BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (La belle et la bete) (2014)

Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Director: Christophe Gans
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Léa Seydoux, André Dussollier, Eduardo Noriega, Myriam Charleins, Audrey Lamy
RunTime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 2 October 2014

Synopsis: In France, 1810, a bankrupt merchant (André Dussollier) exiles himself to the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle (Léa Seydoux), his youngest daughter, who is pure of heart. One day, during an arduous journey, the merchant stumbles across the magical domain of the Beast (Vincent Cassel), who sentences him to death for stealing a single rose. Feeling responsible for the terrible fate which has befallen her family, Belle decides to sacrifice herself and take her father’s place. At the Beast’s castle, however, it is not death that awaits Belle, but a strange life in which fantastical moments mingle with gaiety and melancholy.

Movie Review:

As proof of how distinctive and matchless Disney’s adaptation is and continues to be, many may probably not know or regard ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as a French fairy tale. And yet it is; first published in 1740 by French writer Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, ‘La Belle et la Bete’ as it is known in French has seen numerous retellings – including a well-regarded 1946 black-and-white live-action version by Jean Cocteau – but the one that has remained timeless in most audiences’ minds is still the musical which yielded the familiar tunes ‘Be Our Guest’ and the eponymous ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Those looking for the same breath of magic in Gallic helmer Christophe Gans’ version will probably be disappointed; as much as he tries to recreate the same atmosphere of enchantment, Gans never quite brings his audience to the same feeling of rapture despite sticking close to the original narrative. Not that the movie doesn’t try; employing some of the best European visual effects houses, it uses CGI lavishly to create a visually sumptuous world, whether in the subtler shots that show the parting of a pine forest or the more elaborate ones that bring to life a group of giant stone totems. Yet what digital wizardry Gans wields never quite adds up to the feeling of something magical, and that is because at its heart, this story of forbidden love is emotionally vacant.

As the book does, Gans and debuting co-writer Sandra Vo-Anh begin the story by introducing the wealthy merchant (Andre Dussollier) whose six children are forced to endure hard times when his business (literally) runs aground following a shipwreck. Among a pair of good-for-nothing sons and another pair of vindictive daughters is the child whom the merchant loves and dotes the most - his youngest daughter Beauty (Lea Seydoux) - who also happens to be the kindest and most mature of the brood. It is no surprise therefore that Beauty readily offers herself up as a sacrifice for her father to the Beast, after he unwittingly stumbles into the latter’s kingdom of magical proportions one wintry night.

Anyone who’s seen the Disney animation will tell you that the subsequent interplay between Beauty and the Beast is the reason why that tale has lasted “as old as time”. Yes, from fear and disgust, Beauty will, through her interactions with the Beast, come to recognise the humanity inside the human he once was, and slowly but surely fall in love with him. It is a delicate transformation to say the least, one that though we are fully aware of on a rational level, needs to be told with the utmost sensitivity and nuance in order to be able to move us on a far deeper emotional level. Sadly though, these are exactly the traits which Gans’ storytelling could do with a lot more of.

Instead, Gans glosses over their mutual dependency, so much so that unless one already has prior knowledge of the story, you won’t quite understand just why the rose which Beauty’s father picks for her from the Beast’s castle is in fact so critical to his survival. He also fails to portray Beauty’s growing respect and admiration for the once princely Beast as she learns of his tragic past that has led to his present circumstance. In fact, it’s not hard to tell whether or not the movie has successfully convinced you of the affections between the star-crossed pair; how much you feel for both their characters is plainly evident by how much you believe the critical turning point in the story where Beauty lays down her own life in order to try to rescue that of the Beast - and unfortunately, this particular telling of the tale doesn’t quite make the turn of events particularly convincing or compelling.

For reasons we can’t quite fathom, Gans chooses to downplay the romance between Beauty and the Beast, choosing instead to turn the last third of the film into an extravagant action adventure that sees the Beast resurrecting his former palace guards to take on a band of bandits led by Perducas (Eduardo Noriega). You can pretty much guess from Perducas’ impudence that he will eventually meet a horrible death, but what righteous indignation (and visual distraction) that CGI-heavy ending satisfies is fleeting and insignificant compared to what could have been had the filmmakers decided to invest more to develop the relationship between the titular characters.

And because it refuses to be driven by these characters, there is only so much - or so little - that Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux are given to do. So luminous in ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’, Seydoux is merely called upon here to look good in a variety of opulent dinner dresses whose colours are deliberately chosen to be in bright contrast to the surroundings. On the other hand, Cassel seems miscast - as prince, he looks too old to be falling in love with Seydoux or for that matter the princess whose heart he pierces with a golden arrow; and as Beast, his acting is understandably stilted behind a digital mask and an over-modulated voice.

So even though the deck was stacked against this live-action adaptation from the beginning, it does itself little favours by diluting the love affair at the heart of the story and opting for some unnecessary flourishes that are meant for greater CGI spectacle and nothing more. Yes, there is no denying that it does look impressive from a visual standpoint, but what good is that if the very reason why this tale has remained timeless is lost in the telling? Engaging though the riot of colours and special effects may be, but this ‘Beauty and the Beast’ lacks heart and ultimately fails to be as poignant as it should be. 

Movie Rating:

(Visually sumptuous but emotionally vacant retelling of the classic French fairy tale that can’t quite hold a candle to the superior - and timeless - Disney musical)

Review by Gabriel Chong