Jean Cocteau's film version of "Beauty and the Beast" begins in a world that is decidedly hostile to magic. Belle's sisters are materialistic, selfish, and snobbish; her brother gambles in taverns; her merchant father talks only about the loss of his ships; and her brother's friend Avenant pursues her unromantically. Belle, a young woman of extraordinary outer and inner beauty, is the only magical or transcendent thing in this society. And it's obvious that she is out of place.
Thus, when the scene shifts to the Beast's castle, the magical imagery is made even more haunting by its contrast to the "real world." Words cannot do justice to these fantastical visuals--you must experience them for yourself. Although the special effects were simple even in Cocteau's time, he orchestrates them so well and films them in such smoky, silvery tones that the result is truly magical. The transformation sequences are still beautiful and surprising; the Beast's castle still has its unexplainable mysteries (for instance, I'm fascinated by his garden, which is full of sculptures of dogs).
Jean Marais does a wonderful job in his double role: the first time I saw the movie, I wasn't aware until the very end that Avenant and the Beast were played by the same actor. Despite the heavy makeup he wears as the Beast, he uses his eyes and voice to stir up immense pathos. It also adds to the movie's mystery and psychological complexity to have Marais play both of Belle's suitors.
While Josette Day (who plays Belle) never ascends to Marais' heights of emotion, you never doubt her essential goodness and inner strength. She, too, undergoes a transformation, from a girl afraid to leave her father's side, to a young woman ready to accept romantic love. The actors playing Belle's rascally brother and calculating sisters give lively comic performances.
Unfortunately, the ending of "Beauty and the Beast" is rushed and confused, as Cocteau tries, and fails, to follow two plot lines at once. The emotional climax of the fairy tale is the Beast's almost dying, only to be redeemed at the last minute by Belle's love, but this potentially beautiful moment gets lost in the shuffle. Instead, we are left with the disappointing image of the Beast transformed into a rather sugary Prince.
A note at the beginning of the film urges us to watch it with a child's sense of wonder, not an adult's cynicism. And while it's easy to be cynical about the last few minutes of "Beauty and the Beast," the rest of the film is so wondrous that it renders this note unnecessary.
Thus, when the scene shifts to the Beast's castle, the magical imagery is made even more haunting by its contrast to the "real world." Words cannot do justice to these fantastical visuals--you must experience them for yourself. Although the special effects were simple even in Cocteau's time, he orchestrates them so well and films them in such smoky, silvery tones that the result is truly magical. The transformation sequences are still beautiful and surprising; the Beast's castle still has its unexplainable mysteries (for instance, I'm fascinated by his garden, which is full of sculptures of dogs).
Jean Marais does a wonderful job in his double role: the first time I saw the movie, I wasn't aware until the very end that Avenant and the Beast were played by the same actor. Despite the heavy makeup he wears as the Beast, he uses his eyes and voice to stir up immense pathos. It also adds to the movie's mystery and psychological complexity to have Marais play both of Belle's suitors.
While Josette Day (who plays Belle) never ascends to Marais' heights of emotion, you never doubt her essential goodness and inner strength. She, too, undergoes a transformation, from a girl afraid to leave her father's side, to a young woman ready to accept romantic love. The actors playing Belle's rascally brother and calculating sisters give lively comic performances.
Unfortunately, the ending of "Beauty and the Beast" is rushed and confused, as Cocteau tries, and fails, to follow two plot lines at once. The emotional climax of the fairy tale is the Beast's almost dying, only to be redeemed at the last minute by Belle's love, but this potentially beautiful moment gets lost in the shuffle. Instead, we are left with the disappointing image of the Beast transformed into a rather sugary Prince.
A note at the beginning of the film urges us to watch it with a child's sense of wonder, not an adult's cynicism. And while it's easy to be cynical about the last few minutes of "Beauty and the Beast," the rest of the film is so wondrous that it renders this note unnecessary.