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The Love Life of the Octopus
The Love Life of the Octopus
8.4
/10
2,021 Ratings

THE LOVE LIFE OF THE OCTOPUS

Les amours de la pieuvre

Directed by Jean Painlevé, Geneviève Hamon
France, 1967
Documentary, Short

Synopsis

The fluid grace of an eight-arm embrace, the silken glance of an inscrutable bulbous eye… Jean Painlevé’s scientific look at the romantic life of the octopus is an affectionate portrait of another anomalous sea-creature, exploring their mating rituals and reproductive cycle.

Synopsis

The fluid grace of an eight-arm embrace, the silken glance of an inscrutable bulbous eye… Jean Painlevé’s scientific look at the romantic life of the octopus is an affectionate portrait of another anomalous sea-creature, exploring their mating rituals and reproductive cycle.

Our take

Made with Jean Painlevé’s lifelong partner and collaborator Geneviève Hamon, the erogenous and tentacular wonders of the octopus (in full color!) take center stage. Close-ups on tentacles and a planetary musique concrète score by Pierre Henry turn this balletic courtship into a sci-fi horror film.