Beauty and the beast
Runtime 96 min
French
Directed by Jean Cocteau
Released 10/29/1946
This film best fits in the area of Surreal film making. Surrealist art if I can call it that is a medium that lets the artist show either expression of a topic, or they make it for fun. Much of this art may be odd to some, or possibly shocking because it is way out there compared to "normal films". Beauty and the Beast, is full of this surrealism. In Bell's world we see what would be defined as normal a world controlled by greed, and back stabbing people. Then there is the Beast's world, in his castle arms are in the walls acting as candle holders, or waiters in the case of the dinner scenes. Every object like doors, beds, and statues are alive. The beast himself is "hideous" but is the kindest character in the film. This too many would be considered weird, but I found it to be very amusing. There are many symbolism but I like the idea that normal people are the monsters, and the Beast is the most human.
My first article is from Michael Popkin's Cocteau's beauty and the Beast: The Poet as monster. It gives a brief summary of the film and focuses mainly on two subjects the ending, and the idea of beauty killing the beast. Popkin tries to relate aspects of King Kong(1933), and this film. He relates character mainly Kong and the Beats, and Bell and Kong's love interest. The main idea of this comparing and contrasting is to look at beautiful monstrous love, and that beauty kills the beast. He explains his thoughts on character changes, how it relates to real life situations, and how the film can be interpreted. (Popkin). Ebert right of the bat starts to talk about the films magical quality. mainly its trick photography and the effects used. He then jumps deep into the film, by relating it to the 1991 Disney animated film for purpose of similar story aspects. After that the director is talked about for being a poet and a surrealist, this ties right into the discussion of the castle which Ebert describes as "The Strangest put to film". The story is then summarized, and the film history is given discussing how the director needed help for he got different men to help him with outdoor and inside shots. He concludes with a very interesting comment that children would watch this and like it, but years later the adult will watch it and gain something else from it. (Ebert).
I think these two authors or critics hit the nail on the head for this film. Popkin is right that when watching the film I do enjoy and sympathize with the Beast but at the end I was kind of disappointed at what happens to him. Like King Kong splattering on the street of New York, the Beast is dead then comes back as an imitation of her love from the beginning of the film. Then they jump Million Dollar Man style into eternity. So I do agree that beauty does kills the beast. Ebert's article was brilliant. The best part was the last line which I mentioned in the above paragraph. Children will watch this and find it fun, weird, or scary. But as an adult one will watch it and try and get a higher message out of it. Like example would be if I was small I would be like "oh Bell saved the Beast and they lived happily ever after", however as an adult I see this film and say to myself the Beast is the good guy, and the real monsters are the normal human beings like Bell's sisters.
I honestly enjoyed this film very much. I thought it was going to be a boring film with a guy in a suit. But I was wrong. It is a movie that is for all purposes a fairy tale showing how an individual shouldn't be judged by how they look but by what's on the inside. This idea is one of the best in the world because it is as true as night and day. There are no real monsters in the world by humans themselves. Being made after World War II, I'm sure the director had these ideas in mind. Many of my colleagues didn't like the ending but I think it went well with the ladder idea. The Beast and Bells past love switch appearance. The Beast who was kind turns into a man, while the man transforms into a evil character who wants to kill for Bell causing his soul to turn into the internal beast . The idea is difficult for me to describe but in short Avenant becomes on the inside, what people think of when they see the beast. All the evil is not external but internal. All in all this film is very interesting and I recommend it.
Ebert, Roger. Beauty and the Beast (1946). December 26, 1999
Popkin, Michael. Cocteau's Beauty & the Beast: The Poet as Monster.
Literature/Film Quarterly 10. 2 (1982): 100-109.
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