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Fairy tale fans, rejoice!!
Tonight at 8 pm (EST? Everywhere? Not sure!) on Turner Classic Movies (TCM), you can watch the 1946 version of Beauty and the Beast.
Written and directed by Jean Cocteau, the movie stars Jean Marais as Beast and Josette Day as Belle.
I discovered the movie playing when fairy tale author Sarah Cross (KILL ME SOFTLY) reblogged an entry from Mary Grantner, which reads:
Saturday night in prime time, TCM makes up for a few really bad weeks of scheduling with Jean Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast” from 1946. It’s the familiar story with the addition of a few unnecessary characters and turns. Despite that, it is hands-down the best filmed version of the fairy tale. Jean Marais and Josette Day are the leads and the dialogue is spare. This is a story told largely with visuals, and it’s just gorgeous to look at. The design of the whole thing is stunning, and Cocteau manages some impressive tricks with the camera. A far cry from the Disney musical cartoon, and not to be missed.
I actually haven't seen this version before. I look at it every time the Criterion movies go on sale for 50% off each year, but hate blind-buying things. It takes me a while to make up my mind (I did blind-buy both The Red Shoes and Black Orpheus during two separate Criterion Sales, but it required a long thought process!)
I know what I'll be home doing after work tonight! Will you be watching with me?
~*~
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Summary from IMDB:
Adélaïde, Belle, Félicie and Ludovic are young adult siblings who once lived in grandeur until their father's merchant ships were lost at sea. The family is now near ruin, but Adélaïde and Félicie nonetheless still squander away the family money on themselves and keeping beautiful, whereas Belle slaves around the house, doting on her father.
Ludovic detests his two spoiled sisters, but is protective of Belle, especially with his friend Avenant, a handsome scoundrel who wants to marry Belle.
Crossing the forest one dark and stormy evening, the father gets lost and takes refuge in a fantastical castle. Upon leaving, he steals a blossom off a rose bush, which Belle requested. The castle's resident, an angry beast, sentences him to one of two options for the theft of the rose: his own death, or that of one of his daughters. As she feels she is the cause of her father's predicament (despite her sisters asking for far more lavish gifts), Belle sacrifices herself to the beast.
Upon arriving at the castle, Belle finds that the beast, whose grotesqueness she cannot deny, does not want to kill her, but wants to marry her and lavish her with riches. He does not force her, but he will ask her every night to marry him, these times the only ones when he will appear to her. She vows never to say yes.
As Belle resigns herself to her mortal fate and looks deeper into the beast - whose grotesque exterior masks a kind but tortured soul - will her thoughts change? Meanwhile, Belle's family, who learn of her situation, have their own thoughts of what to do, some working toward what they believe is Belle's best welfare, and others working toward their own benefit.
Ludovic detests his two spoiled sisters, but is protective of Belle, especially with his friend Avenant, a handsome scoundrel who wants to marry Belle.
Crossing the forest one dark and stormy evening, the father gets lost and takes refuge in a fantastical castle. Upon leaving, he steals a blossom off a rose bush, which Belle requested. The castle's resident, an angry beast, sentences him to one of two options for the theft of the rose: his own death, or that of one of his daughters. As she feels she is the cause of her father's predicament (despite her sisters asking for far more lavish gifts), Belle sacrifices herself to the beast.
Upon arriving at the castle, Belle finds that the beast, whose grotesqueness she cannot deny, does not want to kill her, but wants to marry her and lavish her with riches. He does not force her, but he will ask her every night to marry him, these times the only ones when he will appear to her. She vows never to say yes.
As Belle resigns herself to her mortal fate and looks deeper into the beast - whose grotesque exterior masks a kind but tortured soul - will her thoughts change? Meanwhile, Belle's family, who learn of her situation, have their own thoughts of what to do, some working toward what they believe is Belle's best welfare, and others working toward their own benefit.
I am so glad you tweeted this cause I have never seen it and I LOVE old movies. I have it set to record on DVR, because I never can tell if my husband will change the channel, as well as The Glass Slipper. Such a great coincidence that these two movies will play during Fairytale Fortnight.
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