Skip to main content

The Eternal Return

The Eternal Return

1943, Movie, 1h 52min

Jean Cocteau—who wrote the script in his typical blend of the dreamlike and the mythic—and director Jean Delannoy transpose the immortal tale of Tristan and Isolde to 1940s France in this rhapsodic romantic fantasy starring the dashing Jean Marais as Patrice, a young man who falls in love with his uncle’s fiancée Nathalie (Madeleine Sologne). When she decides to go through with the marriage anyway, Patrice falls for another woman named Nathalie, but can’t get the first one out of his head.

Country: France

Director:

Cast:

Alexandre Rignault,

Where to Watch The Eternal Return online

Subscription

The Criterion Channel

Through some of the links above, we may earn a commission as an affiliate partner. See the full affiliate disclosure here

Ratings

Your rating:

IMDb rating

Critic rating

Average critic rating

8.0

Reviews

Critic William Thomas

rated

8

With its poisonous love potions, haunted characters and evocative emoting, this captures the sinister as well as the charming side of the myth.

Read full review at Empire

Frequently asked questions

Where can I stream The Eternal Return? Toggle content

Toggle content

You can stream The Eternal Return on: The Criterion Channel

What movies are similar to The Eternal Return? Toggle content

Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as The Eternal Return include Gone with the Wind, Beauty and the Beast, The Face Behind the Mask, Green Dolphin Street, Dark Victory, The Murderers Are Among Us.

When was The Eternal Return released in theaters? Toggle content

Toggle content

The Eternal Return was released in theaters on January 3, 1948.