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| Fig. 1 La Belle et la Bete Film Poster |
'La Belle et La Bete' (1946), directed by Jean Cocteau, tells a tale of romance through use of haunting images and creative cinematography. The film is filled with Freudian symbols and suggestive themes which are made apparent throughout the script. Conventional in its approach of a traditional fairy tale, the character of the terrifying beast, beautiful princess and an evil villain remain consistent. In this review I would like to discuss the concept of the objectification of the female protagonist, and how this orthodox character trope is disputed in this 1946 rendition of 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Based on the fairy tale written by Madame LePrince de Beaumont, This French classic follows the story of Belle (Josette Day) and her family. After an unfortunate encounter with The Beast (Jean Marias), Belle's Father, Maurice (Marcel Andre) is given a painful choice to make. As punishment for stealing a rose from the Beast's garden, Maurice must either give up his own life, or one of his daughters. Belle refuses to let her father give up his life, saying "I'd rather be eaten alive by that monster, than die of grief at your loss." And travels to The Beast's castle in her father's place.
Throughout the film, Belle's character is presented in a very unusual way for a film that was released in the 1940s. It was common for films of this time period to objectify women, for them to be the damsel in distress that needed to be rescued by a masculine hero. From the beginning of the film Belle shows her independence and bravery; for example, offering herself to the beast in her father's place. When Belle is confronted by the beast for the first time, unsurprisingly, she faints out of shock. This could be a contradiction to the argument of Belle's character breaking out of the common stereotypes of female characters in film, however, Her reaction to meeting a man/monster hybrid seems justified and it would be odd if she were to have no reaction at all to the beast. Also, after overcoming her initial shock, Belle no longer seems to be afraid of the beast, but rather curious instead.
The film is filled with suspenseful moments, aided by the gothic visuals, surrealist elements,such as human furniture, and the intense soundtrack. There is a particular scene where Belle is to meet with the Beast for dinner,(see as she is instructed to "Every evening at 7 o'clock." The Beast is seen creeping up behind her extremely slowly. She senses his presence and freezes up, however her facial expressions show that she does not freeze with fear, but rather with anticipation. The dialogue between the Beast and Belle in this scene is particularly interesting and brings back the themes of suggestive symbolism. The Beast tell's her to "Not be afraid." To which Belle responds with "I'm not." showing that she can stand up for herself, even if she does feel threatened, she does not show this. "You are the Master." Says Belle, to which the Beast immediately responds with; "There is no master here but you." Reminding Belle that she is in charge. Every night at 7 o'clock, the Beast asks Belle: "will you be my wife?" To which Belle almost always refuses. saying that she will never marry him, however she eventually lets her guard down, having realised that the Beast is kind.
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Fig 2. Belle dining with the Beast
It was extremely uncommon for a film of this time period to have a strong female lead and a weak male counterpart, However , 'La Belle et la Bete' broke through gender norms by making Belle the character in charge, with the Beast relying on Belle so much that he almost dies from grief when she fails to return to the castle after one week. When Belle begs him to rally, his dying words are weak:"If I were a man, perhaps I could. But the poor beasts who want to prove their love can only grovel on the ground, and die." The narrative of the film focuses on Belle letting the Beast earn her love, rather than showing the stereotypical 'love at first sight' or 'damsel in distress' trope that seemed to be overused in films of it's time. This film holds values that are still relevant in modern society, which makes La Belle et la Bete a refreshing alternative rendition of 'Beauty and the Beast' That can still be enjoyed by audiences today.
Ebert, R. (1999) Beauty and the Beast. [Online] Available from:
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946 [Accessed on 08/11/2016]
Malcom, D. (1999). Jean Cocteau: La Belle et La Bete. [Online]. The Guardian. Available from:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/01/1 [Accessed on 08/11/2016]
La Belle et la Bete (1946). [DVD] Jean Cocteau, France: Criterion.
Fig 1. La Belle et la Bete Film Poster: http://manapop.com/musing/la-belle-et-la-bete-vs-disneys-beauty-and-the-beast/ [Accessed on 08/11/2016]
Fig 2. Belle dining with the Beast: https://drafthouse.com/show/beauty-and-the-beast-la-belle-et-la-bete-1946 [Accessed on 08/11/2016]
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