Beauty and the Beast (1946 film)

Infobox Film
name = Beauty and the Beast


image_size =
caption =
director = Jean Cocteau
producer = André Paulvé
writer = Jean Cocteau Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
narrator =
starring = Josette Day
Jean Marais Mila Parély Nane Germon Michel Auclair Marcel André
music = Georges Auric
cinematography = Henri Alekan
editing = Claude Iberia
distributor = Lopert Pictures
released = France: October 29, 1946 United States: September 23, 1947
runtime = 93 min.
country = France
language = French
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:4518
imdb_id = 0038348

"Beauty and the Beast" ( _fr. La Belle et la Bête) is a 1946 French romantic fantasy film adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's fairy tale. Directed by French poet/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, the film stars Josette Day as Belle and Jean Marais as both Avenant and The Beast. The plot revolves around Belle's father who is sentenced to death for picking a rose from Beast's garden. Belle offers to go back to the Beast in her father's place. Beast falls in love with her and proposes marriage on a nightly basis which she refuses. Belle eventually becomes more drawn to Beast, who tests her by letting her return home to her family telling her that if she doesn't return to him within a week, he will die of grief.

Plot

While scrubbing the floor at home, Belle (Josette Day) is interrupted by Avenant (Jean Marais) who tells Belle she deserves better and suggests they get married. Belle denies because she wishes to take care of her father and does not truly love Avenant. Belle's father (Marcel André) arrives home announcing he has come into great fortune which he will receive the next day promising to return with gifts for his daughters. Belle requests that he brings home only a rose for herself, and her two jealous sisters mock her. Belle’s brother Ludovic (Michel Auclair) signs a contract from a money lender allowing him to the ability to sue his father if Ludovic can’t pay up. At this time, Belle's father finds on his arrival that his fortune is gone and is forced to return home through the forest at night.

Belle's father gets lost in the forest and finds himself at a large castle whose gates and doors magically open themselves. On entering the castle he is guided by candelabra held by living human arms that extend from the walls that lead him to a laden dinner table where he falls asleep. Awakened by a loud roar, Belle's father wanders the castle's grounds. He plucks a rose from a tree which arouses the anger of the Beast (also Marais) who threatens to kill him for his theft. The Beast then suggests that if one of the father’s daughters can take his place, he’ll live and offers him horse Magnificent to guide him back home to report the news. After explaining the situation to Avenent and the family, Belle says she will go take her father's place. Her father refuses to let her go, so she sneaks out to the stable steals Magnificent. On arrival at the front, Belle finds Beast, and promptly faints. The Beast carries Belle to her room, where upon entering her old dress changes into a gown and her hair is swept up with a tiny crown. Belle wakes up and finds a magic mirror which allows her to see anything. Beast invites Belle to dine with him tonight. At dinner, Beast tells Belle that she’s in command as well as that everyday he will ask Belle to marry him. As time passes, Belle grows more accustomed to and fond of the Beast but continues to refuse marriage and confesses she misses her father when the mirror shows him ill and dying. Beast grants her request to leave for a week and gives Belle two magical items: A glove that can transport her wherever she wishes and a golden key that unlocks Diana's Pavilion, the source of Beast's true riches.

Belle uses the glove arriving in her now bedridden father's room, where Belle's visit restores him to health. Belle finds her family in a much poorer state since she has left, never recovering from Ludovic's deal with the money lender. Jealous of Belle's fanciful life at the castle, Belle’s sisters steal her golden key and devise a plan to turn Ludovic and Avenant against Beast. After Belle's father tells them he does not want Belle to have to leave again, Avenant and Ludovic devise a plan of their own to kill the Beast, and agree to aid Belle’s sisters. The sisters place onions near their eyes to make it appear as though they are crying and beg Belle to stay for a few more days. Her heart torn, Belle agrees, but is upset that shortly after her promise her sisters once again are cruel towards her. The Beast sends Magnificent with the magic mirror to retrieve Belle but Ludovic and Avenant find Magnificent first, and ride him to the castle. Belle finds the mirror and sees the Beast's sorrowful face in the reflection. Belle realizes she is missing the golden key as the mirror breaks. Belle returns to the castle using the magic glove and finds the Beast in the courtyard near death of a broken heart. As this happens, Avenant and Ludovic stumble upon Diana's Pavilion.Thinking that their stolen key may trigger a trap, they scale the wall of the Pavilion. As the Beast dies in Belle's arms, Avenant breaks into the Pavilion through its glass roof and is shot with an arrow by a living statue of Diana and turned into a Beast. As this happens, arising from where Beast lay dead is Prince Ardent (Jean Marais) who was formerly the Beast from a curse. Belle is surprised by the fact that he resembles Avenant and at first refuses his love until she is abe to see who he truly is. Prince Ardent and Belle then fly away to his kingdom where she will be his Queen, her father will stay with them and her sisters will carry the train of her dress.

Production

This version adds a subplot involving Belle's suitor Avenant (also played by Marais), who schemes along with Belle's brother and sisters to journey to Beast's castle to kill him and capture his riches while the sisters work to delay Belle's return to the castle. When Avenant enters the magic pavilion which is the source of Beast's power, he is struck by an arrow fired by a guardian statue of the Roman goddess Diana, which transforms Avenant into Beast as Belle declares her love for the Beast and reverses the original Beast's curse. When the Beast comes back to life and becomes human at the end, he transforms into a Prince Charming with Avenant's handsome features, but without his oafish behaviour.

The score was by Georges Auric, and the cinematography by Henri Alekan. Christian Bérard and Lucien Carré covered production design. The film was made in black-and-white.

The film is notable for its surreal quality and its ability to use existing movie technology to effectively evoke a feeling of magic and enchantment. The set designs and cinematography were intended to evoke the illustrations and engravings of Gustave Doré and, in the farmhouse scenes, the paintings of Jan Vermeer.

In 1995, composer Philip Glass composed an opera version. In its initial incarnation the musicians and singers would perform the work on stage with a restored, newly subtitled print of the film playing on a screen behind them. In the original presentation, Belle was sung by the mezzo-soprano Janice Felty. The current Criterion Collection DVD offers the ability to view the movie while listening to either soundtrack.

Often considered one of the finest fantasy films of all time. It inspired Disney's classic animated film "Beauty and the Beast" from 1991.

American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks wrote her 1983 ballad "Beauty and the Beast" after screening the film for the second time.

External links

*
*
*
*
*