Text / Liu Xichu
Today is the birthday of French poet director Jean Cocteau. Coincidentally, I watched the classic French fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" taken by Cocteau in 1946 at station B today.
[Finally understand why Belle falls in love with the beast, not because Belle is special and she has read a lot of books. But because he is a beast. 】
Perhaps many directors will decide on Belle's personality according to the fairy tale itself. For example, Belle must hold a book in her hands, her temperament is refined and detached from the world. And this temperament made him fall in love with beasts.
But Cocteau has his own way of telling stories, because he has insight into how love arises. After reading it, you will find that this is not a childish fairy tale. But it is suitable for every adult who has a childhood to watch.
1.
From the beginning of the film, all the close-ups are on Belle's two sisters. They were born young and beautiful, wandering between the prom and the men all day, dressing themselves up like peacocks, eager to marry a prince or a duke.
And Belle just had a face-to-face with the audience, and didn't even see her face clearly. Yes. In a home where there is no father, she is just a servant who takes care of her sister. It feels a bit Cinderella.
Her dumb brother has a handsome friend who wants to marry Belle as his wife. But Belle wanted to be with her father, so she refused the other party's proposal.
One day, the bankrupt father strayed into the castle of the beast because he was walking at night. After a full meal and a good night's sleep, when he left the next day, he plucked a rose-the beast's favorite thing-which triggered the curse of the beast. Unless he exchanges his daughter for him, he will die.
The father used the honorific title to pray for forgiveness from the beast and told him that the rose was the gift his daughter wanted.
[The beast said: "If you stole my rose, you must die... I am a beast, I don’t like other people’s compliments... You don’t need to understand, you only have 15 minutes... The beast orders you to be quiet... Don’t fight, go quickly do it……"】
Nothing can reflect a person's personality better than his original words. In the conversation with our father, we saw a domineering and arrogant beast. Except that God can say so domineeringly: no need to understand, no need to fight, just do as I say. This is the beast.
This is the first appearance of the beast. He wears the same mask as the monster in the old version of "Journey to the West". Leopard head with long hair and sharp arms. The jewels on her body looked like a king. The costumes of the beautiful women in the film are the most stunning. This black-and-white film has already made the jewelry dazzling and grabs the attention of the audience, not to mention how gorgeous it would be if it were a color film.
[But fortunately it is a black and white film, because the audience will not ignore the physical and facial performance of the actors because of external things. 】
2.
Cocteau, who likes poetry and drama, makes the film use exaggerated bel canto to sing the lines of each character. Maybe you can't stand it at first, but then you forget the lines and use it as a kind of background music. What attracts your attention is always the look of the character and the magical picture.
In order to save her father, Belle rode the majestic white horse of the wild beast and took her to the castle she had to go to.
In the age when computer special effects and modern makeup have not yet been born, this movie uses special effects lenses and magical visual effects to present a fairy tale world vividly before our eyes.
The first time the beauty stepped into the territory of the beast, the picture had a strong dreamlike color. At first she did not touch her feet as if she was running in the air, but later she was like Bai Suzhen, but she could do without moving her feet. The door in the castle will automatically open and close, and every statue is alive, they are rolling their eyes, and there is smoke in their mouths. The chandelier on the wall is fixed by a human arm.
[Just like the beast said, here you are the hostess, and they all listen to your arrangements. You will not suffer any harm. 】
When Beauty saw the Beast for the first time, she was shocked by him. The beast gently hugged Belle and climbed up the stairs step by step. When passing through the door of Belle's room, Belle's clothes became a particularly gorgeous queen-like costume.
Then he quietly waited for Belle to wake up. And tell him, you don’t need to be afraid, you will only see me at seven o’clock in the evening. Choosing this time point is not to make an appointment to watch "News Network" together, but to have dinner together.
[Here, I see the elegance and nobility of the prince, without any wretched movements. He already regards Belle as his wife, but still respects her choice and gives her private space. Let her be the queen of the castle and her own queen. 】
2.
It's seven o'clock. The beauty wore a black evening dress and waited in the castle to have dinner with the beast for the first time. In this scene, the beauty is sitting on the chair, and the beast suddenly appears behind her, slowly approaching her. And she also felt his presence, and her breathing couldn't help but become cramped.
[Many people would think that this is the reaction of a beautiful woman out of fear. But I also agree with the film critic Roger Ebert: her expression and movements are obviously characterized by orgasm. At this time, he has not seen the beast with his own eyes, but is fascinated by his teasing. Later, while saying that she could not marry a "beast", she couldn't help playing with a table knife, which was obviously sexually suggestive. 】
When the monster was dying, Belle returned to her. "When did they get better" on the barrage. Maybe it was "good" when I first had dinner together.
At 7 o'clock every night, the Beast will ask Beauty the same question "Will you be my wife?". The beauty also answered "no".
But some things are clear, say no, but the body is very honest. She began to hold hands with the beast, using her own strength to restrain the beast's urge to kill the deer, and feed each other water...
One day, the beast suddenly broke into Belle's room. When he found out that she was not there, he yelled out of control, "Where is Belle? Where did Belle go?" When Belle asked him why he appeared in his room, he conjured up a string of jewelry necklaces and said that he just wanted to give her one. gift. Later, when Belle drove him out, he left aggrieved.
[He always murmured in front of Belle. Without the arrogance and domineering before. In the end, it almost fell into the dust for her. Give Belle the golden key that symbolizes all his wealth and the gloves with magic. And there are no conditions, only one begging. He begged Belle to keep her promise and return to him a week later. This is his sincerity. 】
3.
But Belle missed the appointment.
She is greeted by two sisters who are greedy and jealous, and by a suitor who only seeks to get Belle without considering her feelings. The key was stolen and Belle was "left behind".
Finally, when Belle saw in the mirror the monster that was sick because of missing her, she returned to the castle.
[I have to mention here again, when the beauty is lying on the bed and seeing the monster in the mirror, it is an expression of sexual desire. As she said to her father, "He is kind, even noble, I sympathize with him and like him, I have to go back."]
The beast at this time walked through the living room where the beauty had stayed, stroking the bed where she had slept. He clutched his chest and faltered. Like a betrayed person, lonely and lonely. Only death awaited him.
Belle still wears the clothes the beast gave her and the jewelry the beast gave her. The long veil dangled from the crown, one to the feet.
She looked around for the beast, and finally found him by the pond. He was so embarrassed that half of his body was stuck in the mud puddle. [He is dying. The beauty begged him to cheer up, and he sorrowfully replied: "If I were alone, maybe I could cheer up. But the poor beast, eager to prove his love, still had to lie on the ground and die."]
Finally, to steal the treasure of the beast, the man who proposed to Belle became a beast, and the beast came back to life and became a prince. But he looked exactly like a dead man. We know that both the prince and the beast were played by Jean Marais.
[But whether it's the audience or the beauty, or even Marlene Dietrich who plays the beauty, they all love that charming beast. Instead of combing his back and wearing a superficial prince. 】
After watching this version of "Beauty and the Beast" by Cocteau, you will hope that the one who rides the white horse to pick you up is a beast, not a prince.
Every good director knows how to put his own brand on his work. Cocteau is one of them.
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