A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her.A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her.A beautiful young woman takes her father's place as the prisoner of a mysterious beast, who wishes to marry her.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
- Merchant
- (scenes deleted)
- (credit only)
- La Belle (1995 opera version)
- (singing voice)
- The Father
- (singing voice)
- …
- Félicie (1995 opera version)
- (singing voice)
- Adélaïde (1995 opera version)
- (singing voice)
- La Bête
- (singing voice)
- …
- Ludovic (1995 opera version)
- (singing voice)
- Voice of Magic
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Footman
- (uncredited)
- Footman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe effect of the candles lighting themselves as the merchant passes them was achieved by blowing them out and then running the film in reverse as he walked backward past them. The entire sequence was done in one long take and reversed - a quick glimpse of the fireplace shows the flames appearing to move downward.
- GoofsAs Belle and The Beast walk in the garden, a comparatively modernly dressed boy in short pants is visible for a few seconds to the top right behind them.
- Quotes
Opening Title: Children believe what we tell them. They have complete faith in us. They believe that a rose plucked from a garden can plunge a family into conflict. They believe that the hands of a human beast will smoke when he slays a victim, and that this will cause the beast shame when a young maiden takes up residence in his home. They believe a thousand other simple things. I ask of you a little of this childlike simplicity, and, to bring us luck, let me speak four truly magic words, childhood's "Open Sesame": "Once upon a time..." Jean Cocteau
- Crazy creditsThe title and some of the opening credits are written with chalk on a blackboard, and then erased.
- Alternate versionsThe 1946 American release of the film had an entirely different set of opening credits, and is the one available on VHS. In that release, these credits were presented straightforwardly, with nothing unusual about them, and with the title in English. In the film's original release, available on DVD, the credits were written on a blackboard, in what is known as cursive handwriting, the same type of writing in which the opening prologue appears. After every credit, Jean Cocteau's hand would erase it and write the next credit with what appeared to be chalk. Then, after the credits ended, a film clapboard was seen, it was slammed together, as they always are just before a film director yells "Action!", and then the film's written prologue was seen.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Fatale beauté (1994)
- SoundtracksLa belle et la bête
an opera by Philip Glass
(Not part of the original soundtrack, and not heard in the film's first two releases)
© 1995 Nonesuch Records for the US and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States
So many images stick in your head afterwards: the billowing draperies; the beast's flashing eyes when he first appears; the way his ears prick up when a deer moves through the woods-- he's trying to talk to Belle but can't help but be distracted-- one of those perfect moments; the way his hands smoke from the fresh blood when he's returned from the hunt; the living eyes in the carved stone; the hall full of arm/candelabras, turning as Belle passes by; Josette Day (quite an image all by herself); the moment that I can't even describe when she sort of folds into the sheets and vanishes-- so on, so on.
This is, in short, what film can do, when it tries. This was made long before computer graphics and the accompanying revolution in special effects, but if any of our modern directors deployed their resources as imaginatively, or as sensitively, as Cocteau did in the 40s, film today might be worth the paper it's printed on. But they don't and it isn't. Ah well. Get this and watch it; all due praise to Disney, but this is the fairy tale to see.
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $298,718
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,708
- Jun 23, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $298,718
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1