La Belle et la bête (1946)
Directed by Jean Cocteau, René Clément

Film Review

Cinema's first - and best - adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's timeless fairytale La Belle et la bête (a.k.a. Beauty and the Beast) remains one of the most alluring of all films, a delightful excursion into the dreams and fantasies of childhood that still has the power to enchant with its sublime visual poetry. Made in the immediate aftermath of WWII, the film offered French cinema audiences what they most craved: pure escapism, blessed relief from the painful memories of the Occupation and the penury of post-war austerity.  Little wonder then that it proved to be an enormous commercial success, attracting an audience of just under four million, as well as garnering widespread critical acclaim and winning the prestigious Prix Louis Delluc.  Today, it is almost universally acknowledged as one of the greatest of cinematic masterpieces, virtually unrivalled in its intense lyrical power and sumptuous visual artistry.

The film was directed by Jean Cocteau, one of France's leading poets and playwrights since the 1920s.   Cocteau had made one short film prior to this - the surreal oddity Le Sang d'un poète (1930) - but had yet to make the impact on cinema that he had achieved in other areas of artistic endeavour.  Cocteau's original conception for the film was a realistic rendition of a classic fairytale - not the kind of fluffy nonsense which is aimed exclusively at children, but a piece of cinema art that makes the realm of childhood fantasy appear real, enabling an adult audience to remember what it was like to see the world through a child's eyes.  The result is one of cinema's most inspired fantasy offerings, a film of exceptional beauty and charm which has exerted a far greater influence over subsequent generations of filmmakers than is often credited.  Even Disney's own version of Beauty and the Beast (released in 1991) pays generous homage to Cocteau's film (which is a polite way of saying that it is a wholesale rip-off).

The sheer technical and artistic brilliance of La Belle et la bête offers no hint to the extremely arduous conditions under which it was made.  Scarcity of film and an unreliable electricity supply were just two of the challenges faced by the production team (to economise on electricity, the scene-shifters had to work by candlelight).  Jean Cocteau's poor state of health also posed major difficulties.  The director had a serious skin condition which made him allergic to the strong studio lights, and he narrowly survived a life-threatening attack of blood poisoning by a timely medical intervention, without which he would have died before completing the film.  Cocteau's frequent absences from the set were covered by his technical adviser René Clément, who was simultaneously preoccupied with making his first film, La Bataille du rail.  It was Clément who directed most of the scenes set in Belle's village and the famous sequence where Belle's father walks through the hall of living candelabras (which was shot in reverse to give the impression that the candles are magically lit by themselves).

Despite the many challenges that confronted them, Cocteau and his dedicated team succeeded in crafting one of the great cinematic jewels of the 20th Century.  The set and costume designs (partly attributed to the legendary fashion designer Christian Bérard) are particularly striking, showing the influence of the Flemish grandmasters (notably Vermeer) in the design of Belle's home and Gustave Doré's engravings for the interiors of the Beast's Gothic castle.  The Beast's striking leonine mask, created by the great Parisian wigmaker Pontet, is one of cinema's most iconic makeup designs, and took five hours to apply to the actor Jean Marais.  Cinematographer Henri Alekan contributes much to the film's distinctive otherworldly atmosphere with some unusual lighting choices which give the sets, particularly the castle interiors, a life of their own.  Even shadows appear to have an autonomous aspect - in one sequence, a shadow grows to the size of a giant and pushes open the huge doors to the castle.  The exquisite poetry of Cocteau's dialogue is perfectly complemented and enhanced by the efforts of the director's talented collaborators, who collectively deserve as much credit as Cocteau for the film's extraordinary visual and emotional impact.

The film gave Jean Marais his finest hour in front of the camera, allowing him to play three very different characters and thereby demonstrate his remarkable versatility as an actor.  Not only does he play the tortured beast (which he portrays with heart-wrenching pathos and subtle menace) but also the dissolute adventurer Avenant and the handsome prince who is redeemed by Belle.   Although he was at first reluctant to appear in the film (like any self-respecting actor he was not keen to have his face hidden by a mask), Marais was soon won over by Cocteau's concept and delivered one of his most memorable performances.   The actor's fond admiration for Cocteau led him to appear in each of his subsequent features, most notably L'Aigle à deux têtes (1948) and Orphée (1950).  The part of Belle went to Josette Day, who was foisted on Cocteau by her former partner Marcel Pagnol in the wake of their break-up.  Whilst Day may lack the innocence which her part demands, she has a powerful screen presence, eclipsing all but Marais with her remarkable physical beauty and majestic charisma.

Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la bête is that rarest thing in cinema, a film that has the ability to transport an adult spectator into the realm of childhood imagination without ever appearing twee or childish.  Its unique design confers on it a palpable sense of enchantment, of the kind that is only ever really experienced in childhood.  Whilst it is tempting to regard the film as a mere allegory steeped in Freudian symbolism (man's bestial nature tamed by the selfless love of a good woman), we should embrace it for what it really is - an opportunity to escape from the world of adult care and cynicism and dwell for a brief time in a world of childhood wonder and delight - in other words, a chance to rediscover the beguiling poetry of the fairytale.  After all, we are still children at heart.

Film Synopsis

Once upon a time, there was an old merchant who, having fallen on hard times, lives with his three daughters and his son at their modest house in the country.  Of the three sisters, Belle is the kindest and most beautiful, and for this she is hated by her vain older siblings Félicie and Adélaïde, who treat her with contempt and cruelty.  The merchant's son Ludovic is a good-for-nothing with a friend, Avenant, who is in love with Belle.  One day, the old merchant loses his way in the forest and comes across a strange and magnificent castle.  He picks a rose, knowing it will please Belle, but as soon as he does so the castle's owner suddenly appears.  The merchant is terrified by the apparition before him - a creature with the perfectly proportioned body of a man but the terrible head of a lion, with claws to match.

For daring to violate his garden, the Beast tells the old man he must die, but he will spare him if he will agree to send one of his daughters to him.  When her father relates this story to her, Belle willingly consents to give herself to the Beast.  At first, the young woman cowers in front of the Beast's frightening appearance, but over time she becomes aware of his inner torment and shows him sympathy.  Belle's tender affection for her captor slowly deepens into a special kind of love, but she knows she can never consent to be his bride.  Hearing that her father has fallen ill, Belle pleads with the Beast to allow her to visit him.

Moved by the young woman's entreaties, the Beast grants her one week with her family, after which time she must return to him or he will die.  Belle's story interests her two sisters greatly.  Félicie and Adélaïde contrive to force her to extend her stay with her father so that Ludovic and Avenant will have time to raid the castle and help themselves to the Beast's immense collection of precious jewels.  When Belle returns to the castle, her beloved Beast is dying, just as he said he would, from a broken heart.  It is then that Belle's love works its magic, and transforms the lion-headed brute into the most handsome of men...