'La Belle et la Bête'- Film Review (1-1)
‘La Belle et la Bête’
(1973 Words)
(1973 Words)
‘La Belle Et La Bête’ is a surrealist romance, directed and produced by Jean Cocteau, and Rene Clement back in 1946 (post-world war 2 France). The film, more commonly known as ‘Beauty and the Beast’, is an interpretation that predominately concentrates on visual design, as opposed to actual story telling…
It succeeds Madame LePrince De Beaumont’s best known version of the fable, (published in 1756’s “Le Magasin Des Enfants”), and draws from Cocteau’s own unique interest in the surreal and avant-garde (something that comes from his relations to writer Guillaume Apollinaire, and artists Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso), and Christian Bérard’s routes to fashion design.
The result being a unique example of cinematography, during 1940’s French cinema.
There are links to Cocteau’s interest in ballet and theatre (particularly from his own experiences of watching Vaslav Nijinsky performances. Kindering a love for production, playwriting and eventually filmmaking), and Bérard’s work in designing theatre posters and covers for fashion magazines between the 1930’s-1940’s, (as seen in figure 4).
Naturally, therefore, the work he’d have produced for the ‘Ballets Russes’, and fashion design companies: Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Nina Ricci and Vogue, all contribute to the finalised look, and incidentally, the interpretation of the characters. This works hand in hand with the themes of ‘romance’ , and ’beauty’, that are both vital aspects of the film… and continuously referred back to, throughout, to help drive the story.
Character
In this adaptation, I was struck by the lack of character development actually used in the film. The beast embodies the poor, helpless victim. Bound in his body as a consequence of past mistakes.
True the beast hints at a misdeed that had been the cause for his state, but that passing statement is never brought up again. Nor do we see that ‘reformation’ during the film. It seems the Beast is already in a state of enlightened guilt, and has been for some time. Driven to the offensive, because life has taught him physical monstrosity only brings violence.
They seem to hint a lot that: any decision to do something unmoral, has justifiable reasons, or are a product of someone else’s misdeeds.
Because of the fact we never find out exactly what he’d done, (and the closest we get is theft, which may hardly seems to be worthy of a life of pain and exclusion), and the fact that both himself and the servants have suffered this fate (despite the latter not having anything to do with it), makes us side with him.
And though, technically, you could argue he was willing to kill Belle’s father and family at the beginning, using blackmail to have him return, and even though letting Belle escape- preying on her gentleness, threatening her with his death. Perfectly fine with letting her live with the guilt… He also argued he only does what he does as a way to preserve himself, and build a reputation of fear.
Belle remains ‘beautiful’ in both appearance and personality. It’s only a matter of circumstance that brings this ever-present fact to light. Something that helps later on, for her to escape from Beast’s captivity.
The sisters remain ‘ugly’ and disillusioned in personality, and don’t ever seem to change their attitude, even at the end when they are seen to be doing Belle’s washing, as we see them (as always), doing as little as possible, and spending more time complaining than helping.
The servants seemingly have no personality at all. Mere hands and heads moulded to the house itself. There’s no insight into what happened to them afterwards, acting as mere devices of surreal-like magic to emphasis ‘Beast’s’ enigmatic character.
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| Fig. 1 |
In that regard, you could say this film is a little cold. The viewer, is in some ways, the ‘mere spectator’. Peering as an outsider into the workings of this relationship, which at times may make us feel voyeuristic. Certainly, there are times when we almost feel like we’re intruding upon a private moment. While on one hand this might make the viewer uncomfortable, other’s may emphasis and liken themselves to one of those characters. Belle seems to act in some circumstances as a mere device for ‘male gaze’, fainting and having no seemingly flaw in character, according to the conventional idea of beauty of this time. You could argue however, that she does show some independence and a lot of control over those who see her as beautiful. Often playing to that front, so to provoke mercy from Beast (to visit her father), or when gracefully avoiding Avenant’s advances.
Film Aesthetic
The film seems more concerned with the ‘look’ and ‘feel’ of the film, as opposed to the character and actual story itself. It’s attempting to recapture that feeling that could once be found in old fairy-tales, where true romance can be found in the most unlikeliest of places, for those who ‘deserve it’.
