La belle Et La Bete (1946)
Year: 1946
Country: France
Director: Jean Cocteau
Criterion Spine Number: 6
Reviewed: March 2014
Country: France
Director: Jean Cocteau
Criterion Spine Number: 6
Reviewed: March 2014
Like Seven Samurai, La Belle Et La Bete is an incredibly hard film for me to review because it’s perfect. I’d seen it once before I undertook this Criterion marathon and it has generally ranked very highly in my affections. However, watching it again was an entirely new experience, thanks largely to the Criterion DVD coming with the option to view the film with Philip Glass’ Opera audio. I’ve admired the work of Philip Glass ever since I watched Koyaanisqatsi (one of my absolute favourite films) and was incredibly interested to see how his work would change my viewing experience of this film. It was different, but in the very best of ways. The film itself is utterly magical with so many perfect and iconic moments that have etched themselves into our understanding of the classic Beauty And The Beast story. From Belle’s father’s first entrance into the Beast’s castle with the disembodied hands holding torches to the first appearance of the Beast himself (who is just so cuddly) to the way Belle glides around the mansion and the final climax and all the wonderful moments inbetween, it’s a film that is justly regarded as one of the absolute best ever made. It makes you believe in magic and the fantastic. The opera version adds an extra dimension to this, creating a truly lush score and wonderful and emotional film experience. Glass uses his trademark ‘spiralling’ score to stunning effect and the echoing bell sound is utterly gorgeous. It changes the film from a purely visual experience, to a more fully aural and visual experience, allowing us to delight in Cocteau’s most likable and accessible creation in an incredible way. One of the few fantasy films that never makes you question the reality of what we are seeing, but also with some of the most beautiful scenes ever committed to film. Gorgeous.
Best Scene: Belle's father enters the Beast's domain
Overall Verdict: 10
Overall Verdict: 10