Jean Cocteau's classic fantasy re-casts the well-known fairy tale. When Beauty's father picks a rose at a deserted castle, a beast in Prince's clothing appears and tells him he must die. He sends the man home to say good-bye to his family, whereupon Beauty offers to take her father's place. She goes off to the castle but instead of killing her, the beast falls in love with her.

In Jean Cocteau's updating of the Orpheus myth, Orphee (Jean Marais) is a famous poet whose obsession with a mysterious princess - representing death - and a series of cryptic radio broadcasts causes him to neglect his wife. When she is killed, the guilty poet travels to the Underworld to win her back - and to find the princess. `Orphee' is famous for its dreamlike quality, with images of mirrors and the Nazi occupation of France.