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Beauty and the Beast
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Beauty and the Beast

1946
Romance
Drama
1h 33m
"Once upon a time..." A half-ruined merchant lives in the country with his son Ludovic and his three daughters... (imdb)
Directed by:
Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau
Written by:
Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
+1 more
Starring:
Jean Marais Jean Marais Josette Day Mila Parély Mila Parély Nane Germon Michel Auclair Michel Auclair Raoul Marco Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau Marcel André Christian Marquand Christian Marquand Noël Blin Gilles Watteaux
More
Genres:
Romance, Drama, Fantasy
AKA:
La Belle et la bête
Countries:
France, Luxembourg
Language:
French
imdb More information at IMDb
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Beauty and the Beast

1946
Romance
Drama
1h 33m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 71.48% from 1232 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
95th
You don't often get a chance to see a film as dazzling and charming as this. You couldn't hope for a finer way to spend an hour and a half. Funny, delightful, well-paced, mysterious, beautiful, and with a pleasant dose of weirdness.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
lexlex
Rated 07 Mar 2015
80
53rd
The scenes in and around the castle are exceptionally imagined and prove what a pioneering fantasy film this is. However, the parts that didn't include the fascinating Beast and his magic territory felt bland, and maybe I was just tired but I thought the ending was extremely random and unsatisfying, but I guess it's to be expected from an old fairy tale. Certainly significant and creative but not without some aging issues.
Rated 07 Mar 2015
lisa_iilisa-
Rated 27 Nov 2013
1
1st
a beast blackmails a woman with threats of her father's murder, which will occur unless she submits herself to eternal seclusion in his castle. we are supposed to look beyond his ugly exterior to the kindred heart within - naturally quite a difficult feat for those who think that odes to love beyond the flesh shouldn't involve rampant sexism. there's no excuse for adapting such misery without even a pinch of irony. basically an irredeemably stupid film which nonetheless has exquisite set design.
Rated 27 Nov 2013
ribcageribcage
Rated 04 Nov 2019
82
80th
My words could never live up to Cocteau's imagery. The Beast's castle is a eerie, magical place that I can only describe as "cozily haunted". His world exists in a murky neverland, where people seem to glide and to speak louder than a whisper might break the spell and cause your doom. If you want a film that takes you someplace, here you go. Be transported.
Rated 04 Nov 2019
suture_selfSuture Self
Rated 27 Dec 2008
8
80th
This film deserves a second watch. The ending becomes much more obvious when you understand it's not a happy one.
Rated 27 Dec 2008
magbMagb
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
94th
A great story, excellently told.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
kramyessevKramYessev
Rated 10 Feb 2014
75
72nd
Everything set in and around Beast's castle is fantastic. The tracking shot upon first entering the castle is a thing of sublime beauty. Beast himself, despite looking distractingly like a well dressed version of the Cowardly Lion, is also pretty great. The rest of the film? Eh, it's okay. Incredible to look at but not much else.
Rated 10 Feb 2014
dardandardan
Rated 11 Nov 2015
90
94th
Aristotelean exploration of the beast within man, power, freedom, innocence, incontinence and happiness. Sin turned man into a beast and has corrupted his soul into a state of constant conflict between the beauty and the beast. Everyone extorts each other and sells each other out. Avenant doesn't want to 'rescue' Belle for Belle, but he wants so rescue her so that he can have her. Others want wealth and the father his life. Thematically and structurally very similar to Viridiana.
Rated 11 Nov 2015
damildamil
Rated 16 Feb 2012
75
81st
I grew up with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. These two films have a lot of similarities, but are also quite different. This version also actually has living objects though they're not nearly as flamboyant as in the Disney version. While seeming a little silly at points, it can be quite dark and almost gothic. I was very impressed with the effects, both visual/camera and physical. It had a few scenes that went on a little too long, but overall, I thought it was great.
Rated 16 Feb 2012
aaaaaaarrgggaaaaaaarrggg
Rated 08 Sep 2009
100
97th
Exquisite French fantasy. Dreamily photographed in settings that seem literally to be alive (and were modeled on the drawings of Gustave Dore), this film's spell is so expertly woven that you hardly even notice that the actors aren't speaking English. None of the remakes have the ability to capture the imagination and feel of a fairy tale brought to life as does this definitive version.
Rated 08 Sep 2009
purgatospurgatos
Rated 08 Nov 2008
93
94th
A wonderfully told, splendidly shot little fairy tale.
Rated 08 Nov 2008
leokittyleokitty
Rated 10 Sep 2012
90
90th
Jean Cocteau wants you to believe in fairy tales again and presents a good argument in his favor.
