Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, France, 1946, 93 min)
UW Cinematheque @ Chazen Museum of Art, Thursday, June 26, 7pm
The 1946 Beauty and the Beast is an art film ahead of its time. It starts with the credits being written out individually on a chalk board and then erased, followed by a man with a film slate announcing, “take one of Beauty and the Beast”. The first five minutes of the film demonstrate its unique style and reflexivity. Like many fairy-tales the narrative logic is full of holes, which is probably why before the start of the story film asks its viewers to adopt a child’s gullibility. But once we are past the initial set-up, and once Belle meets the Beast, the the interactions between the two seemingly opposite characters provide intriguing and beautiful moments.
The film dives into and passes quickly over Belle’s situation and the background of her family. They have lost their money, believe they have gained their money back, but lose their money again. Belle’s sisters are horrible and narcissistic and her brother is a gambling scoundrel. Belle has become the servant of the household, and promises to stay with her father. But when her father picks a rose from the garden of the Beast, Belle is sent to live out his death sentence.
When Belle arrives at the Beast’s palace, the plot slows down and the film becomes much more artistic. In slow motion, Belle runs through the house and her cloak flows behind her. The lighting frames her perfectly as secluded in this dark and haunted environment, and the audio is solely this well-composed music that is both dark and glorious. She becomes frightened by the house, and intrigued by the strange figures. The lights along the walls are human arms holding candlesticks; the fireplace has human faces that watch as Belle moves by. The servants are part of the furniture, like the 1991 Disney adaptation, but not so literal and more subtly creepy. They do not sing and dance to welcome Belle into the palace; they move slowly and don’t make a sound.
The interactions between Belle and the Beast are longer scenes, beautifully composed and full of emotional interactions between them. Unlike how he acted towards her father, the Beast immediately is submissive to Belle and gives her everything in his palace. When Belle resists his love the Beast indulges in his animal urges. He tears apart a deer, or fishes on all fours, and though he tries to fight these beastly urges, Belle seems to find them attractive.
The ending surprised me. It is an interesting take on the classic story, and I loved Belle’s response to the transformation of the Beast. The film overall is made up of precisely composed shots, including many expressive close-ups of both Belle and the Beast. The music is a perfect addition for the artistic images and the costumes and set are elaborate and aesthetically pleasing. This Beauty and the Beast surpasses the artistic creativeness seen years later in the Disney adaptation, and holds up today as a passionate piece of work.