LA BELLE ET LA BETE (THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) — **** — Jean Marais, Josette Day; black and white; in French, with English subtitles; made before ratings (1946), probable PG (violence, mild profanity, vulgarity)

It may have been made more than a half-century ago — and may have been eclipsed in popularity by the Oscar-winning Disney cartoon — but "La Belle et la Bete (The Beauty and the Beast)" remains a classic.

French filmmaker Jean Cocteau's beloved romantic fantasy has lost none of its power to amaze and enthrall. And this magical adaptation of the much-filmed Jean-Marie Leprince de Beaumont tale clearly inspired much of the imagery for the Disney version.

This 60th-anniversary re-release features some picture and sound enhancements but no extra footage. Not that it needs any.

In screenwriter/director Cocteau's version, a debt-ridden man (Marcel Andre) accidentally stumbles into the lair of the Beast (Jean Marais), a fearsome-looking and seemingly ill-tempered nobleman. The man then steals a rose from the Beast's garden as a gift for his beloved daughter Belle (Josette Day).

At first, the incensed Beast threatens to kill him for those actions. But he relents, saying that he will spare the man — if one of his children will take his place. Unfortunately, neither of the man's two selfish daughters (Mila Parely and Nane Germon) nor his oaf of a son (Michel Auclair) will do so, which leaves Belle.

She bravely heads off to face her death but is surprised to find that the Beast has no plans to eat her. Instead, he treats her as his honored guest and reveals himself as a tormented soul.

Marais plays dual roles, those of the Beast and Avenant, Belle's jealous suitor. He's considerably better as the former. Being concealed under layers of hair and makeup forces the actor to perform through his intonations and a limited range of expressions. His piercing eyes speak volumes.

The effects work here is magical. Today's artificial CGI-produced gimmicks have nothing on this film's wondrous visual imagery.

"La Belle et la Bete (The Beauty and the Beast)" was made before ratings but would probably receive a PG for some brief scene violence (arrows and some implied creature attacks), some macabre imagery, scattered use of mild profanity (religiously based), and some mildly suggestive talk. Running time: 96 minutes.

---

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com