Rated 10 Sep 2012
oolookittyoolookitty
Rated 24 Oct 2007
100
98th
One of the most impeccably beautiful films ever made.
Rated 24 Oct 2007
tds4aTds4a
Rated 25 Feb 2010
3
80th
Myyyy myyyy... you can't say no to the beauty and the beast, daaaaaaarliiiing
Rated 25 Feb 2010
willofgaiawillofgaia
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
95th
With the exception of the last few minutes, which could use some tweaking, a near flawless film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
xanadontXanadont
Rated 06 Nov 2014
5
90th
At least fifty times better than the Disney version.
Rated 06 Nov 2014
oskarhuoskarhu
Rated 26 Nov 2014
79
69th
Cocteau makes things interesting with great visuals and peculiar set design.
Rated 26 Nov 2014
glm01glm01
Rated 15 Mar 2014
87
91st
87.000
Rated 15 Mar 2014
rafael_reisRafael Reis
Rated 18 Jul 2015
90
72nd
SO ahead of its time!
Rated 18 Jul 2015
stainStain
Rated 07 Apr 2007
0
8th
Only movie in history that's put me to sleep twice
Rated 07 Apr 2007
fuentissimoFuentissimo
Rated 11 Sep 2015
40
36th
Somewhat enchanting, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as other films from the period.
Rated 11 Sep 2015
panzerwolfpanzerwolf
Rated 19 Feb 2022
70
57th
It's more of a honest version of the original tale than the one you see presented by Disney. Old fairytales often had characters making all the wrong decisions or acting in strange ways to drive the narrative of the story forward and to teach lessons. The movie itself is beautiful, even if it drags on at some points. The sense of magic and wonder are real, though I would never live in a castle where all the statues are always watching you. That'd just be hella creepy.
Rated 19 Feb 2022
km0010km0010km0010km0010
Rated 08 Mar 2024
100
84th
beautiful
Rated 08 Mar 2024
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 09 Jul 2017
95
93rd
Viewed July 8, 2017.
Rated 09 Jul 2017
comepeliculacomepelicula
Rated 22 Nov 2017
75
81st
This is a beautifully told story and the fantasy especial effects are incredible charming which adds a lot to the movie. I came expecting something more mature but is not really that is a child story well told.
Rated 22 Nov 2017
ceekay19Ceekay19
Rated 02 Mar 2018
40
3rd
Ludovic: "May the devil himself splatter you with dung."
Rated 02 Mar 2018
n1k0o8N1k0o8
Rated 31 Jan 2024
70
50th
A classic that did get old on the non-Beast scenes but master the world of fantastic on Beast scenes.
Rated 31 Jan 2024
rottentRottenT
Rated 21 Mar 2018
95
88th
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.
Rated 21 Mar 2018
heapshakeheapshake
Rated 26 Mar 2018
95
98th
Such a stunning movie
Rated 26 Mar 2018
picklemanPickle_Man
Rated 14 Apr 2018
90
78th
Ah, Stockholm syndrome. Quelle romance!
Rated 14 Apr 2018
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 26 May 2018
92
91st
Anos luz da insipidez da Disney, como tudo que o Cocteau faz, é uma verdadeira obra de arte. DVD Obras Primas do Cinema Jean Cocteau (por alguma razão as coisas ainda estão sendo entregues na minha casa)
Rated 26 May 2018
cosmicmonkeyCosmicMonkey
Rated 16 Aug 2018
78
58th
Surprisingly for a fairy tale, the entire film feels very... I don't know, sad? The scenes set in the Beast's Castle and it's expressionist set design are beautifully creepy, and the entire film is overflowing with imagery, metaphor, and subtext, if you're into that sort of thing. However, the world and characters outside of the castle are very bland and uninteresting, and there's the unignorable issue of the story itself being about Stockholm syndrome and based in 18th century misogyny.
Rated 16 Aug 2018
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 09 Jan 2019
65
42nd
There's something about the blend of fantasy and realism in the set design and the slow and deliberate acting/camerawork that makes the film feel almost like a stage play. The fairytale stuff itself is not particularly interesting but I can appreciate the good filmmaking behind it.
Rated 09 Jan 2019
napolenbradynapolenbrady
Rated 12 Mar 2019
92
88th
92.00
Rated 12 Mar 2019
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 04 Jul 2019
80
78th
Incredible early fantasy film. The characters are a little wooden and the music is overbearing, but the remarkable set and special effects make it still worth watching. A peculiar ending, though, as we never find out about the rest of the characters -- and who wouldn't want to spend a little more time in that haunted castle?
