Published On:Sunday, November 16, 2014
Posted by Trueline Radio
Review: "Beauty and the Beast"
"Beauty and the Beast" First written as
"Belle et la Bete" by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de
Beaumont in 1756, there have been many variants of the original in literature,
television, stage and films. With elements of fantasy such as a castle in the
forest, a curse, a prince charming and a damsel in distress, fairy tales have
always been fascinating and "Beauty and the Beast", is no different.
Ironically, Director Christophe Gans' "Beauty and the
Beast" is the second major French film adaptation of the classic fairy
tale after 68 years. The previous film with the same name was directed by Jean
Cocteau in 1946.
Well this latest edition, with a bit of digression in the
narration, offers nothing out of the ordinary in terms of plot, acting or
presentation. But nevertheless, it is still mesmerizing. It is so magically
beautiful with its phenomenal music, exquisite visual style and enchanting
craftsmanship, that it would enthrall kids of every age group.
Narrated as a layered story within a story mode, the film
begins with the opening of a book as Seydoux's voice reads a bedtime story,
"Belle et la Bete" to two adorable kids. She tells them the tale of a
rich merchant who has three sons - Maxim, Tristan and Luis and three daughters
Anne, Clotilde and Belle.
Belle the youngest, is known for her beauty and the film is
her journey of how she meets the beast and falls in love with it.
On the performance front, most of the cast are perfunctory.
Lea Seydoux as Belle is ravishingly endearing. Vincent Cassel as the Beast is
adorable too. But unfortunately the chemistry between the two is lacking and
the fault lies not with the actors but with the sketchy script that wrapped up
the exposition with seemingly unintentional hurry.
Also, this classic romantic fairy tale feels more contrived
than it ought to as the scriptwriters underplay the true depths of the romance
and emotion amidst its majestic plot-graph.
Technically, with excellent production values and elaborate
costumes, the visuals by cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne are vibrantly
brought to life by his meticulous framing. Unfortunately, the computer
generated images of the Beast done by motion-capture are of poor quality and
jarring at times.
But as mentioned earlier, this film, its minor flaws
notwithstanding, is sure to captivate kids and leave them engrossed in this
fantasy tale.
A treat for kids, the release of the film couldn't have been
more well-timed, with this being a "Children's Day" weekend.
