LA BELLE ET LA BETE - BLU-RAY

Product Description

La Belle et la Bête (Blu-ray)
Directed by Jean Cocteau

La Belle et la bête is a landmark feat of cinematic fantasy in which master filmmaker Jean Cocteau conjures spectacular visions of enchantment, desire and death that have never been equalled.

Josette Day is luminous yet feisty as Beauty, and Jean Marais gives one of his best performances as the Beast, at once brutal and gentle, rapacious and vulnerable, shamed and repelled by his own bloodlust. Henri Alekan's subtle black and white cinematography combine with Christian Bérard's masterly costumes and set designs to create a magical piece of cinema, a children's fairy tale refashioned into a stylised and highly sophisticated dream.

The BFI is proud to present this world cinema classic in High Definition for the first time in the UK.

Special features

• Newly presented in High Definition from the French 4K restoration
• Feature commentary by cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling
• Des Réves de Cocteau en numerérique, l'aventure de la Belle et la bête (2013, 51 mins)
• Christian Bérard et Jean Cocteau, deux magiciens de spectacle (2013, 24 mins)
• Deleted scenes (6 mins): film and audio clips from scenes that were not included in the final film
• Original theatrical trailer
• BFI trailer (2013)
• Barbe Bleue (René Bertrand, 1938, 13 mins): an animated version of Perrault's Bluebeard
• Stills gallery
• Illustrated booklet with essays by Dr Deborah Allison, Marina Warner and George E Turner, and full film credits

France | 1946 | black & white | 90 minutes | French language, with optional English titles | original aspect ratio 1.37:1 | 1 x BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit), Region B | Cert PG (Contains mild language and scary scenes

Review

'One of the most spellbinding fairy tales in all cinema' --The Times

'Absolute magic, diamond cold and lunar bright' --The Observer