SummaryJean Cocteau's 1946 classic, newly restored to its original glorious black and white splendor. (Film Forum)
Directed By:Jean Cocteau, René Clément
Written By:Jean Cocteau, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Beauty and the Beast (re-release)
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
92
User score
Generally Favorable
7.5
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
92
86% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
So enchanting it takes your breath away.
100
Beautifully remastered and containing Cocteau's long-unseen special prologue and credits -- is as much a feat of feverish delight as it was in the dark days of Vichy and WWII.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.5
81% Positive
38 Ratings
38 Ratings
11% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
9% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Jul 4, 2013
10
A film that doesn't rely on any gimmicks, yet it has wonderful storytelling and memorable songs. A tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, "Beauty and the Beast".
Jul 5, 2016
8
"Belle, you mustn't look into my eyes. You needn't fear. You will never see me, except each evening at 7:00, when you will dine, and I will come to the great hall. And never look into my eyes." 76/100, or B+ Oddly enough, when set in the real world, this film falls victim to some of the usual flaws of old myths, becoming stilted and abstractly moral; in the Beast's castle, the film is gorgeous and haunting, the best sort of gothic fairy tale. Fortunately enough, most of the film is set within Beasty's castle, and this film handles the Beast better than any other, in that he is actually allowed to be a beast, scary and strange and pitiable, rather than just a fuzzy charmer with a slightly growly disposition (I'm looking at you, Disney version). Jean Marais is just fantastic as the Beast, but, for some reason or other, he's a poor actor when outside the fur suit (he double-roles as a scurrilous romantic rival). Anyway, much recommended for those of you who like yout fairy tales to stick in the back of your throats.
100
Cocteau, a poet and surrealist, was not making a "children's film" but was adapting a classic French tale that he felt had a special message after the suffering of World War II: Anyone who has an unhappy childhood may grow up to be a Beast.
100
A masterpiece. It is a credit to Cocteau's genius (and to that of his collaborators) that he has taken the unreal world of a fairy tale and made it as real as the world around us.
100
The timeless fairy tale about a young woman who agrees to dwell with a mysterious monster, as interpreted in 1946 by one of cinema's most brilliant visual stylists and mythmakers.
100
One of the great marvels of the medium, a film that you cannot miss if you hope to be literate in cinema -- or, indeed, if you seek acquaintance with the great works of modern times.
40
Viewers must get in touch with their inner child to fall for Belle's eventual love for Beast. The film seems somewhat aware of this, casting an ambiguous hue on its happily-ever-after conclusion.
Aug 29, 2014
7
Beauty and the Beast is one of the great marvels of animation. A beautiful story, filled with classic Disney music and magic. As good as it is, it is not perfect.
