La belle et la bête [1946]

Country of Origin: France
Year of Production:
Running Times: 93 mins [USA]     96 mins [France]
Format: black and white     35mm
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Producer: André Paulvé
Production Manager: Émile Darbon

SCRIPT
Script: Jean Cocteau
Story: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

DIRECTION
Director: Jean Cocteau

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Henri Alekan
Camera Operators: Henri Tiquet, Foucard (real name: Robert Foucard), Letouzey (real name: Raymond Letouzey)
Stills: Aldo
Lab: G.M. Film

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Claude Ibéria

MUSIC
Music: Georges Auric; Philip Glass [1995 opera version (uncredited)]
Orchestra Director: Roger Désormières

SOUND
Sound: Jacques Lebreton, Jacques Carrère
Sound Assistant: H. Girbal, P. Gaborian

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Arakelian (real name: Hagop Arakelian)
Costume Designers: Escoffier (real name: Marcel Escoffier), Castillo (real name: Antonio Castillo)
Costumes: La maison Paquin

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Decors: René Moulaert, Carré (real name: Lucien Carré)
Illustrations: Christian Bérard

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Girl: Lucile Costa
Technical Advisor: René Clément
General Manager: Roger Rogelys

LOCATIONS
Locations: Château de Raray, Senlis, France; Rochecorbon, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France
Studio: Studios de St-Maurice, France

CAST
Jean Marais [Avenant / The Beast / The Prince]
Josette Day [Beauty]
Mila Parély [Felicie]
Nane Germon [Adelaide]
Michel Auclair [Ludovic]
Raoul Marco [the usurer]
Marcel André [the merchant]
Noël Blin [uncredited]
Jean Cocteau [voice of magic objects (uncredited)]
Christian Marquand [uncredited]
Gilles Watteaux [uncredited]

A down-on-his-luck merchant finds himself lost in the forest one day and finds his way to a strange castle. In the grounds, he picks a rose for his youngest daughter Bella and the castle's owner, a half-human / half-beast-like creature threatens to kill him if he doesn't turn over one of his daughters to take his place. Reluctantly, he hands over Bella - but the kind and perceptive Bella soon learns that there are hidden depths to the Beast, who may not be as monstrous as he appears.

A truly stunning visual masterpiece, with a wonderful script full of Freudian overtones and magnificent sets, costumes and performances. Cocteau was always one of the most visually lyrical of directors and this is his undoubted finest hour. The greatest adaptation of a fairy story ever.

Australia
Video Distributor: Large Door Video

France
Theatrical Distributor: DisCina

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Lopert Pictures Corporation
Video Distributor: Criterion Collection
Laserdisc Distributor: Criterion Collection [CC 1245L]
DVD Distributor: Criterion [BEA 120]

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Argentina
Rating: 13

Finland
Rating: K-16

1946
Prix Louis Delluc, France
Prix Louis Delluc [Jean Cocteau] - winner

1945
August
26: France - filming begins

1946
January
11: France - filming ends

September
Day Unknown: France - premiere at the Cannes Film Festival

1946
October
29: France - theatrical release

1947
August
26: Argentina - theatrical release

September
12: Austria - theatrical release

December
23: USA - theatrical release

1948
January
16: Finland - theatrical release

1961
June
12: West Germany - theatrical release

1998
June
3: USA - DVD release [Criterion [BEA 120]]

Beauty and the Beast - US / UK title
A Bela e o Monstro - Portugese title
La bella e la bestia - Italian title
La bella y la bestia - Argentinian / Spanish title
Es war - Austrian title
Es war einmal - Die Schöne und die Bestie - German title
Es war einmal - Austrian / German title
Kaunotar ja hirviö - Finnish title
Piekna i bestia - Polish title

SEE ALSO
Beauty and the Beast [1962]
Beauty and the Beast [1976]
Beauty and the Beast [1987]
Beauty and the Beast [1991]
Beauty and the Beast: A Concert On Ice [1996]
Drug-Taking and the Arts [1994]
Hannibal [2001]

MAGAZINES

L'Avant-Scène Cinéma no.138-139 [July-September 1973] pp.2-42 [France]
script

BOOKS

Cult Movies: the Classics, the Sleepers, the Weird and the Wonderful [New York: Dell Publishing Company (1981)]
illustrated review [by Danny Peary]

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

castles, fairy tales, magic, merchants, roses

Last Updated: 6 March, 2007