Beauty and the Beast La Belle et la Bete Jean Cocteau

(aka 'Beauty and the Beast')

directed by Jean Cocteau
France 1946

Once upon a time, in a world of magic and wonder, the true love of a beautiful girl may finally dispel the torment of a feral but gentle-hearted beast. Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) is a landmark feat of cinematic fantasy in which master filmmaker Jean Cocteau conjures spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death that have never been equaled.

La Belle et la Bete is a landmark feat of cinematic fantasy in which master filmmaker Jean Cocteau conjures spectacular visions of enchantment, desire and death that have never been equalled. The BFI proudly presents the original film version of this fairy-tale masterpiece, in a digitally restored edition.

Josette Day is luminous yet feisty as Beauty, and Jean Marais gives one of his best performances as the Beast, at once brutal and gentle, rapacious and vulnerable, shamed and repelled by his own bloodlust. Cinematography, lighting, costume and set designs combine to make La Belle et la Bte a thrilling piece of cinema.

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Theatrical Release Date: December 23, 1947

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DVD Comparison:

Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL vs. RE-RELEASE Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC

1) Criterion Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) BFI Video - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion RE-RELEASE - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT

DVD Box Covers
Dist.	Criterion Region 0 - NTSC	BFI Video Region 2 - PAL	Criterion Region 1 - NTSC
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films (without the extras) is a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:32:48	1:29:57 (4% PAL speedup)	1:33:42
Video	1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.89 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: ? mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.60 NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Criterion - old
Bitrate: Criterion re-release
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 1.0)	French (Dolby Digital 2.0)	French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English and none	English and none	English and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Region 0 encoding • Commentary by critic Arthur Knight • A documentary on the movie and the fable • The original fable translated into English DVD Release Date: June 2, 1998 Keep Case Chapters 32	Release Information: Studio: BFI Aspect Ratio: - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Full feature commentary by cultural historian Christopher Frayling * Fully illustrated booklet containing posters, stills, artwork and an essay by Marina Warner DVD Release Date: August 25th, 2008 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by writer/cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling • Commentary by film historian Arthur Knight • Stills Gallery (150 static screens) • New high-definition transfer • Original opera written for the film by renowned composer Philip Glass • Screening at the Majestic, 1995 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew (26:40) • Interview with cinematographer Henri Alekan (9:12) • Rare behind-the-scenes and publicity stills • Original 1945 trailer narrated and directed by Cocteau (4:03) • A note about the film by Cocteau • Film restoration demonstration (4:07) • 1995 restoration trailer (1:55) • A reprint of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont's original fable translated from the French • Notes by Francis Steegmuller, from the definitive book Cocteau: A Biography DVD Release Date: February 11th, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 19

Comments:

ADDITION - BFI - PAL - September 08': Like the Criterion re-issue this is the restored version of Cocteau's film - with the damage notably removed. It vastly improves upon the original BFI release which had burned-in subtitles as well as the speckles. marks and scratches that have been irradiated or repaired. The BFI disc is dual-layered and progressive and is very similar to the Criterion re-issue in terms of image - possibly a shade softer.

Extras include the superb commentary by cultural historian Christopher Frayling (same one offered on the Criterion re-issue) and a fully illustrated 30-page booklet containing posters, stills, artwork and an essay by Marina Warner. Obviously the Criterion with its marginally superior image and bountiful extra features is the winner here unless you are PAL locked then this BFI is a must-own.

ON THE CRITERION(s): Initially I am surprised Criterion redid this one. I would have thought that the original DVD was about as good as a 50+ year old film could look considering the slight damage. Now after saying that you can sure tell the difference between the 'old' and the 'new'. The black and white image on the new version is much more true with no faded sepia-ish coloring and the contrast is distinctly improved. Sound has also been bumped up to a choice between 5.1 and mono. MANY more extras. The new version is the way to go. Superb Criterion! Full marks for this!