A large number of people are puzzled by this film, and are unable to decide what it is about. The solution is in fact fairly straightforward.
The film is a re-working of the well-known story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and it takes place in limbo, or Hades, the Greek place for the departed, which is nothing like as bad as Christian Hell. In fact, it's a very elegant sort of venue, possibly called Hotel Marienbad -- not Hotel California !. However, it's where memory is erased, and time and place have no meaning. Shadowy people come and go. Orpheus has a bit of a struggle to extract Eurydice. In fact almost the entire film is about his efforts. The statue of Orpheus leading Eurydice away keeps telling us what it's about.
The long, tall, thin, skeletal fellow is Death, who could lose, but always wins. Hades belongs to him. But Death does initially say he could lose. Why is that ? Answer: Amor Vincit Omnia. Orpheus represents the Life Force, which manages to defeat Death and escape from his dreary clasp. But only intermittently. The process has to be repeated, according to the season, hence the references to the previous year. Normally, Orpheus sings and plays on his lute, which bends the plants and trees, but here he seems to be playing a rather ponderous organ. Personally, I think it is rather an excellent film, but a bit too long.
The film is a re-working of the well-known story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and it takes place in limbo, or Hades, the Greek place for the departed, which is nothing like as bad as Christian Hell. In fact, it's a very elegant sort of venue, possibly called Hotel Marienbad -- not Hotel California !. However, it's where memory is erased, and time and place have no meaning. Shadowy people come and go. Orpheus has a bit of a struggle to extract Eurydice. In fact almost the entire film is about his efforts. The statue of Orpheus leading Eurydice away keeps telling us what it's about.
The long, tall, thin, skeletal fellow is Death, who could lose, but always wins. Hades belongs to him. But Death does initially say he could lose. Why is that ? Answer: Amor Vincit Omnia. Orpheus represents the Life Force, which manages to defeat Death and escape from his dreary clasp. But only intermittently. The process has to be repeated, according to the season, hence the references to the previous year. Normally, Orpheus sings and plays on his lute, which bends the plants and trees, but here he seems to be playing a rather ponderous organ. Personally, I think it is rather an excellent film, but a bit too long.