La Belle Et La Bete (aka Beauty And The Beast) (1946)

On his way home, a man (Marcel Andre) plucks a rose in a castle garden to bring home to his daughter (Josette Day). But the garden belongs to a beast (Jean Marais) who tells the man that he must die for plucking the rose or else send his daughter to serve in his place. Based on the classic fairy tale by Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont and directed by Jean Cocteau (TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS). Perhaps the most elegant of movie fantasies, Cocteau's film is an incomparable tapestry of striking images and poetry. A slice of magic that can appeal to both children (if they're old enough to read subtitles) and adults alike though for different reasons. It's a pity the tale has become Disneyfied (not a slam against Disney, I quite like their take on the fable) because Cocteau's version is so much more layered and contemporary audiences seem to embrace the simplification that Disney offers in its place. Not that Cocteau's film isn't without some minor flaws. I wish that Marais hadn't played two roles. He plays the avaricious friend of Beauty's brother (Michel Auclair) so when the Beast is revealed as the Prince, it cant help but be disappointing. The exquisite production design is by Christian Berard and Lucien Care and Georges Auric did the underscore. With Nane Germon and Mila Parely as Beauty's bitchy sisters.