Beauty and the Beast

Movies: 1991, G; 2017, PG

Premise - Upon witnessing his cruelty, an enchantress puts a curse on a selfish prince to turn him into a hideous beast. The only way to break the spell is for the Beast fall in love with someone who loves him in return, so he may learn to use his heart. Turned as outwardly ugly as his personality, he is forced to realize that it is what is inside someone's heart that matters most. If he cannot find love before all of the petals on an enchanted rose fall, the curse becomes permanent. 

Review - As a child I always subliminally loved Belle. I don't think I had a cognitive grasp of why. In hindsight, I realize that I'm more like Belle that probably any other Disney princess, or Disney character for that matter (er, actually, Jane from Tarzan? I love gorillas and science!). An avid reader and daydreamer, I have always felt as though a piece of myself was in Belle. She is bookish, kind of exists in her own head, likes to escape in fantasy, and has the kindness in her to fall deeply in love with the most unlikely of people. I love that. Similarly, I have always wanted to live vicariously through Emma Watson who stars in the 2017 live action film. I idolize her, and she my personal embodiment of femininity. Therefore, the fact that Belle and Emma Watson came together was a very enlightening experience.

There are so many reasons why Emma was fated to play this part. Belle and Hermione are both female icons who worship books and learning, and Hermione’s daughter is named Rose. However, I would say she played more of a toned down version of herself, rather than the Belle I loved so much from the animated film. I have no problem with them changing the character to be more headstrong and, well, Emma-Watson-esque. Emma Watson is fantastic on screen just as herself. What I care about is the level of awareness the filmmakers had with the change. If the rhetoric is “we stayed true to the original!” it makes me wonder how much they understood the original. Live-action Belle seems much older and more self-aware. She’s odd as always, but the original Belle seemed too lost in her own head to be aware of her oddness. She was dreamy and youthful, whereas this Belle is more progressive and mature. She knows the village finds her strange and that gives her a stronger dissatisfaction with life that the animated Belle hasn’t quite come to terms with yet. Animated Belle is driven out of the town by curiosity, not frustration. Also, a huge theme for live-action Belle is fearlessness, and that had much lesser prominence in the original. Together, this makes the live action Belle much less expressive with her body, and more about subtlety. Live action Belle is kind of… sadder. The changes make sense because the three characters who changed the most are Maurice, Belle, and the Beast. If you change one, you gotta change all three, because Belle is who she is because of Maurice, and Belle has to fall in love with the Beast. I believe after the major changes to Maurice’s character, a lot of the rest fell into place.

There’s a compatibility between Belle and the Beast in the live action that is not as present in the animated film. It makes the love story much more believable, and feel much less like Stockholm Syndrome. They are both made to be hyperaware of their role as an outsider, but smart, educated, and irked by the village people. As a romance, the reboot is a much stronger film. As a fairy tale, this can be kind of weakening, because it takes away from the innocence, kindness, and simplicity of the original. I also worry that these two characters, compatible as they are, have still set themselves at odds with other village members because they feel a sense of… superiority? It's as if to say the only way to be lovable is to be educated and have an appreciation for prestigious literature. This is a very nit-picky criticism, because my general takeaway from the film is pure love. It’s a beautiful film.

 The theme of this story is not just “Beauty is on the inside.” That’s far too simple. Truly this story is about openness of both the heart and mind. This ties together the themes of literacy, provinciality, and of course the love story. I love this story to death because openness is my favorite characteristic in the world. (96/100)

Quote - "How in the midst of all this sorrow can so much hope and love endure? I was innocent and certain, now I'm wiser and unsure"

What to watch for - No matter which version you're watching, it's the musical numbers that make this film so powerfully memorable. I am a sucker for the yellow dress and the waltz scene (both versions).

If you liked these movies, I'd recommend Cinderella!

Based on the 1740 French fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

1990 version: 

Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise 

Produced by Walt Disney Pictures

Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures

2017 version:

Directed by Bill Condon

Distributed by Disney