Der ewige Bann (1943)

Der ewige Bann: Directed by Jean Delannoy. With Madeleine Sologne, Jean Marais, Jean Murat, Junie Astor. This is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde, set in 1940s France. The script was written by Jean Cocteau.

“This is perhaps the greatest love story ever brought to us from the darkness of the depths of the Middle Ages, and as the poet he is, Jean Cocteau has made his own poem about it and transferred it to the cinema. The amazing thing about this rendering of the timeless legend as that it is as modern and timeless as his one film u0026quot;Orphéeu0026quot; seven years later, it could have been made and shot today, its settings can not be identified geographically, its special relationships could occur in any wealthy family, but there is one great difference: the introduction of the absolute evil by the dwarf Achille, who deliberately messes everything up from the beginning, and who delivers the love potion to the not yet awakened lovers on purpose in the belief that it is deadly poison. This is the stroke of genius in this version. Jean Delannoy the director has added to the character of this masterpiece by his own very romantic touch and extremely refined style in fascinating almost thriller-like cinematography all the way. Jean Marais makes one of his finest performances ever, although they are all outstanding, and Madeleine Sologne is over-fascinating in the mystery of her cool detachment changing into a voluntary martyrdom of passionate self-sacrifice. There are few more revolting villains in the history of cinema than this monster of a dwarf, who is entirely the product of a self-indulgent mother who just has spoiled him the more for being a monster. I have seen this film twice before, the first time almost 60 years ago, but its impact of timelessness remains the same and more convincing every time. There has been made a number of remakes of the legend in different settings and newly constructed stories, but this will probably remain the best of all, at least on the screen.”