Disney's latest version of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon, is sure to delight audiences both young and old. It's a remake of the 1991 Disney animated film but this time using a combination of live action and CGI. The songs are from the original with a few new ones added.
Belle, Emma Watson, lives with her father, Maurice, Kevin Kline, in a village in the French countryside, her mother having died when Belle was a baby. She is considered odd by the locals because she is interested in books and wants more from life than is offered in a small country town. One day, when Maurice goes to market with his horse and carriage, he becomes lost in a storm and stumbles across a bleak, crumbling castle. On entering the castle he finds nobody around, but there is a fire to warm himself by, and a grand spread of food. Before eating, be becomes spooked by the enchanted teacup, young Chip, and runs from the castle. On the way out he remembers his promise to Belle to bring her back a rose, and so he picks one from the garden. At that moment the Beast appears and imprisons him. The horse runs home and brings Belle back to the castle, where she changes places with her father. The Beast is, in fact, a prince, who was turned into his current form by an enchantress. He can only be restored to his former body if he wins the love of a woman before the last petal drops from the red rose that he keeps in a crystal dome. The rest of story revolves around the relationship between Belle and the Beast, and you can guess the end.
All the live-action performances are good. Emma Watson plays a feisty, independent-minded Belle. In contrast to Disney's recent Cinderella, Emma would have been able to eat a proper lunch while wearing her costumes. Several of the key characters are CGI, the unfortunate people who were in the castle when the enchantress visited and they were turned into household furniture and chattels. All of these characters have considerable depth and personality, most notably Emma Thompson, as Mrs. Potts, the teapot, Ian McKellen, as Cogsworth, the clock, Ewan McGregor, as Lumière, the candelabra, and young Nathan Mack, as Chip, the teacup. The dog that becomes a piano stool is also a lot of fun. It is a delightful bonus when these characters become the actors, once the spell is broken at the end.
The story of La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast) was originally published in 1740 by French writer Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, a more adult telling, of over 100 pages. It was adapted and shortened by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756, into the more commonly told fairytale. There have been many film adaptations of the tale, including the famous Jean Cocteau version, all with varying amounts of adherence to the original story. The two Disney versions are extremely loosely based on the fairytale. If you expect a retelling of the traditional story, this is not what you will see. What you will see is a very faithful remake of the 1991 animated version.
The movie is visually appealing, with bright costumes, a beautiful village, and a gloomy castle, which has staircases reminiscent of Hogwarts. There are several scenes which pay homage to other movies, such as The Sound of Music (The Hills Are Alive), Ester Williams movies, and Singing in the Rain. The Beast is very like the Beast in the 1946 Jean Cocteau version, La Belle et la Bête.
Beauty and the Beast is not without its flaws or irritations. Some of the songs were not very exciting, the people-packed village scenes were almost eye-hurting with the hectic costumes, and why on earth did Belle walk around for so long with her skirt tucked into the side of her pantaloons?
There has been controversy around the world over the character of LeFou, Josh Gad, who is deliberately gay. A drive-in theatre in Alabama has refused to screen the movie, various organisations in Asian countries have criticised and/or censored the film, and Russia has slapped a 16+ rating on it. Having seen the film, I feel that this is a totally over the top reaction. Apart from the fact that a gay character should not be an issue in this day and age, the 'gayness' is very mild, more flamboyance, and I doubt that younger viewers will even notice.
For lovers of the Disney genre, this is an enjoyable film that should leave most audience members with a smile on their face. It has a little bit of everything: songs, beauty, scary bits, jokes, and a happy ending.
Some reviewers have said that this film is not as good as the original animated version, perhaps due to their own feelings of nostalgia, but, for those who are inclined to live action over animation, and for a new generation of cinema-goers brought up on CGI, this version will probably be preferable.
Beauty and the Beast is currently screening at Palace Nova Cinemas, Rundle Street, Adelaide. Grownups can take a glass of wine in with them.
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