Forty-five years before the Disney version of this tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Jean Cocteau directed this first-ever film adaptation. Far more than a simple re-telling of the tale, this is actually one of the most ingenious and innovative films ever made.
Belle (Josette Day) is a young woman from a family of good fortune who, following tragic events at sea loses her entire fortune. Her father (Marcel André) is unable to accept her new state of poverty and worries about his ability to continue supporting his twelve children. On one stormy evening while riding the path home on horseback, he gets lost in a forest and stumbles upon the castle of the Beast (Jean Marais) Drawn to a beautiful rosebush in the garden he plucks a single rose with the intention of bringing it to his daughter, Belle. That small act infuriates the Beast, who then threatens to kill the father but spares his life in exchange for the hand of one of his daughters. Wanting to save her father, Belle flees to the castle of the Beast on an enchanted horse. Upon arriving, she is repulsed by the cat-faced creature but ends up spending much time with him. Daily, the Beast asks her hand in marriage and every time, she rejects him. Gradually, she begins to know the beautiful delicate inner soul of the Beast and has a growing affection for him.
Cinéma de Sève