The almost romantic, and elegantly fantastical word is captured in deliberately slow-paced footage and movement of the characters… the way Belle almost seems to glide across the floor, when wandering the halls… and the use of high contrast (the whites can be very white, and the blacks vice versa), creating an almost ephemeral glow to the set (as seen in Fig 2). The latter could be drawn from Bérard’s earliest concept drawings, that chiefly uses chalk and gouache upon black paper. An unusual approach, expected more from fashion design than concept art. However in some ways, this work acts as ‘production art’ to dictate the main, intended ‘aesthetic’/’mood’. And we can see below, how this has travelled across, into the finalised film.
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| Fig. 2 |
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| Fig. 3 |
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| Fig. 4 |
Reception
Despite the adult themes around captivity and Belle showing interest, or even sympathy to a man who would threaten both her life, and the life of her father, (similar to something you might see in certain accounts of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ ). The fact the house may or may not be made partially of living human beings, moulded as candle holders or fireplace décor… possibly because, during that time period, servants were seem as being property to the owner (i.e. Beast), and that whatever misdeed’s he’s done, the servant should pay as well… Cocteau asks the audience to see the film with an ‘untrained’ eye, much like a child would.
Whether this be in preparation for those people who’d have seen the film when it was first released. Since even then fairy-tales were considered ‘old’, and ‘of a different time’. Hence why the director asks, at the beginning, the viewer to recapture ‘a little of this childlike simplicity” to see the production from a new, innocent light… in the face of a new, fast developing, cinema.
Or whether it be concerned with innocence, and asking us to ignore all outside influences.
Despite him asking the audience to see the film with an ‘untrained’ eye, there are still real-world, outside influences that he himself brings into the film. Ideologies regarding gender roles, and society’s tendency to gravitate towards enigmatic people or things that are not conventionally ‘right’. All things that are unconsciously driven into the heart of the story. It may be almost impossible to disregard everything that’s happened, but in some ways, that could be the motivation for doing it in the first place. When you consider the fact this was the end of the Second World War, and France had surrendered to Germany in 1940, for 4 years, before the British Army returned to France on D-day. In that time, cinema and French culture would have been influenced a lot.
It may exist, not just as an attempt to deter war, but also as a means of ‘accepting it’.
In 1940, France surrendered to Nazi Germany, and a year later, a ban was in place, disallowing any films from crossing the demarcation line. While this ban was lifted in 1941 , and films that got past German censorship began to make it to the south… there were difficulties as a result, for the non-occupied areas to produce new films. Only 35 were actually produced there prior to the ban.
Incidentally, more films were actually made in Paris, under Germany control.
While some French directors fled, and were helped by the ‘Emergency Rescue Committee’ (a privately funded American organisation), many stayed and ‘worked relatively smoothly under the new regime’ according to Ginette Vincendeau, an academic writer and teacher of film studies, having produced multiple texts on historic French Cinema. This statement has questionable motives, however, since Germany might have influenced and distorted a lot of opinions. Particularly political beliefs that ‘France’s culture shouldn’t be left to the Nazis’, as seen in communist resistance paper, ‘L’Universite Libre’, at the time.
As a consequence: film makers often resorted to using fantasy genre as a means of temporary moving away from outside conflict or turmoil. This would both, 1- help them avoid censorship… and 2- reach another world where childlike simplicity’ reins, and innocence would help heal a country, who in someways may have had temporarily lost their national identity.
By ignoring all real world conflict, (particularly the acts of the ‘Vichy Government’ at the time), the film industry could remain relatively untouched… despite being in the midst of control.
As French movies were now predominately on screen, (British films were banned), the industry had an increased profit and growth. This is ignoring the fact, however, there was unjust exclusion from Jewish groups, and the ignorant content to real world opinions, so to remain untouched by German censorship. Film could no longer be a medium for true self-expression, in terms of political ideas and freedom of speech.
Granted ‘La Bell Et La Bete’ was made 2 years after the ‘Occupation’, one can draw links between this survival technique, to post-war D-day film, a few years after the French were liberated from Nazi Germany control.
By ignoring all real world conflict, (particularly the acts of the ‘Vichy Government’ at the time), the film industry could remain relatively untouched… and even allow it to prosper, despite the odds.
