Kicking of the new year with an entry from my
2025 Goals List: The 1946 French adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
This might have come out 45 years before the animated musical classic that most people think of when they hear the title, but the magic is captured just as well. Many of the effects have more personality and higher quality than some of those produced today. The costumes and set design are equally as fantastic and do a perfect job of pulling us into the fantastical setting.
There are quite a few differences between this film and the animated film. The castle is much more gothic than the Disney version - very Dracula-esque. The beast in the animated film is very controlling and doesn't warm up to Belle until the second half of the movie. Here, after Belle's capture he's extremely kind and loving which was surprising.
None of the talking furniture characters are in this either. Not quite, anyways. In this film there are furniture pieces that have people controlling them. It's actually really creepy, but it works really well to make the castle seem otherworldly.
You still have Belle's father and Avenant who is a much less antagonizing version of Gaston. There are also additional characters like Belle's sisters and her brother which in my opinion don't do a whole lot to help the plot along. Their scenes are some of the slowest and most boring the film has to offer.
That's a minor nitpick for a film filled with haunting and beautiful scenery, some dramatic lead performances, mesmerizing music, and some impressive practical effects for the time.
List:
2025 GoalsLast Review:
Wicked
