Cocteau et compagnie
Jean-Paul Fargier
2003 - 52 min - DV Cam - Couleur - France

Jean Cocteau was, as few others have been, an artist of his century. His thirst for discovery and knowledge led him to dabble in all the arts, literature, poetry, the plastic arts, stage and screen, even dance and music. This eclecticism was fed throughout his life by a multitude of artistic and romantic encounters.
From Stravinsky to Picasso, from Coco Chanel to Jean Marais, this maelstrom of encounters, this artistic abundance, is the subject of this film, a stylistic composition about his life. It takes the form of a dance card, which we leaf through, stopping at this page or that: a beloved face, a snatch of music, a scene from a play or film, an utterance from Cocteau himself.
The film covers the essentials of his life and prodigious, multi-faceted output, a life made up of several lives. Beyond this vista of appearances, we soon glimpse an unknown, secret Cocteau standing apart from the world and his public image, one which may reveal a greater truth about this giant of the 20th century.