La Belle Et La Bete [1946] [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély, Nane Germon, Michel Auclair, Raoul Marco, Marcel André, Janice Felty, John Kuether, Ana María Martinez, Hallie Neill, Gregory Purnhagen, Henri Alekan, Jean Cocteau, René Clément, Claude Ibéria, André Paulvé, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont: DVD

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
La Belle et La Bete is one of the all-time great movie fantasies, and one of the most gorgeous pictures ever made. It was the first feature film by French director Jean Cocteau, a writer, poet and painter with ties to the surrealists. (In fact, his first film, The Blood of a Poet, was delayed after the scandal caused by L'Age D'Or, made by his fellow surrealists Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.) The haunting, surreal visuals (candelabra made of human hands, for example) and a sensitive performance by Jean Marais as the Beast imbue the film with an indelible, mythical power. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

DVD Description
The DVD features a commentary by writer and cultural historian Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, a documentary, Screening at the Majestic, in which, 50 years on, Jean Marais, Mila Parely, Henri Alekan and others recall the experience of making the film, a picture gallery, and biographies. The fim has been digitally remastered from a new, restored print. Black and White, 90 minutes
French language with English Subtitles
Ratio: 1.33:1
Total Running Time: 118 Minutes

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Buyers Guide, 2 Jan 2006

By A Customer

Okay, first and foremost this is one fantastic movie and is quite rightly seen as a clasic. Surreal, beautifuly shot and needing none of today's digital effects, la belle et la bete will take you into Jean Cocteau's world deeper every time you see it. Here are my reviews of both the BFI and Criterion restored versions. I have viewed both so I hope this will help you in deciding which version to purchase.

Tbe BFI version contains the following: I give this a 3 star rating, Top marks for the film, but a very low score for the disappointing presentation of the film itself.

Picture Gallery
Film Notes And Biographies
Short Film Screening At The Majestic
Commentary By Christopher Frayling
Aspect Ratio: 1.33 Full Screen
Main Language: French
Subtitles: English

It also promises us a version of the film "taken from a new & restored print" A shame that this is seemingly not the case. I previously owned the above dvd and as another reviewer pointed out, the print is peppered with scratches, white flecks, holes and is so bad as to be distracting. A shame as the movie itself is wonderful.

But search for the R1 Criterion Restored Edition (search for Beauty and the Beast on this very site, rather than "La belle et la Bete")

The disc contains:

* Available Subtitles: English
* Available Audio Tracks: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
* Commentary by: writer/cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling
* Commentary by: film historian Arthur Knight
* New high-definition transfer
* Original opera written for the film by renowned composer Philip Glass
* Screening at the Majestic, 1995 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew
* Interview with cinematographer Henri Alekan
* Rare behind-the-scenes and publicity stills
* Original 1945 trailer narrated and directed by Cocteau
* A note about the film by Cocteau
* Film restoration demonstration
* 1995 restoration trailer
* A reprint of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont's original fable translated from the French
* Notes by Francis Steegmuller, from the definitive book Cocteau: A Biography
* New and improved English subtitle translation

Far more extras, with the Phillip Glass opera among one of the highlights. I wouldn't call myself an opera fan, but the extensive instrumental pieces that run throughout Glass' alternative score are beautiful and fit the movie perfectly, taking it to another level and giving you 2 different experiences of 1 fantastic movie.

Did I mention that the restoration is nothing short of beautiful? Criterion have made an admirable effort with it and it's near perfect.

If you have the BFI copy, sell it immediatly and buy the Criterion restored instead. A far superior dvd in every way.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cocteau Masterpiece, 4 Sep 2006

By	Phoust (Kent, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The tale of Beauty and The Beast has been told in various forms for thousands of years. In cinema we have adaptations in King Kong(1933); Frankenstein(1931); Jekyl And Hyde(1932); The Phantom of the Opera(1925); The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1939); Creature From The Black Lagoon(1954) and more recently Edward Scissorhands(1990) and Shrek(2001). The tale will continue to spawn new adaptations but for me there is only one version, Jean Cocteau's `La Belle et La Bete'(1946).