For years afterwards, any film that was concerned with the German ‘Occupation’, had only one representation… and that was the one that highlighted the ‘Resistance’. Never delving into the collaboration between Nazi Germany and France, or all that had happened in those 4 years (the persecution of the Jews, the segregation of France into ‘northern and western occupied zones’ and ‘the southern unoccupied ‘Vinchy controlled collaborationist zones’.
Such an example would be ‘La bataille du rail’, released in the same year as ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and one of the few films actually concerned with real-life events soon after the war. The film focuses on the ‘courageous efforts by French railway workers to sabotage German troop transport trains’.
While you could go on discussing what’s technically ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, or knowing who to blame or whether we should… The point is:
La Belle Et La Bete can be observed as an escape back to the old, pre-war fables. Surreal and fantasy driven, in light of the films that had come during ‘The Occupation’ a few years before, that despite no longer being as relevant, would have continued to influence subsequent films. That and the need to avoid confronting the issue, and enforcing what some believe to be ‘The Vichy’ Syndrome.
Despite the adult themes around captivity and Belle showing interest, or even sympathy to a man who would threaten both her life, and the life of her father, (similar to something you might see in certain accounts of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ ). The fact the house may or may not be made partially of living human beings, moulded as candle holders or fireplace décor… possibly because, during that time period, servants were seem as being property to the owner (i.e. Beast), and that whatever misdeed’s he’s done, the servant should pay as well… Cocteau asks the audience to see the film with an ‘untrained’ eye, much like a child would.
Whether this be in preparation for those people who’d have seen the film when it was first released. Since even then fairy-tales were considered ‘old’, and ‘of a different time’. Hence why the director asks, at the beginning, the viewer to recapture ‘a little of this childlike simplicity” to see the production from a new, innocent light… in the face of a new, fast developing, cinema.
Or whether it be concerned with innocence, and asking us to ignore all outside influences.
Despite him asking the audience to see the film with an ‘untrained’ eye, there are still real-world, outside influences that he himself brings into the film. Ideologies regarding gender roles, and society’s tendency to gravitate towards enigmatic people or things that are not conventionally ‘right’. All things that are unconsciously driven into the heart of the story. It may be almost impossible to disregard everything that’s happened, but in some ways, that could be the motivation for doing it in the first place. When you consider the fact this was the end of the Second World War, and France had surrendered to Germany in 1940, for 4 years, before the British Army returned to France on D-day. In that time, cinema and French culture would have been influenced a lot.
It may exist, not just as an attempt to deter war, but also as a means of ‘accepting it’.
In 1940, France surrendered to Nazi Germany, and a year later, a ban was in place, disallowing any films from crossing the demarcation line. While this ban was lifted in 1941 , and films that got past German censorship began to make it to the south… there were difficulties as a result, for the non-occupied areas to produce new films. Only 35 were actually produced there prior to the ban.
Incidentally, more films were actually made in Paris, under Germany control.
While some French directors fled, and were helped by the ‘Emergency Rescue Committee’ (a privately funded American organisation), many stayed and ‘worked relatively smoothly under the new regime’ according to Ginette Vincendeau, an academic writer and teacher of film studies, having produced multiple texts on historic French Cinema. This statement has questionable motives, however, since Germany might have influenced and distorted a lot of opinions. Particularly political beliefs that ‘France’s culture shouldn’t be left to the Nazis’, as seen in communist resistance paper, ‘L’Universite Libre’, at the time.
As a consequence: film makers often resorted to using fantasy genre as a means of temporary moving away from outside conflict or turmoil. This would both, 1- help them avoid censorship… and 2- reach another world where childlike simplicity’ reins, and innocence would help heal a country, who in someways may have had temporarily lost their national identity.
By ignoring all real world conflict, (particularly the acts of the ‘Vichy Government’ at the time), the film industry could remain relatively untouched… despite being in the midst of control.
As French movies were now predominately on screen, (British films were banned), the industry had an increased profit and growth. This is ignoring the fact, however, there was unjust exclusion from Jewish groups, and the ignorant content to real world opinions, so to remain untouched by German censorship. Film could no longer be a medium for true self-expression, in terms of political ideas and freedom of speech.
Granted ‘La Bell Et La Bete’ was made 2 years after the ‘Occupation’, one can draw links between this survival technique, to post-war D-day film, a few years after the French were liberated from Nazi Germany control.
