Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Reviews:Movies:"La Belle et La Bête"

La Belle et La Bête
Directed by: Jean Cocteau
Starring: Jean Marais, Josette Day
Language: French with English Subtitles


This is a wonderful film. It could even be called a work of art. Yes, it is older, yes, it's in black and white, but that just adds to the beauty of it. This is the typical story of beauty and the beast. Belle asks her father to bring her a rose from his trip. He happens to pluck one out of the garden of the beast... Things go from there. There are some interesting things done with the story however, such as the beast's smoking hands. There are many interesting camera shots, such as one that done through the window of a litter that's being carried. There are also some interesting effects. Though nothing like Star Wars, they look pretty cool. If One happens to see the dvd version of this movie, it is also worthwhile to check out at least a little of the Philip Glass opera that is included. A downside is that the movie can be slightly confusing at times. When my family watched it, we didn't quite understand the whole thing with the smoking hands and had to go back to the opening and watch it again.
Some humor, love, romance, and an interesting ending all make this a great film for everyone!

Overall Fluency Rating: 4

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