La belle et la bête (1946)

Director:

Jean Cocteau

Writers:

Jean Cocteau (dialogue)
Jean Cocteau (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 December 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

A half-ruined merchant lives in the country with his son Ludovic and his three daughters. Two of the daughters...

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Rose | Beast | Magic | Forest

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Jean Marais	...	La Bête (The Beast) / The Prince / Avenant
Josette Day	...	Belle
Mila Parély	...	Félicie
Nane Germon	...	Adélaïde
Michel Auclair	...	Ludovic
Raoul Marco	...	The Usurer
Marcel André	...	Belle's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Janice Felty	...	La Belle (1995 opera version) (singing voice)
John Kuether	...	The Father / The usurer (1995 opera version) (singing voice)
Ana María Martinez	...	Félicie (1995 opera version) (singing voice)
Hallie Neill	...	Adélaïde (1995 opera version) (singing voice)
Gregory Purnhagen	...	La Bête / Avenant / Ardent / The port official (1995 opera version) (singing voice)
Zhang Zhou	...	Ludovic (1995 opera version) (singing voice)

Also Known As:

Beauty and the Beast (International: English title) (USA)
Es war einmal (Austria) (Germany) [de]
La bella y la bestia (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
A Bela E a Fera (Brazil) [pt]
A Bela E o Monstro (Portugal) [pt]
Es war (Austria) [de]
Es war einmal - Die Schöne und die Bestie (Germany) [de]
Flickan och odjuret (Sweden) [sv]
I pentamorfi kai to Teras (Greece) [el]
Kaunotar ja hirviö (Finland) [fi]
La bella e la bestia (Italy) [it]
Piekna i bestia (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

96 min | USA:93 min | Germany:90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Dolby Digital (1995 opera version)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Germany:16 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Château de Raray, Senlis, Oise, France

Company:

DisCina

Trivia:

So convincing was Jean Marais underneath his make-up as the Beast, that when he was transformed at the end back to human form, Greta Garbo famously said "Give me back my Beast!"

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Boom visible at the top of the picture during the entire scene when Ludovic and Avenant first approach Diane's pavilion.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

Soundtrack:

La belle et la bête

Once upon our time...

This film immediately captured my attention with the written comments at the beginning of the film. Director Jean Cocteau begins this story by explaining why he wanted to make this film. He talks about the passion behind the picture and all the social unrest at the time. He ends this written dialogue with a comment that will forever remain in my mind. He says, "...and now, we begin our story with a phrase that is like a time machine for children: Once Upon a Time..." This just sent chills down my spine. Why? Because, although he is addressing children, I feel that it is really a phrase meant for all of us. It is used to bring the child out in all of us, to show us that we do not need to be 4 or 5 to fully understand the themes of this film ... we are meant to just sit back and let the film take us to another mythological time.

The amazing set design also impressed me about this film. Again, without the modern conveniences of today's cinema, Cocteau had to improvise. This was hard for him to do. Not only were there huge budgetary issues (since it was the end of WWII and France was about to be demolished), but also he was racing against an impending war. Fear was deep in the hearts of the French after WWII, and what a better way to rally your people then with a story about love found in the darkest of places.

This film also made me very sad. I am sometimes disgusted with the way that Disney ... for lack of a better word ... Disney-fies their fairy tales. I think after watching this masterpiece I will have trouble ever being able to go back to the computer generated "Song as Old as Time" version that Disney plastered their trademark to. Never have I been so impressed with black and white cinematography as I have been with this film. The actress that plays Belle, Josette Day, steals the camera every time it is on her. She looks so radiant with the black and white that to see a colorized version of this film would completely do it injustice. The power and emotion that comes between Belle and the Beast feels so true. Cocteau has somehow grabbed the true feeling of two people that are complete opposites that seem to find true love in the coldest of places. I would be one of those reviewers that believes that if this film were released today, it would still pull the audiences in as it did the first time. Only proving that it was made well before it's time, it shows so many of the characteristics of the modern day movie. Even the special effects seem perfect for this film. Even with budget being sub-par, we are able to get a true feeling that this Beast is one of the magical kind.

Oh, this film was superb. I would have to say that it is the best adaptation of a fairy tale that I have seen today. Definitely my best 40s film (made in 1946), and possibly the best telling of Beauty and the Beast EVER!!

Grade: ***** out of *****