La Belle et la Bête (1946)

Directed by Jean Cocteau. Starring Jean Marais, Josette Day, Marcel André, Michel Auclair, Mila Parély, Nane Germon.

Atmospheric, beguiling tale of a lovely young woman (Day) in 18th century France who saves her father (André) by becoming a “forced guest” at the castle of a monstrous but tormented beast (Marais). Director Cocteau directly requests that the audience seize upon childhood sympathy and beliefs at the start; indeed, this fairy tale adaptation is aimed more at adults than children, with some surprisingly mature and provocative subtext (one tagline read: “Do Women Prefer the Beast in Men?” and the arousal in Day’s eyes at multiple points cannot be misconstrued). There’s magic to spare here, with top-notch makeup and costumes, creative set design; imagery and movements out of a dream, some of it unforgettable (a hallway of candelabras held by human arms, Day using a magical glove to transport from the Beast’s castle to her home and emerging right out of a wall, etc.). The facile dialogue is easy to ignore once the film’s considerable spell is cast; its problematic reversal message on inner/outer beauty not as much so. Nevertheless, despite the repeated efforts of Walt Disney Pictures, this remains the definitive version of the oft-told story.

83/100