Cocteau’s retelling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” is addressed to “what remains of the child in all of us”, but by avoiding all whimsy and sentimentality its appeal is universal. The Beast becomes another poetic figure in Cocteau’s personal mythology, while his enchanted castle is evoked by some of the most startling imagery in cinema history - worthy of comparison with Murnau’s haunting “Nosferatu”. Cocteau’s fairytale set standards in fantasy which few other filmmakers have reached. The sequences in the enchanted castle are pure magic. Cast includes Josette Day and Jean Marais.
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
36637
Language
French
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Adaptations
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Foreign language films
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Fantasy & Science Fiction → Fantasy
Feature films
Feature films → Feature films - France
Foreign language films
Literature → Fairy tales - Film and video adaptations
Literature → Literature
Magic, Occult & Supernatural → Fantasy
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)