Beauty and the Beast
Once upon a time…
Country
Production
Budget
$0
Box office
$138 503
Director
Actors
Jean Marais, Josette Day, Marcel André, Mila Parély, Nane Germon, Michel Auclair, Raoul Marco, Jean Cocteau, Noël Blin, Christian Marquand
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
André Paulvé, André Paulvé
Camera operator
Composer
Artist
Christian Bérard, Lucien Carré
Audition
Editing
Claude Ibéria
Whole Team (15)
Whole Team (15)
Short description
The story of a gentle-hearted beast in love with a simple and beautiful girl. She is drawn to the repellent but strangely fascinating Beast, who tests her fidelity by giving her a key, telling her that if she doesn't return it to him by a specific time, he will die of grief. She is unable to return the key on time, but it is revealed that the Beast is the genuinely handsome one. A simple tale of tragic love that turns into a surreal vision of death, desire, and beauty.
What's left behind the scenes
- Jean Cocteau long considered the appearance of the Beast. He wanted to give him a deer's head (in memory of the ancient deity Cernunnos) until Jean Marais convinced him that such a mask was entirely unsuitable for a fierce and enraged beast.
- In 1995, composer Philip Glass created an opera of the same name, fully synchronizing it with scenes from Cocteau's film. The idea was for musicians and singers to perform the opera on stage while the newly restored film was shown on a screen behind them.
- In his autobiography, Jean Marais recalls that it took three hours every day to apply makeup to just one face; he developed eczema from wearing the mask. He lived on porridge alone because of the false teeth. During the making of the film, Cocteau himself was also hospitalized with a severe allergic illness.
- The film is based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" (La Belle et la Bête, 1757) by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
- The elaborate costumes for the film were made by the Parisian fashion house Paquin. A young Pierre Cardin worked on the film as a male costume designer.
- The film is based on the fairy tale 'Beauty and the Beast' (La Belle et la Bête, 1757) by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
- Jean Cocteau spent a long time thinking about the appearance of the beast. He wanted to give it the head of a deer (in memory of the ancient deity Cernunnos), until Jean Marais managed to convince him that such a mask was completely unsuitable for a fierce and raging beast.
- The intricate costumes for the film were sewn by the Parisian fashion house Paquin. A young Pierre Cardin worked as the men's costume designer on the film.
- In 1995, composer Philip Glass created an opera of the same name, fully synchronizing it with scenes from Cocteau's film. It was intended that the musicians and singers would perform the opera on stage, while the newly restored film would be projected on a screen behind them.
- In his autobiography, Jean Marais recalls that applying makeup to his face alone took three hours every day; wearing the mask caused him to develop eczema. Due to prosthetic teeth, he survived on a diet of porridge. During the production of the film, Cocteau himself was hospitalized with a serious allergic condition.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