By ignoring all real world conflict, (particularly the acts of the ‘Vichy Government’ at the time), the film industry could remain relatively untouched… and even allow it to prosper, despite the odds.
For years afterwards, any film that was concerned with the German ‘Occupation’, had only one representation… and that was the one that highlighted the ‘Resistance’. Never delving into the collaboration between Nazi Germany and France, or all that had happened in those 4 years (the persecution of the Jews, the segregation of France into ‘northern and western occupied zones’ and ‘the southern unoccupied ‘Vinchy controlled collaborationist zones’.
Such an example would be ‘La bataille du rail’, released in the same year as ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and one of the few films actually concerned with real-life events soon after the war. The film focuses on the ‘courageous efforts by French railway workers to sabotage German troop transport trains’.
While you could go on discussing what’s technically ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, or knowing who to blame or whether we should… The point is:
La Belle Et La Bete can be observed as an escape back to the old, pre-war fables. Surreal and fantasy driven, in light of the films that had come during ‘The Occupation’ a few years before, that despite no longer being as relevant, would have continued to influence subsequent films. That and the need to avoid confronting the issue, and enforcing what some believe to be ‘The Vichy’ Syndrome.
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| Fig. 5 |
This film could almost be described as bordering avant-garde, (despite, ironically, coming from older routes), because of its surreal/visually experimental approach. Stepping away from common convention, and creating a new form of cinematography, possibly in light of deterring war, or as a consequence of it.
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| Fig. 6 |
Book
Rousso, Henry (1994), The Vichy Syndrome: History and Memory in France Since 1944, Massachusetts, United States: Harvard University Press.
Websites
‘Art in Exile’ (2012), The Emergency Rescue Committee, [Online]. Available at: http://kuenste-im-exil.de/KIE/Content/EN/Topics/emergency-rescue-committee-en.html [Accessed Date: 07/11/16].
‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’, (\), Vichy France, [Online]. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/Vichy-France [Accessed date: 07/11/16]
Sheffield, Gary (2011), The Fall of France, [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml [Accessed Date: 07/11/16]
Royer, Michelle (2006), Shaping and Reshaping WWII: French Cinema and the National Past, [Online]. Available at: http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/LA/article/viewFile/5734/6424 [Accessed Date: 07/11/16].
Walford, Michael (2007), French Cinema in World War Two, [Online]. Available at: http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/michaelwalford/entry/french_cinema_and_1/ [Accessed Date: 01/11/16]
‘EyeWitness to History’, (2007), France Surrenders, 1940, [Online]. Available at:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/francesurrenders.htm [Accessed Date 07/11/16]
Malcolm, Derek (1999), ‘Jean Cocteau: La Belle Et La Bête’, [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/01/1 [Accessed Date: 01/11/16]
Ames, Jeff (2011), Beauty and the Beast (La Belle Et La Bête): At Odds with Itself, [Online]. Available at: http://www.popmatters.com/review/145938-beauty-and-the-beast-la-belle-et-la-bete/ [Accessed Date: 01/11/16]
‘Biography.com’ (2014), Jean Cocteau Biography, [Online]. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jean-cocteau-9252166 [Accessed Date: 01/11/16]
‘Yad Vashem’ (1953), The Holocaust in France: The German Occupation, [Online]. Available at: http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/france/occupation.asp#!prettyPhoto [Accessed Date: 07/11/16].