La Belle et La Bete is adapted from the abridged version of the fairy tale by Madame Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The story is interpreted as a young woman's coming of age tale with sexual desire being regarded as beastly. Therefore any man feeling this desire would be beastly and only when she learns to regard sexual desire as natural does she find happiness and the beast is transformed into prince charming. The film has a stronger masculine quality with emphasis shifting away from Belle towards the beast's character. The film has also been interpreted in terms of the creative process of artist and muse, suffering for your art. Cocteau also includes many references to mythology (Pavilion Of Diana) pointing to the origins of the tale. The film also includes elements of the Cinderella fairy tale with the inclusion of the ugly sisters.

Jean Cocteau asks us, as an adult audience, at the start to suspend belief and see as a child, which was directed at critics whom he regarded as being too arty or intellectual, one notable being Jean-Paul Satre who had criticised Cocteau for his lack of political commitment. Cocteau replied that his only commitment was to himself and his art. (The suffering artist)

Josette Day and Jean Marais star as Beauty and the Beast respectively. Josette Day has exquisite statuesque presence, which gives her an unattainable cold quality, which is far removed from the original inquisitive na�ve peasant girl of the original tale. Jean Marais gives an excellent poetic theatrical performance of the beast suffering for beauty. Jean would later act in another Cocteau masterpiece, `Orphee'(1950). Together for lack of a better word they are magical. The cinematography was by Henri Alekan (Roman Holiday; Wings Of Desire) but I believe Cocteau to be the real genius behind everything in this film: set design, lighting, structure, symbolism, multiple layers, a real auteur.

I cannot recommend this film more highly, it's in my top 10 films of all time and it's unlikely to ever leave. If you don't like this then seek help.

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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A poor restoration of an excellent film, 27 Aug 2004

By	Awhite (USA) - See all my reviews

I had owned the fabulous La Belle et la Bete for years after enjoying it one afternoon on tv.
It is a truly fabulous film, but what a disappointment the BFI DVD version is. It is supposedly restored, but it is peppered through with stars and faults on every frame. Obviously they have not restored it with care, or at least it is in no way comparable with the Conosseuir transfered version I owned for years on VHS. The master tape used by BFI is clearly flawed. The VHS version mentioned is vastly superior and highly enjoyable. Dont buy the DVD until its properly remastered!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Don't pat me like an animal." "But you are an animal!"
Belle's father (Marcel Andr�) has to go to town for business. He asks Belle (Josette Day) what she would like him to bring her. A Rose as there are no roses at home. Read more

Published 18 months ago by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars A sad, magical and lonely Beast; a Beauty of honesty and awakening love. An incomparable film by Jean Cocteau
"Don't be a coward; cling to life. You must fight death," Belle pleads with Beast. "Belle, if I were a man," he says, "perhaps I could do as you say. Read more

Published on 7 Jun 2007 by C. O. DeRiemer

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical film, essential viewing
This film is truely magical and should be required viewing for anyone with a passing interest in cinema. Read more

Published on 11 Aug 2006 by David Morley

5.0 out of 5 stars A Romantic Elegy
Cocteau's 'La Belle et La Bete' is the perfect marriage of the most exquisite visual imagry in Black & White cinema with an artist's interpretation of a psychologically timeless... Read more

Published on 18 May 2003 by alleyna claxton

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty committed to celluloid
This is my all time favourite film.I would recommend it to anyone with an appreciation of beauty, as that's what it is, just beautiful to watch. Read more

Published on 20 Oct 2001 by Ms. A. M. HODGSON

5.0 out of 5 stars much unknown yet influential master piece
wonderful French telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, shot in black and white, atmospheric, beautiful, very influential, watch it to see the nods of inspiration from... Read more

Published on 4 Oct 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars That one is not for your kids, it's for you.
Before I have known Cocteau like a very interesting poet and stage writer and La Belle et La Bete is the first (but sure not the last) of his films for me. Read more

Published on 16 Oct 2000 by Vladimir Sergachev

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La Belle Et La Bete [1946] [DVD]

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