Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) (2014)

Movies Watched In 2018 - To Infinity & Beyond! (365 movies items)

"Made a year before the Disney version came out, this movie is much closer to the fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Although there is no definitive version of the story, it is far better better than the Disney movie that there is no doubt. This new French version is different from many other versions because it concentrates much more on the family's back story and how awful Belle's siblings are. The movie is also visually breathtaking. The style takes f"

Beauty and the Beast

“Hey, have you ever wanted to watch a version of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale that added in unnecessary amounts of CGI, weird side stories involving fortune tellers, and tonally dissonant cutesy animals scurrying about the castle? If so, then have I got the monstrosity for you! A completely forgettable version that adds more tangents and garnishes to a sturdy tale that renders the whole thing strangely muted, and makes Disney’s recent live-action version look like Cocteau’s by comparison.   Why is making a movie of this so damn hard?   Christophe Gans’ version is overburdened with sumptuous imagery that flirts with erotic intensity or perhaps fevered dream logic, but completely lacks the follow-through on either of those points. Then we get a brand new tragic backstory t” read more

Film Journal 2015 (112 movies items)

" This French fairy tale was perfect. I loved every second and recommend it to all those who don't mind subtitles (or dubbing). It was enchanting and just really enjoyable."

Watched in 2017 (305 movies items)

"4-20"

An average movie

“Next year, Disney will come up with another live-action version of this classic tale but the French have already released their own version in the mean time.Well, even though it was visually pretty neat, I was actually rather bored by the damned thing. I don’t know, maybe it was because it was just too familiar with this old tale or it was maybe the fact that I didn’t care much for the new ideas they added to the mix. Furthermore, while Vincent Cassel was a perfect choice to play the Beast, I'm afraid the lovely Léa Seydoux  was rather miscast to play the title character. I  mean, Seydoux is really talented, no doubt about it but, so far, I have seen her only play some cold ice queen girls and I would definitely not choose her to play a cute and innocent princess in a fairy tale lik” read more