Rated 04 Jul 2019
balseirosbalseiros
Rated 09 Oct 2019
70
40th
Cocteau's choice to keep a high fidelity to the (quite Stockholm-ish) original souce begs a question about the true nature of cinema. Surely the dialogues and the narrative in general could have benefited from the hands of the poet but by keeping away from influencing the text we have here a pure masterpiece of creative filmmaking. What it lacks in narrative structure it compensates in art direction and photography. Or does it? Everytime we leave the castle we return to a kind of blandness.
Rated 09 Oct 2019
hotsakehotsake
Rated 07 Feb 2023
60
51st
The visuals are stunning, the score is okay and the acting is adequate.
Rated 07 Feb 2023
punqPUNQ
Rated 26 Sep 2020
80
99th
A little on the slow side, but super magical nonetheless! Really sands-out in the 1946 environment with its special effects and dreamy visuals. There really was a sense of fantasy that Jean Cocteau created. I got seriously lost in spell of it.
Rated 26 Sep 2020
matthagenmatthagen
Rated 03 Oct 2020
42
23rd
Cocteau didn't need to present a disclaimer at the beginning apologizing for this fairy tale. He forged a gorgeous piece of cinema... for 1946. The production values and visual inventiveness are immaculate. Unfortunately, the acting, the story, and a head-scratching series of events hinder the whole thing. It has its rightful place in cinematic history, it just doesn't hold up great to my eye.
Rated 03 Oct 2020
mr_vincentMr Vincent
Rated 27 Dec 2022
80
74th
A magical, beautiful tale that deserves to be just as well known as the Disney version. Jean Marais delivers one of the best performances under make up in the history of cinema.
Rated 27 Dec 2022
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 12 May 2022
85
85th
Absolutely beautiful movie. Great design and music. The scene where Belle first enters the castle is one of the best I've seen in any movie, and the castle scenes in general are absolutely sublime. I thought the ending, especially some of the editing around the scene with the break-in and Beast's transformation, was a bit odd, and I had a bit of a tough time taking the voice of the Beast juxtaposed with the costume seriously. Aside from that, though, an amazing film.
Rated 12 May 2022
matguy3matGuy3
Rated 14 Jul 2021
6
51st
The movie only really captivated me when it's at the Beast's castle: a gorgeous ethereal, mystifying realm of shadow and light, flowing curtains and decadent vines, walls merely suggested rather than seen, and populated by gazing busts and autonomous arms of uncertain nature. A setting most evocative of classic fantasy which was defined by mood and mystery, where things left vague and implied are just as telling as what's spoken or seen.
Rated 14 Jul 2021
sellissellis
Rated 12 Feb 2022
83
68th
So many moments of breathtaking beauty.
Rated 12 Feb 2022
worstcasesceworstcasesce
Rated 23 May 2011
1
0th
Review pending on rewatch. Score is not a grade.
Rated 23 May 2011
djrossdjross
Rated 14 Aug 2007
76
87th
Score based on distant memory.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
chadisdangerchadisdanger
Rated 03 Feb 2008
90
95th
There are few films as magical as this one. It's quite visually stunning, with imaginative production design (the arm-candelabras alone!) and gorgeous photography. Cocteau is openly dedicated to transporting his viewers into a fairytale, even opening the film with a screed explaining this, and he does so by keeping the story as simple as possible and really making you care about the Beast.
Rated 03 Feb 2008
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 01 Mar 2008
91
85th
# 190
Rated 01 Mar 2008
hehejajahehejaja
Rated 27 Apr 2008
65
47th
Undoubtly fascinating in its poetic expression, but never genuinely interesting.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
actionbergActionberg
Rated 16 Jun 2008
70
49th
Really gorgeous, but sweet Christ that was a poorly done ending.
Rated 16 Jun 2008
dorkovskyDorkovsky
Rated 25 Aug 2008
10
99th
Visually astounding, and while the story is interesting, it's familiarity and sometimes rocky pacing keeps me from liking it more than I do.
Rated 25 Aug 2008
darkmandarkman
Rated 17 Dec 2008
55
12th
This movie doesn't feel right.
Rated 17 Dec 2008
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
90
80th
196
Rated 19 Dec 2008
jazzalohaJazzaloha
Rated 22 Nov 2009
67
52nd
Cool images.
Rated 22 Nov 2009
mechatiggerMechatigger
Rated 10 Dec 2009
100
91st
A lavish, surrealistic film of great interest. Cocteau's wild imagination never lets up as he follows the heroine through her unconventional love story with the Beast. Brilliant.
