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Summary: The most enchanting and troubling B&W movie ever made
Review: Born and raised in France, I saw this movie for the first time when I was in my teens and it still haunts me today as it did then. Jean Marais was an accomplished actor and his sensibility and unsurpassed acting made this masterpiece absolutely surreal. It's a must movie for those who want to escape from the ordinary.....
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Summary: True magic.
Review: One of the most popular of all fairy tales, "Beauty and the Beast" has been produced any number of times with varying degrees of success. Some are simple and not particularly interesting, some bizarre, some austere and philosophical, exploring our complex attitudes towards physical beauty and the notions of good and evil. But none of the others succeeds on so many levels as Cocteau's version.Certainly there are purely cinematic reasons why this film seems touched by real magic, but the story Cocteau tells is so true to the tradition of the fairy tale, and the manner in which it's told so childlike (not childish; there is nothing simple-minded or small about this film)that the entire effect is one of suspension of all grown-up disbelief. There is no bar here to accepting "Once upon a time" as a kind of spell, an enchantment that will allow us to re-enter the world of our childhood. Cocteau's BatB is truly one of the great fantasies. Highly recommended.
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Summary: All other BATBs pale in comparison
Review: I spent an entire winter watching this film over and over again. If you wondered where Disney got their ideas -- just see this film! Made in the aftermath of World War II in France, everything was in short supply including film. Cocteau wanted make the film in color, and the laundry scene had light blue sheets that created a stunning picture, but color film was unavailable. Even so, you won't miss it. The performances and fantasy are so magnificent. Josette Day was a ballerina and it is easy to tell watching her graceful movements. Even so, her character is not all sweetness and light, she has a stubborn side too that reminds one of Scarlett O'Hara. Jean Marais plays a double role - her brother's overly amorous friend and the Beast - get your psychology books out! And the climax is breath-taking!!
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Summary: a must see movie for everyone
Review: this is surely the most beautiful movie ever made--the director jean cocteau tells the story of beauty and the beast--the film is sheer magic and impossibly beautiful with images of hands holding torches to light hallways --mystical mirrors with images --the beast with his smoking hands and beauty gliding down the hallways of the castle--josette day portrays beauty and gives the character an etherial otherworldly quality--john marius gives an equally strong performance as the beast who falls in love--the first time i saw this movie i missed a lot of the english subtitles because the movie itself was so beautiful to watch i kept forgetting to read the subtitles--my children were equally fascinated by this film but it is very realistic and i don/t recommend it for very small children---watch it yourself first ---a visual treat from start to finish
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Summary: One of my all-time favorite movies
Review: This surreal 1946 classic is still dazzling, even in today's world of high-tech special effects. The story line is well known, thanks to Disney, but this black and white rendition is visually spectacular. Contemporary versions do not hold a candle (be sure to check out the candle holders) to this movie.
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Summary: One of the best BatB films ever made, if not the best.
Review: From the opening scenes to the last, this film is what Beaumont's story would appear to be if one could do a direct to film translation. Though in this version Beauty only has one brother and there has been added a suitor (Who IMHO looks almost like Gaston of Disney's.) these two characters make up for the lost of Beauty's three. There has been some minor story changes, most noticbly a less moralistic ending, but over all kept true to the original work. It is a very captivating film, and the extras on the disc help enhance the experience of an already great film.
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Summary: Superb version of Beauty and the Beast ! (VHS version)
Review: Cocteau's 'La belle et la bête' is the most imaginative and powerful of all versions on the small and silver screen of this story which are currently available. It has deeply invaded my (sub-)consciousness and rooted itself there permanently. Since several of the other reviewers have already dealt with the story, I'll not repeat it here again. Jean Marais features in a stunning performance as the Beast and he also portrays Beauty's suitor Avenant and the Prince. Marais makes the Beast a truly beyond memorable character! Bringing out all the sides of the Beast's dual nature. First of all: his tenderness, gallantry and goodness. The viewer shouldn't also forget about a certain úndercurrent of violence and savageness, which becomes evident when Beauty sleeps and the Beast hunts. The Beast has his passions and violence under á tight control. In short in Cocteau's version the Beast is an unforgettable tragic hero. Likewise Josette Day makes a wonderful and exquisite Beauty. What else can the Beast and Avenant do but pine for her? The black & white photography only enhanced the surreal and dreamlike quality of this film for me. Further the beauty and magical atmosphere of the Beast's castle and several scenes there have already been praised profusely. Beautiful costumes and great make up for Jean Marais as the Beast certainly add to this. A mesmerizing film, which touches and enchants the viewer time and again deeply. Don't miss this hauntingly beautiful masterpiece!
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Summary: Thrilling.....
Review: At the beginning of "La Belle et la Bete" the wonderful film based on Marie Leprince de Beaumont's book of the same title, the director, Jean Cocteau asks the viewer to become as little children and engage in the willing suspension of disbelief. Fortunately, I believe in mystical and magical things, so I found Cocteau's instruction easy to follow and was rewarded with thrills of excitement. Criterion has performed it's usaual great service, restoring a masterpiece. The technical aspects--remastering of the 1946 black and white film appears to me to be very nearly perfect. But more importantly, "La Belle et la Bete" is truly a work of art. A documentary included with the DVD explains how Cocteau, in spite of wartime shortages, was able to create his fantasy using the paintings of Vermeer and the etchings of Gustave Dore as a point of inspiration. Many of the most spectacular scenes are animated Gothic wood block prints! In an age of dazzling special effects, it is wonderful to know that creative geniuses have existed and once upon a time movie-making was based on artistic genius, not just technological wizardry. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. In this version, Beauty is a convincingly good daughter and the beast is a convincingly bloody beast. Mornings after his nighly prowls little dead animals can be found in the courtyard. (He is unlike the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz). However, by the time the Beast is dying and Beauty rushes to his side, I am have come to care for him--if not love him. Jean Marais and Josette Day are very convincing. Cocteau's "La Belle et la Bete" is closer to the original European tale than many other dramatizations. The purpose of these "fairy" tales was to impart a distilled bit of wisdom from one generation to another. "La Belle et la Bete" teaches an eternal truth--one does not love someone because of their appearance. True love is unconditional. If it is not unconditional, it is not love. As my mother used to say, "You should not judge a book by it's cover" -- although many of us do.
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Summary: The most valued items in my DVD Collection
Review: Does it help you to gauge its worth if you know that I own two copies of this DVD and two copies of the VHS?
I have been profoundly in love with Cocteau's work since I first saw this film over twenty years ago.
My first VHS copy cost $70.00 because it was so difficult to procure. It was a bargain. This is a tremendous value at $40.00
The restored DVD with director's comments is an absolute joy. I point to this film to illustrate the innate difference between US/UK cinema and French/Russian cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Magic on Film
Review: I first saw this film 20 years ago and am still enchanted by the creativity that inspired it and which it in turn inspires.
The latest 'borrowed' effect, in the recent release of "Phantom of the Opera" is a testament to it's timeless magic. The vision that created these 'special effects' in a time when special effects relied on the innocence of the audience are still powerfully intact.
A must see for film buffs, fairy tale lovers, Disney fans; Jean Cocteau's film is potent stuff and a film for the ages.
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