Written and directed by Jean Cocteau
This movie is one of my absolute favourites and has been for years. I first watched it in my grade 12 English class during our unit on fairy tales and story structure. Watching it for the first time felt like being walking through a door into fairy tale version of our world and I fell in love with it instantly. This movie was one of the first old movies I remember watching and it kicked off a slight obsession that I've had for years now of old, non-English fantasy movies. For that reason it will always have a special place in my heart. Cocteau's masterful use of simple yet striking practical effects creates an unforgettable and romantic world. My favourite example of these effects being the arms coming out of the hallway walls in Beast's castle that hold up the lights. It's an extremely simple effect to pull off, just have a bunch of actors stick their bare arms through a wall while holding canldes, but it creates such a surreal and, again, striking visual image which cemented this movie as my favourite interpretation of the fairy tale. I should mention early in this review that Beauty and the Beast was one of my favourite fairy tales growing up (along with the Pied Piper and Donkeyskin) and while I did have like Disney's original animated version of the fairy tale as a kid, it's now probably my least favourite with their live-action remake being the only thing ranked lower in my mind (sorry Dan Stevens, I loved you in Downton Abbey and Apostle but not even you could save this movie. Mainly because of the fuckass hairstyle they gave you).
Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales because of its themes of change, transformation, and the importance of kindness. Cocteau creates a version of the Beast that I admit is a lot more likeable than the vast majority of Beasts out there. In his film, Beast is cursed because of the actions of his parents, not because of anything he did. This change immediately makes him a much more likeable love interest because he doesn't have an origin of treating others horribly. It also makes him more interesting because instead of his transformation being focused on him learning to be a better person, it shows how he became a monster because it was forced onto him. This Beast started as, from our perspective since we don't learn much about his past, a blank slate and he was turned into a monster not only by the curse on his appearance, but also by others calling him a monster. To me, this version of the Beast's story shows us that forcing labels onto people and shoving them into boxes they never wanted to be in dramatically restricts how they express themselves and puts immense external pressure for them to present in one way, the way we have dictacted they are allowed to be, not how they truly are. I work with kids and so I study a lot of social behaviour in children and their developmental trajectories so a much more grounded example that I had to study in school was about how we should tell children they are "bad kids" or as adults outright call them "bullies". Something you learn fast being around kids is that they really are sponges (I would argue people of all ages are, really) and when you label them as "bad" or "bully" instead of their behaviour they internalize it and actually do those behaviours more. Their surroundings are telling them that's what they are and it's all they'll ever be. My interpretation of the film is that this is what happened to Beast. He was cursed with a beastly, lion-like appearance and everyone around him called him a monster, so he became one.
Now we come to my favourite part of the story in this film, the agency given to Belle. In the beginning of the film we see that Belle pretty much runs the house. Her sisters refuse to lift a finger, her brother is a bit useless and has a gambling problem along with friend, Avenant (we'll get back to him in a minute), and her father is merchant who we can safely assume doesn't do much around the house because this is likely set during the Tudor period (based on the costumes). You would expect this to create a Cinderella dynamic where she's treated horribly by her family, and it is to some extent as her pampered sisters expect her to do everything for them, but her father is deeply appreciative for everything she does and her brother isn't as demanding and rude as the sisters. We get the feeling she finds her two sisters a bit silly and very spoiled, but she still loves them and is determined to work hard. Avenant (arguably the blueprint for Disney's Gaston) is infatuated with her and tells her she deserves better than to be worked like a slave by her family. Belle finds him charming and handsome, but is clearly not drawn in by his personality and his influence on her brother. She is able to be firm and tell him she isn't interested in running away with him and she has no intention of doing it. When the turning point in the story comes and we come up to the conflict of the stolen rose, the sisters both insist that Belle should go since she is the one who asked for the flower. Her father says no, that he won't allow any of his children to trapped by the beast. Belle rebels and leaves of her own accord, believing it's her duty because, as the sisters said, she was the one who requested he get her the rose. Once she enters Beast's castle he pretty much waits on her hand and foot. She is gifted lavish gowns, a bedroom with a beautiful view, free reign of nearly the whole castle (save for his quarters, which honestly is pretty fair). His only stipulation is that they dine together, but he keeps to the shadows. Immediately she begins making demands of him which he quickly gives in to. She tells him to stand in the light, to dine at the table so she can see him. He insists he's hideous but relents because it's what she wants. They walk together in the garden because she requests it, he gives her the magic mirror and releases her to visit her family because she asks. She's prisoner but all she has to do is ask for something, even freedom, and he grants it in an instant. Throughout their interactions we can see she's clearly drawn to his personality, emotion, and intelligence. When she isn't looking at his face she intrigued, drawn in, but she still has a hard time seeing past the beastly exterior. In the end of the film, without giving too much away, she ends up getting everything she wished for out of the two men and is able to live happily, never having to lift another finger and no longer living a life of servitude.
I'm not totally sure where you could watch this movie now. Criterion has a version with commentary on their streaming service which I haven't seen, and you can buy the remaster from their store as a DVD or BluRay (for kind of a lot tbh). If you "sail the high seas" you might get lucky and find a version with subtitles, but I haven't been able to in a long time (so appologies if I mess up any details in this review, I'm doing my best from memory and the notes I've made over the years).
23rd April, 2025