Orpheus (1949)

I'm not really familiar with the Orphic myth (though I'm sure I will be after checking it on Wiki) but I can just tell that Jean Cocteau's retelling is a fantastic translation. He's changed the setting to modern-day (at least in the late 40's) Paris and added a ton of his favorite thematic touches, like the mirrored portal to another world. The result is a stunning, otherworldly piece of art.

Orpheus actually starts out pretty normal. Some poets hang around a Paris cafe, looking for inspiration and recognition, when a big fight breaks out. Then, as Orpheus rides along with the Princess after the accident, the tone changes, as a feeling of unease creeps in, the Princess instructs Orpheus not to ask any questions. Then you start thinking, "oh yeah, now it's gonna get gooooood."

There are many references to sleeping, or being asleep, or dreaming in general. Like, when Orpheus says he wants to sleep or is asleep, and when the reporter says to him "Oh, still asleep?" This is most likely Cocteau's way of tying dreams into creation, other worlds and poetry. The whole film, in fact, feels like a dream, because the characters seem to accept this fantastic series of events and deal with them, as opposed to people in reality, who'd probably flip out.

Orpheus is an incredible feat of cinema. A fantastic, dream-like journey into other realms, real and imagined. A story that could only be told on film and only truly realized by Jean Cocteau.