Film Review - La Belle et la Bête

Fig 1. - La Belle et la Bête (1946)

This Film Review look into Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (1946) is a film much like today's 'Beauty and the Beast' movie, whats more admirable about Coocteau's version is the illusion it gives off a real life fantasy, the types of shots and effects used at the time were still able to immerse us into the beasts mansion which feels alive "Watch Beauty looking into a mirror and seeing her face replaced by that of the Beast, her almost trance-like walk through the Beast's melancholy hallways, or her pacing backwards and forwards as she impatiently awaits his nightly visit as a statue behind her follows her with its head, and you see a precisely imagined fantasy. It's all the better for not relying on astonishing special effects but on the private thoughts of the watcher." (Malcolm. D 1999). The themes also convey a very Gothic element found in how the beasts home looks on the inside (very dark and spacious), how some of the characters are dressed (designed by Christian Bérard) and act; this is definitely a movie told in a more grown up tone.

Fig 2.

You can see through out the movie the change and develop in the characters, such a belle; a female character that takes responsibility for her fathers intrusion on the beast and hands herself over to the beast, at first we believe the beast is erratic fearsome but as the movie goes on he becomes more submissive and self-conscious around Belle. Belle on the other hand becomes more independent around the beast and also quite dominant just as the beast refers to her as being the 'Master' of him. "The Beast falls in love with her, but the Beauty rebuffs his proposal of marriage, while nonetheless softening towards him, and there is something bizarrely romantic in her holding out in this way, and in the Beast's very un-beastlike gallantry." (Bradshaw. P 2014) This comes across as very erotic tone as Belle leads the beast on and begins to become comfortable with the riches that surround her.

Fig 3.

The production art behind La Belle et la Bête made by Christian Bérard is magic in it's own way. The negative chalk illustrations created by Bérard helped the atmosphere of the beasts mansion; not only was Bérard behind the concept of the movie but also the make-up, the sets and the costumes that brought life to this indoor fantasy "and the theatrical designer Christian Berard to design the makeup, sets and costumes (his ideas were based on the illustrations of Gustav Dore). The costumes were so elaborate they were said to be "as much as the actors could stand up in." " (Ebert. R 1999). It transitioned very accurately and we can see through the progression of the movie how it stays with this line of Dark Gothic leisure.

Overall, the film brought it's viewers to a fantasy that they could escape to, considering it was released Post-war this was something people needed at the time; to be taken away from reality and experience a classic tale retold "Cocteau, a poet and surrealist, was not making a "children's film" but was adapting a classic French tale that he felt had a special message after the suffering of World War II: Anyone who has an unhappy childhood may grow up to be a Beast." (Ebert. R 1999).

Bibliography:

Bradshaw. P (2014) La Belle et la Bête – review At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/belle-et-bete-review [Accessed 01/11/17]

Malcolm. D (1999) Jean Cocteau: La Belle et La Bête At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/01/1 [Accessed 01/11/17]

Ebert. R (1999) BEAUTY AND THE BEAST  At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946 [Accessed 01/11/17]

Ebert. R (1999) BEAUTY AND THE BEAST  At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946 [Accessed 01/11/17]

Illustration:

Figure 1 - La belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément - Movie Poster (1946)
Figure 2 - La belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément - Movie still (1946)
Figure 3 - Christian Bérard's Concept drawing for La Belle et la Bête - Movie Concept Art (1946)