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Beauty and the Beast

Play trailer Poster for Beauty and the Beast 1947 1h 35m Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 67 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
The story of a gentle-hearted beast in love with a simple and beautiful girl. She is drawn to the repellent but strangely fascinating Beast, who tests her fidelity by giving her a key, telling her that if she doesn't return it to him by a specific time, he will die of grief. She is unable to return the key on time, but it is revealed that the Beast is the genuinely handsome one. A simple tale of tragic love that turns into a surreal vision of death, desire, and beauty.
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Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

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Critics Consensus

With its magical optical effects and enchanting performances, Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast remains the most surreal -- and soulful -- of the fairy tale's film adaptations.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 08/06/2018
5/5
What's mesmerising about Cocteau's film is the seriousness with which it regards the fairytale material, combined with an eerie, dreamlike production design that's more effective precisely because it's more real. Go to Full Review
Kristin M. Jones Wall Street Journal 02/14/2018
"Beauty and the Beast" remains a profound exploration of the human and animal worlds, light and darkness, and love and art. Go to Full Review
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh metro.co.uk 09/06/2017
More exquisite than ever thanks to a 4K restoration, Jean Cocteau's dreamy 1946 black-and-white retelling of Beauty And The Beast is a real spellbinder. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 10/28/2023
The B&W photography by Henri Alekan shimmers, and the eerie imagery (created entirely in camera) creates a texture of visual poetry and cinema magic never been equaled in the years of fairy tale cinema since. Go to Full Review
Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema 09/19/2021
4/5
The characters are familiar, and the story is typical, but unless you have seen Cocteau's 1946 version of the story, you really haven't seen the magic and wonder of a fairy tale on the screen Go to Full Review
Allen Almachar The MacGuffin 07/25/2020
It's a mesmerizing experience of the highest order, hitting on every emotional beat and nailing every visual trick. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Simon T Nov 10 Echoes of several fairy tales and myths, particularly Phantom of the Opera and Cinderella. But Jean Cocteau's version is mind-numbingly tedious and incredibly slow. It's also woodenly acted and strangely uninvolving. Its reputation is baffling. If I heard the Beast preface another utterance with 'Belle, Belle...' I'd have screamed. But what do I know: I'm someone who also loathes Les Enfants du Paradis. See more Lluvia A Jul 8 A beautiful adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. See more john h Jun 6 The most magical and accurate adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. See more Giovana L May 21 O Filme tava indo muito bem, até chegar no final broxante, a fera se transformar e ficar com a aparência de avenant?! Sério que vocês quiseram fazer uma relação entre um e outro? Credo, ambos tem personalidade e carácter completamente diferentes. Por acaso a Fera não tinha sua própria aparência de antes de ser amaldiçoada? Ele era humano antes, certo? Teve que ficar com a aparência do ladrão,bêbado e folgado? Mas tentando ter outra percepção,se for partindo do suposto que a fera estava realmente morrendo, então Diana a deusa da caça e dos animais,se compadeceu dele e então trocou a vida de avenant (que não prestava) pela da fera (que era boa), então isso seria de se emocionar, obrigada Diana. Agora porque essa espertinha da Bela disse que "amava" a Fera justamente depois dele virar humano? E não conseguiu o salvar a tempo? Porque não disse antes dele quase morrer?? Balela. Na minha opinião Ela amava avenant,mas como viu que a Fera a tratava melhor que ele, e agora,com o rosto bonito de avenant...ela teria ganhado na loteria....teria seu final muito mais do que feliz. Enfim,ainda falando sobre final, oque houve com o irmão da Bela depois que seu amigo é atingido pela flecha? E com suas irmãs malvadas? Muito tempo de tela em personagens secundários e no fim simplesmente não deu um desfecho...a riqueza da Fera não estava justamente naquele galpão onde o Avenant morreu? Eles teriam que entrar lá alguma hora e não voar pra sei lá onde. Enfim muitas pontas soltas, Mas isso não significa que o filme não seja bom, é magnífico, pra época,e atualmente também, mas muitas coisas deixaram de ser explicadas,e deixa o telespectador curioso e com um sentimento mágico por um tempo após assistir,que só quem viu vai entender oque eu digo. Um dos filmes que merecia ter mais minutagem e orçamento. Jean Cocteau fez mágica nesse filme, e todo mundo que curte história de contos de fadas,deveria assistir pelo menos uma vez na vida. See more Scott B Mar 21 I have seen this movie probably ten times in my life. Because it is my all time favorite. It came out one year before I was born. Spectacular effects, many of them never tried before...like playing the film backwards for having Beauty crawl off a wall and the very ending when she and Avenant spring up and fly off together. Cocteau was a pure genius. See more Rami A Jan 26 Long before the 1991 Disney adaptation, there have been many versions of "Beauty and the Beast." Some of these adaptations are good, some are bad, and some are just mediocre. However, Jean Cocteau's version of the story is truly magical. I don't believe I've ever seen an American film that captures the magic represented in this particular adaptation. See more Read all reviews
Beauty and the Beast

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Movie Info

Synopsis The story of a gentle-hearted beast in love with a simple and beautiful girl. She is drawn to the repellent but strangely fascinating Beast, who tests her fidelity by giving her a key, telling her that if she doesn't return it to him by a specific time, he will die of grief. She is unable to return the key on time, but it is revealed that the Beast is the genuinely handsome one. A simple tale of tragic love that turns into a surreal vision of death, desire, and beauty.
Director
Jean Cocteau
Screenwriter
Jean Cocteau, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Jean Cocteau
Production Co
Les Films André Paulvé
Genre
Fantasy
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 1, 1947, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 21, 2002
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$138.2K
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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