La Belle et la Bete (1946) Film Review
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Steven Payne La Belle et la Bete (1946) Dir. Jean Cocteau La Belle et la Bete is a very stylized fairytale, which oozes charm on several levels. In terms of themes, the film projects several throughout. The first major development in the story is when the Beast is encountered for the first time. The Beast catches Belle’s merchant father stealing one of his roses as a gift for her. The beast grants the merchant the offer of an exchange; the life of one of his daughters for his own to remain intact. This encounter highlights the perceived ‘value’ of women of the period. To the Beast, she begins as simply as source of sustenance (or perhaps a method of making the merchant suffer on a level far greater than death alone). This soon changes, as the Beast begins to transform emotionally, falling for Belle, and he realizes that his true desire is companionship. “My heart is kind, but I am a monster” The transformation from Beast to something more is carried throughout the film, resulting in the Beast dying, only to be ‘resurrected’ as the beauty within comes forth, echoing themes of beauty only being skin deep. This transformation is experienced from Belle’s perspective also, with Belle pushing past the grizzled exterior to fall for the true love within. The cinematography in the film is very theatrical, correlating well with the theatrical tone of the tale. Scenes tend to linger in one area, with characters taking advantage of the whole space and moving frequently throughout various centerpieces. An example of this is the Beast’s dining hall, also serving as the entrance to the castle and the home of the iconic staircase. Several major developments in the plot occur in this area (the merchant stumbling upon the castle, the Beast propositioning Belle nightly and the slow motion sequence of Belle ascending the stairs, as well as others). This structure could be translated seamlessly to the stage and no impact of the story would be lost in the translation. The composition of the shots is very reminiscent of iconic photography of the time. The general style and visual tone shares a likeness to the work of JacquesHenri Lartigue, with a similar high contrast, wide shot photographic style, housed within a heavy vignette frame. As it turns out, Lartigue and Cocteau were very good friends, and the likelihood that Lartigue’s work had an impact on the composition is quite high. There are references to other photographic works in the film, most notably in the scene where Belle’s tears turn to diamonds. This is incredibly reminiscent to the photograph Les Larmes by Man Ray, reinforcing the idea that the photographic world as a whole had quite a direct influence on the direction of the film, as well as lending to the story. Fig 1 La Belle et la Bete Film Poster
Transcript of La Belle et la Bete (1946) Film Review
Steven Payne
La Belle et la Bete (1946) Dir. Jean Cocteau
La Belle et la Bete is a very stylized fairytale, which oozes charm on several levels. In terms of themes, the film projects several throughout. The first major development in the story is when the Beast is encountered for the first time. The Beast catches Belle’s merchant father stealing one of his roses as a gift for her. The beast grants the merchant the offer of an exchange; the life of one of his daughters for his own to remain intact. This encounter highlights the perceived ‘value’ of women of the period. To the Beast, she begins as simply as source of sustenance (or perhaps a method of making the merchant suffer on a level far greater than death alone). This soon changes, as the Beast begins to transform emotionally, falling for Belle, and he realizes that his true desire is companionship. “My heart is kind, but I am a monster”
The transformation from Beast to something more is carried throughout the film, resulting in the Beast dying, only to be ‘resurrected’ as the beauty within comes forth, echoing themes of beauty only being skin deep. This transformation is experienced from Belle’s perspective also, with Belle pushing past the grizzled exterior to fall for the true love within. The cinematography in the film is very theatrical, correlating well with the theatrical tone of the tale. Scenes tend to linger in one area, with characters taking advantage of the whole space and moving frequently throughout various centerpieces. An example of this is the Beast’s dining hall, also serving as the entrance to the castle and the home of the iconic staircase. Several major developments in the plot occur in this area (the merchant stumbling upon the castle, the Beast propositioning Belle nightly and the slow motion sequence of Belle ascending the stairs, as well as others). This structure could be translated seamlessly to the stage and no impact of the story would be lost in the translation. The composition of the shots is very reminiscent of iconic photography of the time. The general style and visual tone shares a likeness to the work of Jacques-‐Henri Lartigue, with a similar high contrast, wide-‐shot photographic style, housed within a heavy vignette frame. As it turns out, Lartigue and Cocteau were very good friends, and the likelihood that Lartigue’s work had an impact on the composition is quite high. There are references to other photographic works in the film, most notably in the scene where Belle’s tears turn to diamonds. This is incredibly reminiscent to the photograph Les Larmes by Man Ray, reinforcing the idea that the photographic world as a whole had quite a direct influence on the direction of the film, as well as lending to the story.
Fig 1 La Belle et la Bete Film Poster
Steven Payne
The fantastical set design amplifies the overall fairytale style, but at no point does the film feel childish, as the word ‘fairytale’ may lead you to believe. It feels very much as if you are watching a kinetic interpretation of a surrealist painting, with the charming hand-‐held (literally) candelabras and the faces inset within the wall, following the characters from one side of the room to the other, much like the illusion presented by the Mona Lisa. “The Beast’s dwelling is one of the strangest put on film-‐ Xanadu crossed with Dali” (Ebert, 1999) The combination of the fairytale themes, stylistic visuals and enjoyable story make La Belle et la Bete a thoroughly interesting and exciting film, appealing to everyone in one way or another.
Fig 2 A Diamond Tear Forms Under Belle's Eye
Fig 3 The Diamond Tear
Fig 4 Les Larmes-‐ Man Ray (1932)
Steven Payne
Bibliography Images Fig. 1. La Belle et la Bete Film Poster From: La Belle et la Bette Directed by: Jean Cocteau. [film poster] France: Discina. Fig. 2. A Diamond Tear Forms Under Belle’s Eye From: La Belle et la Bette Directed by: Jean Cocteau. [film still] France: Discina. Fig. 3. The Diamond Tear From: La Belle et la Bette Directed by: Jean Cocteau. [film still] France: Discina. Fig. 4. Ray, Man (1932) Les Larmes [Photograph] At: http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=44253 (Accessed On: 28.09.2011) Quotes Ebert, R.E. (1999) Beauty and the Beast (1946). In: Rogerebert.suntimes.com 26.12.99 [online] http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19991226/REVIEWS08/912260301/1023 (Accessed on: 28/09/11)
