30.1.14

Postcards from Paris : { un aperçu de Jean Cocteau }





There is a new French version of La Belle et La Bête coming out, and I suppose that got me thinking of Jean Cocteau's version in 1946.
With that in mind, my curiosity became more elaborately drawn to other creative endeavors by Jean Cocteau, more specifically his charming line drawings. I came across a book graciously filled with linear portraits of friends and collaborators he was associated with. A character in his own right, with life experiences that could make a series of interesting films, Jean Cocteau created his world around him. He left home at the age of 15, and from then on never stopped exploring and creating. While in his twenties, Cocteau became associated with Marcel Proust, and other well-known and promising french writers at the time. One of my favorite experiences learning about was his collaboration with Léon Bakst for the Ballet Russes.  During WWI,  Cocteau was an ambulance driver for the Red Cross. Though the war effects were devastating and difficult around the world, it was actually the period where Cocteau met Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani and Guillaume Apollinaire.
Throughout his life, he wrote screenplays for film, theatre, and ballet. His circle of friends was hardly a closed circle, allowing for important historical figures to be friends. He died on the same day as his dear friend, Edith Piaf.
A curious life, he remains a current example of ambition and style.

Bisous,
Reba

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