New 4K Digital Restoration
Thursday, June 16 | 5:30 & 8 pm
Sunday, June 19 | 2 pm
Produced in the lean days following the end of WWII, poet-filmmaker Jean Cocteau’s thoroughly magical adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beamont’s classic fairytale is a powerful testament to film’s capacity to transform reality into fantasy. This pristine, 4K restoration showcases Henri Alekan’s luminous black-and-white cinematography, which Cocteau likened to the “soft-gleam of hand polished old silver.” Using his expressive eyes to great advantage, Jean Maris gives a moving, nuanced performance as The Beast, while Josette Day brings balletic grace to her role as Belle. Christian Bérard’s extraordinary production and costume design create an atmosphere that is at once dreamlike and richly tactile. In particular, The Beast’s enchanted castle, guarded by living statues, lit by animated candelabras, and staffed by invisible servants, anticipates Disney’s animated version.
Director Jean Cocteau 1946 France 93 minutes NR DCP
