La Belle et La Bête – Beauty and the Beast 1946

Film review

Jean Cocteau’s classic 1946 Le Belle ET La Bête is one of the most recognized romantic fantasies of the 20th century which “…sets standards in fantasy which few other filmmakers have reached… the sequences in the enchanted castle are pure magic.”

Throughout the film you could see many clear links to not just Disney’s Beauty and the Beast but many other fairy tales too; for example Beauty’s two step sisters; whilst living in the same house you could see this separation in status as Beauty was somewhat treated like a servant, because ‘she’s a little over committed to her farther, and self-effacing, but she is able to adapt to her economic conditions and embrace work faithfully in the face of poverty’ whereas the other two sisters wouldn’t pick a finger when it came to chores and have a snobbish personality just like in Disney’s Cinderella. This separation in status is also shown when Beauty’s farther leaves town on his horse; when waving goodbye Beauty was standing at an lower level when her sisters were

standing higher; this could have been done to because the step sisters see themselves to be more superior than Beauty.

Image 1- La Belle et la Bête Poster Art

Image 2- Belle’s sisters Image 3- Cinderella’s stepsister

Another clear link is the magical mirror that Beauty looks into to see the present or future; and this links to the magical mirror which is then in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And this was then developed to the latest version of Snow White in ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’.

The mood created in the castle where Beast lives is very dark and the use of lighting allows us to see what the director wants us and Beauty’s farther to see when first entering. For example when he walks inside the castle the candles light up as he walks in almost like sensors. He initially walks into this dark room it creates tension and we as the audience feel sacred for him because he has entered this weird castle where the candles held by arms which appear from the wall and the faces on the furniture; in the movie it looks weird and horribly freaky; when these characters are adapted into the Disney version it builds character to the palace and it all look cute; not freaky at all. The movie has a great use of lighting which comes outside and an example of this is when Beauty is walking through the palace and the curtains a white creating a sense of depth and contrast within that hallway.

When we first see the beast he looks like an awful person however as the film progresses you notice the nicer side to him and how beneath this horrible front there was a heart; and ‘Beauty learns to see the creature worth loving within the Beast’. Although it seemed like Beauty was the captive she was treated more superior here then she was at home with her sisters. As Beast would always do as she said.

Image 4- Snow White Mirror

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Image 5- La Belle et la Bête Magic Mirror

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Bibliography

Research

(Thatcher, 2013), La Belle et la bête – Jean Cocteau re-imagines fairytales. (film review), At- http://lisathatcher.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/la-belle-et-la-bete-jean-cocteau-re-imagines-fairytales-film-review/)

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

(S.n., 2002), http://www.flickfilosopher.com/2002/08/beauty-Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete) (review), At-and-the-beast-la-belle-et-la-bete-review.html

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

(The  film  Club,  s.n.),  La Belle et la bête – Once upon a time anything was possible, At- http://www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/LaBelleetlaBete.pdf  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013  

Images    

Image  1,  La Belle et la Bête Poster Art, At- http://theredlist.fr/media/database/settings/cinema/1940-­‐1950/beauty-­‐and-­‐the-­‐beast/039-­‐beauty-­‐and-­‐the-­‐beast-­‐theredlist.jpeg  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

Image  2,  Belle’s  Sisters,  At-­‐  http://locotigrero.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/la-belle-et-la-bete-the-sisters.jpg  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

Image  3,  Cinderella’s  Stepsisters,  At-­‐  http://becomingmrsclarke.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/anastasia-­‐drizella-­‐classic-­‐disney.jpeg  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

Image  4,  Snow  White  –  Mirror,  At-­‐  https://www.aswat.com/files/images/10-­‐06-­‐09-­‐snow-­‐white-­‐mirror.blog.jpg  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

Image  5,  La Belle et la Bête Magic Mirror, At-http://www.cinematheque.fr/zooms/demy/en/img/pa_ecran30.jpg  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)  

Image  6,  La Belle et la Bête – Belle walking through the castle, At- http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_40JIWrtw7UU/TKqG-­‐0Rlz0I/AAAAAAAAAEk/fdjAk9uoogQ/s1600/belle-­‐et-­‐la-­‐bete-­‐1-­‐copy.jpg  

(Accessed  on  01/11/2013)