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Friday, August 16 - Thursday, August 29 |
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1946, France |
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The U.S. theatrical premiere of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 classic BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BETE), newly restored to its original glorious black and white splendor.
Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) was a brilliant polymath, one of the most scintillating figures in 20th century French culture: poet, painter, novelist, playwright, sculptor, film director, set designer, actor and critic. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, his third production, based upon an 18th century fairy tale, is an elaborate, surreal parable for adults, filled with Freudian allusions and special effects that reflect Cocteau’s poetic sleight of hand. A beautiful young woman, oppressed by her rapacious stepmother and sisters (shades of Cinderella), asks her father for a single rose as a souvenir from his travels. But the merchant steals the rose from the garden of an enchanted beast who will spare him on the condition that his daughter return in his stead.
Cocteau’s vision has magnificent, surrealist touches that once viewed, remain with you forever: the Beast’s fabulous castle, complete with baroque, human arm sconces that follow Beauty as she moves through its corridors; the Beast’s steaming claws (symbolic of a recent kill); Beauty’s tear which transforms into a diamond; the Vermeer-inspired design of her country home. Christian Berard’s costumes and production design have been compared to the art of Gustave Dore and Henri Alekan’s photography to “the soft gleam of hand-polished old silver” (Cocteau).
Jean Marais plays three roles, but is unforgettable as the frightening, alluring, hirsute beast who falls in love with Beauty, and elicits from her feelings that dwell some place between compassion and passion. (Marais was also Cocteau’s long-term lover and muse and a major matinee idol.) Josette Day as Beauty had been a child dancer with the Paris Opera; her exquisite finesse and grace imbue her character with an otherworldly sensuality that even a Beast finds irresistible.
This restored version of the film, made from the original French nitrate negative, also has a restored soundtrack using digital audio mechanisms. The restoration is being brought to American audiences for the first time by Cowboy Pictures in association with Janus Films. They have commissioned a brilliant new poster by Paul Davis which is available for sale at Film Forum.
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
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| RELATED BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM: | ||
 Cocteau: A Biography by Francis Steegmuller |
(Not Shown)
The Difficulty of Being
The Art of Cinema |
 Beauty and the Beast: Diary of a Film |
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