"Beauty and the Beast," the 1946 film directed by Jean Cocteau, is considered a masterpiece by critics and viewers alike. Drawing inspiration from the rich world of fairy tales, Cocteau employs stunning cinematography techniques to create a magical and romantic story. The movie charms the audience with its vivid imagery and beautiful musical score, both of which give it the feeling of poetry caught on film.
Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast," like Disney's 1991 cartoon version, is based on the well-known 18th century fairy tale by Madame Leprince de Beaumont. Cocteau, however, manages to remain truer to the spirit of the original tale than the Disney incarnation. It is the story of a merchant who is caught picking a rose from the garden of the mysterious Beast and must pay for the misdeed with his life. Wishing to save her father from death, the merchant's selfless daughter Belle offers to go to the Beast's castle in her father's place. Once they are living together, the Beast and Beauty come to know one another well, and the Beast falls in love with the girl. He proposes marriage, but she refuses because she has already pledged herself to the wealthy nobleman Avenant.
But Belle somehow remains strangely drawn to the Beast, who, despite his monstrous physical appearance, possesses an honest, caring heart. He decides to test Belle's loyalty, however, by giving her a key and demanding that she return it at a certain time. Unfortunately, her greedy brother and sisters have learned about the treasures hidden within the Beast's castle and plot to steal them by preventing Belle from returning the key on time.
The climax of the film occurs when the Beast is transformed due to the actions of Belle's treacherous family. He is revealed to be truly handsome; in fact, he bears a striking resemblance to the shallow Avenant. There is a certain degree of ambiguity in this moment, which makes it quite a memorable s...