 "Meshes of the Afternoon" and Cocteau's film share the same imagery in many instances; however, Deren repeatedly claimed to have never seen the film, and denied any influence by Cocteau.After seeing "Blood of a Poet" for the first time, she actually became fond of Cocteau.In the fall of 1945, Deren wrote to Victor Animatograph Corp. that she had now seen the film multiple times, and expressed interest in publishing a commentary on it.