Rated 10 Dec 2009
theyshoot10theyshoot10
Rated 13 Jan 2010
91
82nd
175
Rated 13 Jan 2010
knightscreenKnightScreen
Rated 13 Aug 2010
95
50th
A magnificent film. The photography is haunting, magical. Performances, especially by La Bete (the beast) are first rate. The only reason it gets a 95 and not 100, is the last 60 seconds of the film. Ahh, Beast!
Rated 13 Aug 2010
ocelotOcelot
Rated 02 Dec 2010
60
54th
Felt very dated, but that might be because of the terrible picture quality of the version I watched. Still, I found it a tad ridiculous.
Rated 02 Dec 2010
lady_moeLady Moe
Rated 16 Feb 2011
86
66th
I must also call to mind the design of the film. The set design is rather bland in the first few minutes of the film, but when you reach the castle, it is as if you have been taken to a new world. Doors open and close on their own and magic arms come out of the walls to hold candelabras and pour beverages. "La Belle et la Bete" is, in short, a magical delight filled to the brim with emotion.
Rated 16 Feb 2011
the_pirateThe Pirate
Rated 09 Nov 2013
79
55th
I can certainly appreciate the movie, but it's not exactly my cup of tea, I guess.
Rated 09 Nov 2013
redfalconRed_Falcon_
Rated 24 May 2011
70
44th
The growing relationship between Belle and the Beast was the best part of this film for me.
Rated 24 May 2011
fuzzleshnopsfuzzleshnops
Rated 28 Jul 2011
91
89th
Wonderful blend of avant-garde and fanciful narrative. I loved the expressive lighting, classic soft focuses on the close-ups of Belle, and the living mise-en-scene. The influences on the Disney version are very evident, although I like both equally the same.
Rated 28 Jul 2011
baggerBagger
Rated 02 Aug 2011
80
84th
This is easily the best adaptation I have seen of this Fairy Tale. It is beautiful, horryfing and it doesn't drag for a moment.
Rated 02 Aug 2011
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 30 Nov 2011
91
82nd
#181
Rated 30 Nov 2011
hulothulot
Rated 13 Jan 2012
80
81st
watched: 2012, 2013
Rated 13 Jan 2012
noam_razNoam Raz
Rated 15 Apr 2012
82
88th
I think that now I do remember why I was drawn to the French culture in the first place.
Rated 15 Apr 2012
glmglm
Rated 22 May 2012
85
80th
84.750
Rated 22 May 2012
nobletNoblet
Rated 22 Aug 2012
83
78th
I think I was going to say something negative about me not really liking fairy tales but this movie has SO MANY SHINY THINGS!
Rated 22 Aug 2012
davidthomsonDavidThomson
Rated 14 Sep 2012
80
66th
It coincides, roughly, with the first wave of Disney feature films. The film is filled with natural miracles, and the secret to it all is that Cocteau set out to make a film that would stir adults; along the way he discovered the child's imagination, too. So it's an extraordinary and very encouraging fusion of pictures for kids and the surrealist art tradition, yet totally true to the diffused but heated sexuality of the original tale.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
fliersFliers
Rated 19 Mar 2013
87
85th
At first, I wasn't really into this film, but once we get to the Beast's castle, everything became awesome and I was surprisingly drawn in. The last bit of the film, when the beast became a prince, made me sad....prolly because the prince just looked like a prick.
Rated 19 Mar 2013
iyisinekiyisinek
Rated 27 Apr 2013
40
8th
Masal, kiz kardeslerinden baski gören kiz (sindrella), babaya asiri baglilik, vahsi yari insan yari hayvan (arslan) adam, seytani görünümlü şato (duvarda kollar, hareket eden heykeller), metafor, (Sinema tarihi acisindan ilgi çekici olabilir ama günümüz için degil, fantezi ve masal sevmiyorsaniz hiç olmaz.) iki kiz bir erkek kardesi babasi ve ile yasayan Belle, babasindan kasabaya gittiginde kendisinden gül getirmesini ister. Ormanda kayip olan baba, bir şatıda bulur kendisini ve
Rated 27 Apr 2013
talonmalontalonmalon
Rated 13 May 2013
81
60th
One of the thousands of adaptations of the classic story Beauty and the Beast. This movie has an outstanding set. It's a real treat as the movie guides you through this castle.
Rated 13 May 2013
sirrobbieSirRobbie
Rated 22 May 2013
90
96th
Stunning. It really feels like a fairytale. The ending was a little too much out there but hell, it's beauty and the beast..ups, sorry, La Belle et La Bete (cannot upset the French).
Rated 22 May 2013
trixrabbiTrixRabbi
Rated 05 Nov 2013
86
92nd
My second Cocteau. So wonderfully imaginative, his films seem to perfectly capture the essence of fantasy.
Rated 05 Nov 2013

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