Film Review - La Belle et la Bete (1946)

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La Belle et la Bete made in 1946, simply put, is a fairy tale of love, the two men who want Belle as their wife, Avenant is beautiful on the outside but ugly inside, the other (The Beast) is ugly on the outside but beautiful within, at first Belle wishes to marry neither to tend to her father who needs her, she is forced to stay with the beast as a forfeit from the fathers debt of stealing a rose with the beast in his castle, she is at first horrified by him but eventually she warms to him and grows to care about him.

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The Film is brilliant to watch in this time because it is utterly whimsical and surreal, the idea of this lowly girl becoming this fairy princess in a world of magical enchantments is oddly pleasing to see. There are elements of this film which is quite terrifying to see, for example, the interior of the castle, for the first time when we witness it, there are arms sticking out of the walls holding chandeliers, they move independently and can even bend physics as they let go of their sticks and point, and the candelabra is suddenly floating in mid air. "This hirsute being lives in mysterious seclusion in his enchanted mansion whose lights are held by arms that protrude through the dark walls. (Did Polanski take something from this for his nightmare scenes in Repulsion?)" (Bradshaw, 2017) the castle is also filled with other surreal elements which play a huge part in influencing other directors such as Walt Disney in his adaptation as Animation, such as inanimate objects gievn to organic life, for example, the table has an arm which pours Belles father a drink, or the Busts which are actual heads which look on silently, glance around the room or eye the characters suspiciously.

"Children believe what we tell them. They have complete faith in us. They believe that a rose plucked from a garden can plunge a family into conflict. They believe that the hands of a human beast will smoke when he slays a victim, and that this will cause him shame when a young maiden takes up residence in his home. They believe a thousand other simple things.I ask of you a little of this childlike sympathy and, to bring us luck, let me speak four truly magic words, childhood’s “Open Sesame”:Once upon a time…" (Aldredge, 2017). From the outset the Director is trying to set a surrealist mood, he asks us to look at it is if we were children, instead of with an adult understanding, it can be argued that we are held to acknowledge the understanding between director and audience that this isn't real. that this is simply a story with a happy ending, with some magical and whimsical elements to create an idea of surrealism or a false reality. 

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This film was made directly after the end of World War 2, the reason that was given for making it the way it was is that, it was reasoned the population needed something that wasn't depressing or influenced by, or reminiscent of the recent conflict. This influenced Andre Paulve to create something completely the opposite in terms of content and focus on this fantastic idea of magic and fairy tales. "Beauty and the Beast was made immediately following World War II after producer Andre Paulve decided that audiences needed something escapist to forget the horrors of the Occupation." (Scheib, 2017) 

Bibliography:

Aldredge, M. (2017). Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast : More Than Meets the Eye - Gwarlingo. [online] Gwarlingo. Available at: https://www.gwarlingo.com/2012/jean-cocteau-beauty-and-the-beast/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Bradshaw, P. (2017). La Belle et la Bête – review. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/belle-et-bete-review [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Scheib, R. (2017). Beauty and the Beast (1946) (La Belle et la Bete). Director - Jean Cocteau. Stars: Jean Marais, Josette Day. Fairy-Tale. Moria - The Science-Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review.. [online] Moria.co.nz. Available at: http://moria.co.nz/fantasy/beauty-and-the-beast-1946-la-belle-et-la-bete.htm [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].

Illustrations:

Figure 1 - La belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément - Movie Poster (1946)
Figure 2 - La Belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément -Movie Still (1946)
Figure 3 - La Belle et la Bete - Jean Cocteau, René Clément -Movie Still (1946)