Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, Mono Audio, Black & White, English, Subtitled
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. The Criterion Collection proudly presents the original film version of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece in a newly restored spectacular new special edition.
About the Transfer
Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This new digital transfer was created from the 35mm restoration duplicate negative and a high-definition Spirit Datacine. The soundtrack was mastered from an optical soundtrack print. To further enhance the image, the MTI Digital Restoration System was used to remove thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches. The sound was created from an optical soundtrack print and restored at 24-bit using digital audio tools to reduce tics, pops, hiss, and other distortions. The result is breathtaking and The Criterion Collection is proud to present the definitive edition of Jean Cocteau's magical masterpiece Beauty and the Beast.
Editor's Note
Visionary filmmaker and poet Jean Cocteau responded to the terrors and creative constraints of occupied France with this elaborately realized take on the classic fairy tale BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Suggested by his longtime collaborator and muse, French actor Jean Marais, the cinematic version of the fable first penned by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont became Cocteau's most celebrated film. Cocteau renders the story of a gentlehearted beast in love with a simple and beautiful girl in the style of the luminous paintings of Dutch master Vermeer. From the quaint and humorous scenes of Beauty's happy home to the ominous surreal spectacle of the Beast's enchanted estate, Cocteau transforms the simple tale of tragic love into a surreal vision of death, desire, and beauty. Marais is chilling as the lonely and tormented beast, projecting a wounded love for the glacial yet endearing Beauty (Josette Day), whose simple request for a rose from her father brings tragedy crashing down on her whole family. Cocteau expands upon the cinematic inventiveness first seen in his masterpiece BLOOD OF A POET with mirrors made of water, living statues, and candelabras fashioned from living arms, transforming a children's fable into a complex and radiant cinematic classic.
Plot Summary
One of the great classics of cinema, Jean Cocteau's marvelous twist on the timeless fairy tale plunges the viewer into a stunningly dreamlike world.
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