Orphee (Jean Cocteau) - Greek myth is a rich source of storier, but most are more or less fixed to that era. If you try and drag them up-to-date, it's a process fraught with peril and the results are hugely variable. However, Cocteau's adaptation of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice is almost flawless, despite what you might imagine about a movie where French "beat" culture stands in for ancient Greece. But regardless of the setting, the story is one of relevance: a love which is so strong that you're prepared to go - literally - to hell and back for it.
This is why, half a century on, it still has its power. There are a myriad of nice touches, like the black leather-clad motorcyclists who work alongside one of the most appealing Deaths you'll see, although one with more than a hint of Morticia Adams to her. Using the simplest of special effects (film running backwards, mirrors, etc), Cocteau succeeds in building a world that is simultaneously modern and timeless. That kind of contradiction sums up the movie, and makes it a lasting treasure. B+