#batb 2014

@fantasyblr week: day 2 – subgenre (fairy tales)

4YE’s Big Movie Binge: La Belle Et La Bete (2014)

Credit: Eskwad/Pathe/TF1 Films Production

Thanks to Disney, everybody knows the story of Beauty and the Beast. The House of Mouse released their animated version of the classic in 1991 where it became a smash-hit. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award.

Disney released their live-action version, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, last…

Pros:

FUCKING. GORGEOUS. ALL OF IT.

Seriously, the visuals in this are so great. If you thought the 2017 version stayed too close to the designs from the animated version and were disappointed by that, you ought to watch this. It’s surprisingly imaginative in that regard.

It does a hell of a lot to make itself distinct from previous adaptations of the story. Calling it a remake doesn’t really do it the justice it deserves.

I really like what they did with Belle here. She’s tough, snarky, mischievous and ultimately a more active force than she is in most versions of the story. It was a nice change of pace.

This version also focuses more on her father and includes her siblings, most of whom get their own little story arcs and moments to shine. They’re great side characters.

Instead of transformed servants, the Beast has little chibi beagles called Tadommes living in the castle with him. They don’t serve much of a purpose, but they’re cute enough for me to count them in the movie’s favor.

Unlike the live-action Disney version, this one actually commits to giving the Beast/Prince a full backstory. I won’t spoil it here, but it’s an original idea that’s engaging and tragic when executed.

Cons:

The film is so committed to telling the Beast’s backstory that it’s told in three separate flashbacks that take up most of the film’s runtime, leaving little to no room for the development of the Belle/Beast relationship.

As a result, the problems that usually come up in adaptations of this story are amplified to an unfortunate degree here. The love story just jumps from point to point instead of feeling natural in any way. When Belle tell the Beast that she loves him at the end of the movie, it’s hard to believe it. This is really a shame because the actors do have chemistry, and because the rest of the film is so well done.

There are pacing issues, as you’ve probably guessed. Things slow down a lot once the third act gets started. They pick up again once the climax properly gets going, but it starts becoming a chore to watch for a few minutes.

Some extraneous characters, like the Gaston equivalent’s fortune-teller girlfriend.