Ganley, Elaine (2014), Paris to celebrate end to Nazi rule 70 years later, [Online]. Available at: http://www.salon.com/2014/08/23/paris_to_celebrate_end_to_nazi_rule_70_years_later/ [Accessed Date: 07/11/16]
Illustrations
Fig. 1 La Belle Et La Bete ,(1946) [Film Still] Available at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rgrg-W45g-3oD5w8l7cfrUlDh8nBBw09u_c83RClDkuAlrCfs_wYzEicl-Yw1BNFebSBpvdHjeTzp05hCLtoAInrhdRJQKokzwf3hywmhitr5u6wu7yR1ytf4DMX4pd8xaUWjUYqZ-Fk/s1600/b&b.father.table.jpg [Accessed Date: 03/11/16]
Fig. 2 La Belle Et La Bete ,(1946) [Film Still] Available at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c1/0b/51/c10b51b2f92ad4b65bde9ca4afa155d5.jpg [Accessed Date: 03/11/16]
Fig. 3 Berard, Christian (1946), La Belle Et La Bete, [Concept Art]. Available at: http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-24-525-970-971-view-1940s-4-profile-christian-bere.html [Accessed Date: 03/11/16]
Fig. 4 Berard, Christian ( \), Poster for The Ballets des Champs Elysées, [Poster]. Available at: http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-24-525-970-971-view-1940s-4-profile-christian-bere.html [Accessed Date: 03/11/16]
Fig. 5 La bataille Du Rail, (1946) [Poster] Available at: https://cdn.bdfci.com/data/0/0/1/6/6/9/4/fc921009cb42a3b1ec8ca364a6d7ba78.jpg [Accessed Date: 07/11/16]
Fig. 6 Boyer, Richard (1944) American Troops march down the Champs Elysees, past the Arc de Triomphe, [Photograph]. Available at:
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/23/paris_to_celebrate_end_to_nazi_rule_70_years_later/ [Accessed Date: 07/11/16]
Film
‘La Belle Et La Bete’, (1946), Directed by Jean Cocteau and René Clément, [Film], Château de Raray, Senlis, Oise, France: DisCina.
WOW! Rachael... you have written an essay here!! :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this - a well contextualised and thoughtful piece of writing. Maybe a little TOO well contextualised for the purposes of a film review, if the truth be known, but a very interesting read, none the less.
You have used a great variety of research resources to inform your work, which is excellent; I'm not sure if parts of your writing are paraphrased from these sources, in which case they should be referenced with the author's surname and the date, in brackets afterwards. You should also include at least 3 quotes, which similarly should be referenced.
It would also be useful to caption your images, as well as numbering them, and to refer to them during the text as you have done here for example,'(as seen in Fig 2). Also, make sure that the images are placed near to the idea that that they support - the ballet image, for example, appears a little out of place, without any caption to link it to the idea of production art, and the marching troops at the very end seem a little tagged on...
Anyway, all-in-all, a very interesting and thorough piece of writing :)
Rachael!!! This is a full-on written assignment!!! I can only assume that the ambition and breadth of your engagement with this task cost you a lot of your Computer Animation Arts 'time budget' - which probably means you've now got a bit less to spend on everything else. While no lecturer would ever tell you to 'have less ideas', I would say that, in light of what you recognise in yourself as a trait (hanging on to things too long, going 'too deep' for 'too long' etc), you should set very clear boundaries around your reviews - maybe an enforced word count or an enforced 'time budget'. You don't have unlimited resources or unlimited time and we need you to keep all your various plates spinning. I loved reading this, but keep an eye on your time budget... it's a project-management skill.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you’re saying. Every time I feel it isn’t finalised or good enough, I add more and more, and before I know it I’ve ended up with the above.
DeleteI know you probably won't think it, but this review is actually the best (in terms of length) I’ve managed to get so far. So any advice (from yourself and Kath) about ways to shorten and keep to the main project is really helpful, and something I’m going to try out for ‘Edward Scissorhands’.
Hopefully the next review will be more concise and improved.
Or my suggestion would be to pick 1 or 2 of the themes/ideas that are present in the film, find 3 interesting quotes that discuss these themes, then build a (brief!) discussion using the quotes to support your own ideas. So for this film, for example, your plan might have looked something like this -
ReplyDeleteThink of topic (for example, the link between production art and the final film)
Read, find 3 quotes and a few images
Film poster image
Introduction including brief context
Your first idea supported by quote and image...
leading on to ...
maybe a counter-idea supported by quote and image....
leading to...
some sort of conclusion supported by quote
Theses are just suggestions; make a plan that works for you, and you can use it for future reviews :)
Thank you for the feedback, I agree with everything your saying (particularly with it being ‘too contextualised’). I’ll use the tips you’ve given me to help me shorten it more and clear it up (with the proper referencing in text, and paraphrasing), and make the quotes clearer.
DeleteAlso now that you’ve mentioned the ballet image and the troops, I can see how they struggle to associate themselves with the text.
I’m reviewing Edward Scissorhands next, so I’m going to try testing it. It’ll be helpful if you could confirm once I’ve put it on the blog what needs working on again, I appreciate the advice!
Thanks again.