Beauty and the Beast : Diary of a Film

Rating:
Summary: fantastic value for money
Review: A wonderful book. "Diary..." details Cocteau's seemingly insurmountable obstacles in creating one of the greatest-ever fantasy films. Includes plenty of on-set photos. Compulsively wonderful reading, and highly recommended for the price.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic value for money
Review: A wonderful book. "Diary..." details Cocteau's seemingly insurmountable obstacles in creating one of the greatest-ever fantasy films. Includes plenty of on-set photos. Compulsively wonderful reading, and highly recommended for the price.

Rating:
Summary: Making Beauty from Beastly Conditions
Review: Cocteau's diary on the making of his most famous film - "La Belle et la Bête" (1946) - recounts an almost endless series of obstacles that he encountered during its production. From illnesses (everyone involved seemed to suffer some significant ailment or injury during production) to production problems (bad film stock, unworkable cameras) to union disputes, the film was almost plagued from the start.

At times this litany of woe and frustration can be quite tedious - when Cocteau goes into a detailed discussion of his ezcema and other physical maladies, I tuned out. But it's still a fascinating look at not only how he pulled all the elements together (although his entries for the editing process are rather short) but also what filmmaking was like during a difficult time in French history. His depictions of his stars, Jean Marais and Josette Day, are quite interesting too. And the book shows perhaps better than many textbooks how the different talents on a film set contribute to the final result.

The book probably won't be enjoyable to those who haven't seen the movie (at least a few times) but for those who really admire this film, this behind-the-scenes look is a real treat.

Rating:
Summary: Making Beauty from Beastly Conditions
Review: Cocteau's diary on the making of his most famous film - "La Belle et la Bête" (1946) - recounts an almost endless series of obstacles that he encountered during its production. From illnesses (everyone involved seemed to suffer some significant ailment or injury during production) to production problems (bad film stock, unworkable cameras) to union disputes, the film was almost plagued from the start.

At times this litany of woe and frustration can be quite tedious - when Cocteau goes into a detailed discussion of his ezcema and other physical maladies, I tuned out. But it's still a fascinating look at not only how he pulled all the elements together (although his entries for the editing process are rather short) but also what filmmaking was like during a difficult time in French history. His depictions of his stars, Jean Marais and Josette Day, are quite interesting too. And the book shows perhaps better than many textbooks how the different talents on a film set contribute to the final result.

The book probably won't be enjoyable to those who haven't seen the movie (at least a few times) but for those who really admire this film, this behind-the-scenes look is a real treat.

Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen Jean Cocteau's fil version of "Beauty and the Beast" The book is the diary of the film. There are some great photos in it as well.

Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen Jean Cocteau's fil version of "Beauty and the Beast" The book is the diary of the film. There are some great photos in it as well.

Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen Jean Cocteau's fil version of "Beauty and the Beast" The book is the diary of the film. There are some great photos in it as well.

Rating:
Summary: This Diary is great for anyone who is intrested in Films
Review: Jean Cocteau was a genius. A genius who created works that enchant you when you witness them and confound you when you attempt to understand how they were executed. They give the appearance of such straight foward fluidity of thought and motion that they conceal all of Cocteau's struggle to create them. But beneath that glaze of facility is an infinite clockwork of tedious difficulty and boundless determination. This diary is the biography of one such clockwork.

Rating:
Summary: Great stuff, but misses parts of the story
Review: The movie crew moves expediently to set up its shots. The director frantically worries that the power doesn't go out at a critical stage when the film is being developed. No, they aren't filming in Northern California during the rolling blackouts of 2001; it's 1945 France, still regrouping from the hardships of its Nazi occupation. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: DIARY OF A FILM is an excellent primary resource that documents the struggles of one French "crusader" to build up the momentum of its movie industry. It's a shame it's incomplete.

When Director Jean Cocteau started recording the progress of his masterpiece film, LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE, a couple of days before it started filming, not even he could have guessed the obstacles he'd have to overcome to finish it. Not only did he have to work around the frequent blackouts of the period, but health was a prevalent problem amongst the cast and crew (including himself), running overbudget was hurting his reputation with financiers, and even the weather slowed production when it failed to provide good lighting for exterior shots. This 1972 book, translated by Ronald Duncan, is a deliciously insightful account of putting a movie together from the director's point of view. It also includes photos, an introduction by George Amberg and Madame Le Prince de Beaumont's 18th century story.

As World War II ended, things were looking rosy for French cinema in the United States. Distributors were paying big bucks for rights to European movies--particularly France's. LE BELLE ET LA BÊTE was slotted as one of the five main contenders at the first International Cannes Film Festival. Journalists occasionally visited Cocteau to support his efforts with advance publicity, which he presents anecdotally.

There are some amusing moments when Cocteau confesses to being a poor director. He admits to being so caught up with the performance that he missed the cue to tell the camera to roll. It's also fun to guess the subtext of Cocteau's accounts. It seems he spends a lot of time with leading actor, Jean Marais, who he playfully nicknames Jeannot. He also does favors for his Beauty, Josette Day, but anyone with critical thinking skills can eventually figure out the true nature of Cocteau's relationship with Marais. Cocteau is fairly discreet about it, though.

George Amberg, who wrote the introduction for this edition, notes the biggest criticism of this book. Considering how few movies Cocteau directed, we never learn exactly what prompted him to choose the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST fairy tale, aside from one vague remark.

This book also overlooks the ideas of how Cocteau's ancillary creative details came about as well. Cocteau was a multi-talented artist and some of the information he withholds from his journal is disappointing. Although his documentation of the filming is rather thorough, a lot had to happen before that point. Preproduction on LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE actually began in 1943. This was when he made most of his creative decisions and it would have been endlessly fascinating for any creative person to learn what muse bit him when he decided to make those sconces human arms.

Likewise with the reception to the movie's release. The story of LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE doesn't end with its filming. When the movie was finally shown at Cannes, Cocteau met a disappointing response. Many people had expected LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE to shine as beacon for the French film industry and initial audiences repelled its uniqueness. They saw it as frivolous at a time they wanted verisimilitude. The only award it took at Cannes was for its music. Out of sheer frustration, Cocteau implored NEW YORK TIMES readers a couple of days before its American debut to understand that his movie is supposed to look different.

If Cocteau could see today's acclaim he would be more than satisfied. There are few current American movie fans who are aware of Rene Clement's LA BATAILLE DU RAIL, which won the best picture award at that first Cannes festival. AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER has deemed LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE one of the 100 best-shot films of all time and recognizes Cocteau as one of the true creative pioneers in film history.

The addition of Beaumont's story, which was the basis for Cocteau's retelling, is an intriguing touch and shows how sophisticated readers have become since its initial release in the 18th century. It provides story information instead of presenting pertinent conflict on stage. The Beast is not at maximum capacity when he tells the Merchant he is going to ruthlessly kill him, then gives the old man a three-day furlough to say goodbye to his family. The Merchant is stupid for intending to go back.

Despite its shortcomings, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: DIARY OF A FILM is a wonderful book for anyone interested in filmmaking. It's an excellent memoir of a fabulous movie, but it would've been even more fulfilling if Cocteau had started with preproduction and let us join him for the audience response.