FILM REVIEW - La Belle Et La
Betta - Beauty And The Beast.
Jean Cocteou’s
1947 take on Beauty and the Beast is one of the most beautiful films I have
ever seen,. - shown recently at the Cornerhouse Manchester, and preceded with a
talk on the film by a member of the BFI that showed Coctou’s earlier works and
fixation on mirrors as reflectors of inner feelings and souls, as well as his
desire that he had kept the courage to allow Beast to die at the end instead of
having him resurrected as Prince Charming and flying away with Beauty in his
arms.
The film, and I’m sure you are
familiar with the story from the original tales or the Disney version ( a
sanitised almost literal remake of this with the dark edges cut off I’m told,
by the BFI lady, though I haven’t seen it).
There are just so many memorable
images and delights and even scares here, the forest that wraps itself around
Beauty’s father, the castle of shadows lit by candelabra held from walls on
human arms, Beast’s stunning mask, fierce, lionesque and capable of
extraordinary expression. Beast’s paws blazing and smoking after each kill,
Beauty’s tears turning to tiny diamonds as she weeps.... The sexual overtones
are fairly obvious, raw animal passion over reason, love and lust, human
reason, over driving animal instincts, etc all very Freudian.
Visually stunning and quite
amazing and totally undated.
Arthur Chappell
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