La Belle et la Bête Film review
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| Fig.1 Poster |
Directed by Jean Cocteau, ‘La Belle et la Bête’ is a 1946
French film that takes upon itself to adapt the well-known fairy tale of
‘Beauty and the Beast’ (La Belle et la Bête). While the story has told over
again through a manor of different interpretations the film remains easy to
follow, playing along the traditional fairy tale fashion of humble beings and
happy ends.
‘La Belle et la Bête’ remains mostly faithful to
Jeanne-Marie’s age-old fairy tale with the main components of the film being
present, a magical castle, a beauty, a beast and a proud villain. After seeing
the financial situation of Belle’s (Beauty) family, the father goes off to in
an attempt to resolve the situation only to be confronted by the beast. This
results in the Belle’s faith being tested by the beast eventually leading to
the pair’s happy end.
Cocteau makes great use of a combination of camera tricks,
lighting and setting to create an uplifting and magical (, although not as we
would perceive it today,) feeling to his world. In this regard the film can be
attributed to Cocteau hiring Rene Clement to assist with his portray to the
audience. This “magic” is recognised by Roger Ebert as he states “The Beast's
dwelling is one of the strangest ever put on film--Xanadu crossed with Dali”,
(Ebert, 1999) consisting of more surrealist imagery. As seen in the image below
the candelabra are held in place by hands rather than the conventional wall
mounted brackets.
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| Fig. 2 |
The set design of the castle consistently shows actor as part
of the set. While it is an unusual choice it gives the surrounding castle a rather
strange and unreal atmosphere. One could describe it as magical as the statues
follow the moving figures and the hands react to anyone within proximity.
Unnatural at the least the “magic” seen is not one typical of Disney with over
the top theatrics and showy nature, instead the display is subtle adding to the
set.
Alongside the statues and hands the doors part ways without
any physical contact adding to the atmosphere. Not only does the castle have an
unreal sense but the forest that it is set in also has a certain enchantment. Branches
part way to lead on suspicious travellers, mist saturates the air limiting visibility
and at the right moment in the right place the sun highlights its true depth
and beauty.
“Its special effects are prehistoric compared to those of
our digital 21st century, and yet they are deeply disturbing” (Bradshaw, 2014).
One of the film’s most notable features is the use of special effects especially
for that time period. While there is a heavy use of dry ice one of the more
effective uses of a camera effect was the slow motion scene of Belle running
through the castle. Now a cinema staple the slow motion shot gives time for the
audience to understand the grave nature of the situation and appears to make
time grind to a slow halt as the heroine manically rushes towards the beast. A less commonly seen effect was the use of reversed
footage giving a strange and obscure feel showing Cocteau’s more avant-garde
side daring to use new techniques with his media.
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| Fig. 3 enchanted forest |
Alongside the set design the camera angle used is effective
in telling the story with the shot being more fluid with some shots even using
the rule of thirds. With this light is used to accentuate specific parts of the
screen such as the face highlighting the expression. This is used in
combination with focus to further draw the viewers’ attention to specific
areas. By having the camera focus where
the character is looking the audience has a greater insight into their current
thoughts.
Despite being a fairy tale it can be debated that the film
has more meaning beyond that. While the
main morals are present, do not take appearance for face value, there is also
the concept of female empowerment. Cocteau had not created a film for children,
like the Walt Disney interpretation of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ but rather one
for adults as well.
In the end “La Belle et la Bête’ has a very strong fairy tale
feel with a charming nature to the film that draws the viewer in despite the limitations
of the time. The imagery given proving to be striking and the effects magical
Cocteau has proven to create a strong film with use of new concepts. “It is
formally exquisite and heartfelt and entirely absorbing: a secret fairytale for
adults.” (Bradshaw, 2014)
Bibliography
Bradshaw, P (2014), La Belle et la Bête - Review
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/belle-et-bete-review
Ebert, R (1999), Beauty and the Beast (1946)
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946
Malcolm, D (1999), Jean Cocteau: La Belle et La Bête
https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/01/1
Illustration list
Fig. 1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/mediaviewer/rm1979895552
Fig. 2 https://morestarsthanintheheavens.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/belle-et-la-bete-1946-28-g.jpg
Fig. 3 https://focusedmomentsdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/20120505-145951.jpg
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