Beauty and the Beast (in French: La Belle et la Bête) is a French film, made in 1946, based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast". The film was directed by Jean Cocteau, and starred his gay lover Jean Marais as the Beast and Josette Day as Beauty. Image File history File links La_Belle_et_la_Bête_film. ... Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ... Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ... Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont French novelist, (Rouen, 1711-Chavanod, Savoy, 1780). ... Jean Marais photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1947 Jean Marais, born Jean-Villain Marais (December 11, 1913 - November 8, 1998) was a French actor, and the lover of Jean Cocteau. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This article contains information that has not been verified. ... France has been influential in the development of film as a mass medium and as an art form. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Beauty and the Beast is a traditional folktale (type 425C -- search for a lost husband -- in the Aarne-Thompson classification). ... Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ... Jean Marais photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1947 Jean Marais, born Jean-Villain Marais (December 11, 1913 - November 8, 1998) was a French actor, and the lover of Jean Cocteau. ...

The score was by Georges Auric. Cinematography by Henri Alekan. Georges Auric (February 15, 1899 – July 23, 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. ... Portrait of Henri Alekan The French cinematographer Henri Alekan was born on February 10th 1909 in Paris, France and died on June 15th 2001 in Auxerre, Bourgogne, France. ...

The film is notable for its surreal quality and its ability to use existing movie technology to effectively evoke a feeling of magic and enchantment.

In 1995 composer Philip Glass composed an opera version. In its initial incarnation the musicians and singers would perform the work on stage with a restored, newly subtitled print of the film playing on a screen behind them. The current Criterion Collection DVD offers the ability to view the movie while listening to either version. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Philip Glass looks upon sheet music in a portrait taken by Annie Leibovitz. ... The Criterion Collection is a line of authoritative consumer versions of classic and important contemporary films on laserdisc and, later, DVD. It was established as a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company in the mid-1980s. ...

External links

• La Belle et la Bête at The Internet Movie Database
• Frances Steegmuller essay on criterionco.com
• Jean Cocteau essay on criterionco.com