Before there was a Disney animation department devoted wholly to the (re)construction of folkloric heroines as Barbie-esque princesses, there was the dark world of European folk traditions. In this didactic world, step sisters jealously enforce a Darwinian wall of genetic defense against beautiful interlopers, evil spinsters are blinded and dragged to their deaths behind wild horses before cheering townsfolk, children exact terrible revenge against their torturers and, when the wolf gets his teeth into grandma, there is nothing to be rescued by the time the woodsman slices him open. In this world, lessons are not subtle, heroes are not unambiguously virtuous, and the line between civilization and the state of nature is razor thin.
La belle et la bête exists in this second world. This is a fantastic re-telling of the classic French folk tale that has about as much in common with Disney's vision of the world as a Miley Cyrus' Vanity Fair photo shoot. The plot counterpoises the mundane life of Beauty, the faithful daughter of an aging and failing merchant, against the enchanted world of the Beast, looking all the world like a hypertrichosis acrobat. Beauty ends up as a captive of the Beast when she willingly trades her freedom for her father's after he is caught stealing a rose from the Beast's garden; a rose intended as a gift for his loyal daughter.
Yes, in this universe it somehow makes sense that the daughter, who personifies fealty to her father, can be held hostage in his place.
Of course, the lesson of both the story and the film is that Beauty's capacity to love the Beast despite his hideous appearance is rewarded in the end as her love breaks his evil enchantment and transforms him into the Prince. But the way to this tidy, moralistic, conclusion is at least interesting and not sprinkled with comforting sugar. Beauty does not offer unalloyed acceptance. In fact, she's kind of a bitch to the Beast and even after he extend his absolute trust to her, placing his life in her hands, she can't quite bring herself to uphold her promises to him. We are not in Disney's world here.
The imagery of this film is literally fabulous. The Beast's world is magical, misty, and dark. Beauty's world, on the other hand is bitter; filled with scheming sisters, a prodigal brother, and an avaricious suitor for Beauty's hand whom, despite his general oiliness, she appears to love. In a Merchant of Venice subplot, there is even a stereotypical Shylock moneylender who claims the family's wealth in repayment for his son's debts when the father's ships are lost. As an aside, one has to wonder about that particular characterization choice in 1946 France.
Filmed on high-contrast black and white stock and with a musical score reminiscent of that of The Bicycle Thief this film is beautiful. I was born without the whimsy gene and generally abhor magical stories. But I do like this movie. Perhaps what I like is the rough justice meted out by the film. This is not a story with an unmitigated happy ending. The Beast is transformed and Beauty is promised a life of royal pleasures but the selfish sisters are promised nothing more than the opportunity to carry Beauty's train. Beauty's original suitor is transformed into the Beast, captive inside the body of an animal. Forgive maybe but never forget seems to be the underlying theory of mercy.l
At the end of the original version of Snow White the evil Queen goes to Snow White's wedding only to be captured by the wedding party, slapped into iron shoes heated to glowing, and forced to dance herself to death. Justice? Maybe not. But at least there aren't any cute talking animals and no Celine Dion Oscar™
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