Beauty and the Beast

Locations
Call Number: Blu-ray FLC-FRE Beauty
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	Blu-ray FLC-FRE Beauty	1-week checkout	On Shelf

Based on the fairy talel by Madame Leprince de Beaumont.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1946.
Special features: Philip Glass's opera as an alternate soundtrack; two commentaries: one by film historian Arthur Knight and one by writer and cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling; screening at the majestic, a 1995 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew; interview with cinematgrapher Henri Alekan; rare behind-the-scenes photos and publicity stills; film restoration demonstration; original trailer, directed and narrated by Jean Cocteau, and the 1995 restoration trailer; a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien, a 1947 piece on the film by Cocteau, excerpts from Francis Steegmuller's 1970 Cocteau: a biography, and an introduction to Glass's opera by the composer.
Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély, Nane Germon, Michel Auclair, Raoul Marco, Marcel André.
The sublime adaptation by Jean Cocteau of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont's fairy-tale masterpiece, in which the true love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral, but gentle beast, is a landmark feat of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. The spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death have become timeless icons of cinematic wonder.
Blu-ray, region A; widescreen (1.33:1 aspect ratio); uncompressed mono., dts-HD master audio.
Requires Blu-ray player.
Contents: Belle et la bête.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Great Special Effects for the Time submitted by Meginator on July 4, 2022, 9:15am Although I found it a little difficult to watch this film without automatically comparing it to the better-known animated version, I found it to be a fascinating spin on a familiar tale. The special effects are quite clever for the era and lend the film a surreal and almost horror-like quality at times; this is still definitely a fairy tale (and it even pulls elements from other familiar stories, namely Cinderella), but it’s more in the mold of the dark European style than the bright Disney style. My only major complaint is that the romantic relationship between Belle and the Beast is never made evident on film: instead, a few lines of clumsy dialogue are all Jean Cocteau employs to indicate to the viewer that their impressions of one another have shifted, and this wasn’t quite enough to convince me. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful example of postwar filmmaking, still wedded somewhat to the theatrical tradition but gradually showing signs of breaking free of the boundaries of the stage and bringing cinema into one of its own golden ages.