If you’re going to lift, lift from the best. The trailer for the new French film La Belle et la Bete (or Beauty and the Beast, for you non-Francophiles) is a live action fairy tale which looks to have taken a fair amount of its images from the 1991 Disney animated film, which was nominated for Best Picture if you’ll remember. Hey, “Belle” is French for “Beauty” after all. (The trailer is in French… you’re not going crazy.)
This new film, which will be released in France in February but has no U.S. date yet, is written and directed by Christophe Gans, who made the very impressive Brotherhood of the Wolf in 2001 and directed Silent Hill in 2006. It stars Lea Seydoux (of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Inglourious Basterds, and Blue is the Warmest Color fame) as La Belle and Vincent Cassel (of all sorts of very dark dramatic fare like Black Swan and Trance) as La Bete. As you can see from the trailer, the new take on the classic fable will be very colorful, sumptuous, and striking.
How much does this remind you of the Disney movie? Would you be interested in seeing it should it get an American release? Vincent was the name of the Beast Ron Perlman played on the ’80s TV show; aren’t you impressed I remembered that? Let us know in the comments below.
(ht: SlashFilm)
I definitely have to see this! It looks amazing! 🙂
I grew up with this version of Beauty and the Beast . every saturday on the radio in Mexico they would broadcast fairy tales .I have never have seen the american version because to me they are sugar coated .The versions on the radio were so very good they would excite you made you afraid and you could not wait till the next saturday for continuations of the different tales. I will wait in line to see this movie
I would definitely see it if it came to the USA. It looks to be worth standing in line :).
“But I have no clue why they needed to resurrect the awful looking alien from Lost In Space.”
What are you talking about?
DEFINITELY hearkening to the Cocteau version, the best filmed version of this tale. (Not that Disney’s isn’t wonderful) Get thee to Netflix or buy the Criterion dvd. I don’t think anything modern can top that magical film, but I’ll see this one anyway.
Also reminds me of the original French version, which indeed was a beautiful film. Shame it wasn’t mentioned. I will be in line to see this if it comes to the US.
Some of the frames are straight out of the baroque illustrations from my childhood copy of the original tale. For instance, the father getting caught plucking a rose and the framing is rather iconic way before disney.
It does look rather lush and Cassel and Seydoux are sufficiently morose. 🙂
Thank you, Osric1 for bringing up Cocteau’s version. It’s considered one of the top 100 films of all time. I can’t believe they didn’t mention it once in the article. Cringeworthy.
The Disney version was based on the Cocteau version so its all a cycle. But I have no clue why they needed to resurrect the awful looking alien from Lost In Space. I’ll still watch it, but those things are awful CG.
I would see this if it were released in the US. It doesn’t remind me of the Disney movie at all. This is closer to the fairy tale as it is written by the Brothers Grimm. Basics, Merchant loses fortune, goes to market to rebuild, 3 daughters ask for gifts, Beauty is the youngest and favorite and she ask for a single red rose, dad finds all he needs to restore his wealth in the beasts castle but angers the beast by taking the rose…
Sorry this is not a Disney copy.
it looks gorgeous! can’t say that i care what is was based on, i REALLY hope they release it here in the U.S.
Must…see…this! Not only is Beauty and the Beast my favorite Disney movie, but I’m a huge fan of Vincent Cassel. And it can’t hurt to brush up on my French. 🙂
I would DEFINITELY see this if it were released in the US!! However, I think it’s based more on the 1940s la Belle et la Bête and less on the Disney version.