La Belle et la Bête Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

La Belle et la Bête Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 21, 2018

Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" (1946) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on this release include original trailers; delete scene and alternate audio clips; two documentaries; and more. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by Dr. Deborah Allison, Marina Warner, and George E. Turner, as well as technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The Beast

I believe that a lot people who would see French director Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bete for the first time will be surprised to discover that it is not a children’s film. It is a delicate and provocative film with a universal message that was in fact meant for grown-ups. But it is so beautiful and pure that after it was released in 1946 it immediately captivated children’s imagination and consequently earned its children's film status.

We live in a time when colorful seems to be considered by many to be the equivalent of beautiful. Disney’s finely crafted Beauty and the Beast, for instance, dazzles with spectacular bursts of color, but it lacks the grace and elegance that make Cocteau’s film so fascinating to behold. It is also devoid of that special sense of purity and passion that is so easy to detect once Belle meets the Beast.

Cocteau was a poet -- more than he was a film director -- and his films are very much a natural extension of his writings. They breathe with a certain literary rhythm, which the films of other directors from the era simply lack -- this is where the earlier mentioned sense of purity comes from and this is why the beauty of his film has remained unmatched.

Before they meet, Belle (Josette Day, Here's Berlin, Coralie et Cie) and The Beast (Jean Marais, Orpheus, Fanfan la Tulipe) both lead miserable lives, but we see more of what Belle is going through than what The Beast is forced to endure. Her father (Marcel André, Thérèse Raquin) is a merchant who has lost his ships and is now being pressured by various creditors. He is despised by Belle’s two sisters and constantly criticized by her brother (Michel Auclair, Funny Face, Justice est faite), a compulsive gambler. Belle is the only one in the family trying to help her father, but she is also the weakest one, which is why she constantly gets abused.

The Beast is rich and powerful but disillusioned. His world is also different -- stylish but cold, missing a sense of perspective. His wealth has no value because there is no one he can share it with. He is cursed but he has also gradually evolved into a true monster and the terrible things he does no longer bother him.

Seeing how these two obviously hurt characters who very much suffer like real people do connect and then find happiness in their lives is an incredible experience. Yes, there is a bit of magic that helps them, but it is a type of magic that does not insult our intelligence; rather, it inspires us to believe in the power of love.

Cocteau did not use camera tricks to film the magical world of The Beast. Instead, he relied on legendary cinematographer Henri Alekan’s (Topkapi, Wings of Desire) crisp and clear lensing and René Moulaert (the Angélique films) and Lucien Carré’s (Les Misérables) brilliant costumes and decors.

The original soundtrack for the film was composed by the great Georges Auric (The Wages of Fear, Lola Montès). However, in 1994 Philip Glass also composed La Belle et la Bete, an opera for ensemble and film, which was synchronized with Cocteau's film. Nowadays, the film can be seen with both (Criterion’s Blu-ray release of the film also contains the original soundtrack and the opera).

La Belle et la Bête Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute.

The release is sourced from a 4K restoration that was completed by SNC and the Cinémathèque française. The 4K restoration was first introduced on Blu-ray by SNC/M6 Group and La Cinémathèque française in 2013 and we reviewed the release here.

Depth and especially density are noticeably better. As a result, many close-ups with proper lighting convey better defined nuances (see screencapture #5). Grain is better exposed and resolved as well and on a bigger screen overall fluidity is much more pleasing. In fact, the stronger density and fluidity is what makes this new release decisively superior because on the first release of the film that Criterion produced in 2011 the less than optimal density actually actually helps the visuals look softer than they should. Furthermore, the entire film looks darker and in a few areas there is even light crushing. However, because the original cinematography is so delicate some of the shifts in the overall balance are quite difficult to spot without a reference. Image stability is very good. Debris, scratches, damage marks, cuts, and other conventional age-related imperfections have been removed as best as possible. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

La Belle et la Bête Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Georges Auric's dramatic orchestral score benefits the most from the lossless treatment. In the upper register some very light thinness emerges during the violin solos, but this is basically an inherited limitation now. Clarity, depth, and balance are very nice.

La Belle et la Bête Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer - vintage French trailer for La Belle et la Bete. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Restoration Trailer - this trailer for the 4K restoration of the La Belle et la Bete was cut in 2013. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials and production stills for the film.

• Barbe Bleue - presented here is a 1938 claymation version of Perrault's Bluebeard in Gasparcolor. Directed by the sculptor Rene Bertrand and produced by Jean Painleve. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min).

• Deleted Scenes - deleted scene and alternate audio clips. In French, with optional English subtitles.
  
  1. La Farce du drapier (5 min).
  2. Scene 02b - alternate audio (1 min).
  3. Scene 04b - alternate audio (1 min).

• Christian Berard and Jean Cocteau, Two Masters of Theater - this documentary focuses on the professional relationship between costume and set designer Christian Berard and Jean Cocteau. It features interviews with film historian Jean Olle-Laprune and Pierre Berge (president of Comite Cocteau). In French, with optional English subtitles. (23 min).

• Cocteau's Dreams in Digital, The Story of Beauty and the Beast - new documentary on La Belle et le Bele featuring interviews with author Dominique Marny, professor David Gullentops from University of Bruxelles, Serge Toubiana (Cinematheque francaise), and Ellen Schafer (SNC/M6 Group), amongst others. In French, with optional English subtitles. (51 min).

• Commentary - an audio commentary with writer and cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling, who discusses La Belle et la Bete and the legacy of director Jean Cocteau. The commentary was recorded for the British Film Institute in 2001.

• Booklet - a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by Dr. Deborah Allison, Marina Warner, and George E. Turner, as well as technical credits.

La Belle et la Bête Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you enjoy revisiting this classic film, you should definitely consider picking up the British Film Institute's new Blu-ray release for your library. It is sourced from the 4K restoration that SNC and the Cinémathèque française completed a few years ago, which at moment is the best all-around presentation of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.