!

This restoration is awesome. As for the eternal, unresolved debate over whether this is "a Cocteau Film" or "a Melville Film"--I consider it to be Cocteau's masterpiece. That's not easy to say when you consider ORPHEUS and LA BELLE ET LA BETE, is it? Look what we're getting in pristine condition: Cocteau, Stephane, Dermithe AND Bach/Vivaldi...wow

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