Beauty and the Beast [1946]
La Belle et la Bête
Directed by: Jean Cocteau
Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast was a breath of fresh air I needed. I find myself aesthetically gravitated towards old Hollywood cinematography. This film is listed as one of the 1001 films you must watch before you die list and you really should if you're a cinephile or moviegoer.
It reads visually as a mesmerizing work of art. Belle's entrance into the castle could have been stopped frame by frame and been placed in an art showing.
It's meticulous and haunting.
Although, the beasts pleas to Belle would not sit well on most audiences (including me, not sorry). To me personally, it didn't deter from my final score. I only have seen what Disney has to offer on this story.
Cocteau's version is cinematic excellence. ❤ I'm still hung up on it after viewing it week's ago (and now over 3 years ago!!). Like a good book, that Belle would have read in the stories of her fairytales from yore. It's beautiful. It's etched with magic between each line holding it together. It is no surprise why it's earned its place and rightly so in the 1001 films you must watch. It is in French with subtitles. It's magical. It's perfection and I have nothing negative to say about it. It might not be for everyone but for me, like a good book I couldn't step away.
11/10
Photo Credit: DisCina
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