Beauty and the Beast
The Disney live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast appeared, from the trailers, to be nothing more than a replica of the original animated movie. The details were somewhat different (obviously), but the story clearly wasn't going to change and the scenes were done exactly the same way. Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favourite Disney movies, or at least Belle has always been my favourite princess. I was extremely happy to see that they had cast Emma Watson in the role, because she is perfect for it! But I worried that the movie might not be that interesting if nothing changed. After all, the live-action remakes began during the height of the rewritten fairy-tale trend (see Maleficent and Cinderella, also Once Upon a Time). As disappointed as I might be with an altered storyline, I was hoping for a new angle on things.
Watching this on the plane ride home over the summer, I was happily surprised to discover that the narrative was largely unchanged, but the characters were more fully developed. Belle's family was given more of a backstory that helped to explain what happened to her mother; Prince Adam (Beast) was developed through a small flashback to his childhood and the loss of his own parents. Gaston was even made more malicious. In the original, he is a bully and a xenophobe - basically, he doesn't like the beast because he is different and therefore a threat (to his marriage more than anything else), but he does little that is really wrong except to have Maurice locked up and the beast hunted. The live version develops his wickedness more thoroughly, especially when he takes Maurice out to the woods and then abandons it only to deny any such involvement upon returning to town.
One further addition to the film was the Broadway element of the relationships between some of the servants/furniture that is barely existent in the animated movie.
This Beauty and the Beast is just as good as the original. And I think that it came out at just the right time, joining the movement toward feminist features in Hollywood. Thanks to Emma, the film transfers Maurice's inventing skills to Belle (although the inventions become far less relevant in the new movie). Belle makes it quite clear that she is independent and educated, and pushes for the same education to be provided to other girls. True, it remains the same classic love story, but it is a love based on accepting one another's differences, and that has always been the power of this tale.
The imagery and technology involved in this film are beautiful, the music is great, and the tale is as appropriate now as it has ever been. Definitely worth watching!
Watching this on the plane ride home over the summer, I was happily surprised to discover that the narrative was largely unchanged, but the characters were more fully developed. Belle's family was given more of a backstory that helped to explain what happened to her mother; Prince Adam (Beast) was developed through a small flashback to his childhood and the loss of his own parents. Gaston was even made more malicious. In the original, he is a bully and a xenophobe - basically, he doesn't like the beast because he is different and therefore a threat (to his marriage more than anything else), but he does little that is really wrong except to have Maurice locked up and the beast hunted. The live version develops his wickedness more thoroughly, especially when he takes Maurice out to the woods and then abandons it only to deny any such involvement upon returning to town.
One further addition to the film was the Broadway element of the relationships between some of the servants/furniture that is barely existent in the animated movie.
This Beauty and the Beast is just as good as the original. And I think that it came out at just the right time, joining the movement toward feminist features in Hollywood. Thanks to Emma, the film transfers Maurice's inventing skills to Belle (although the inventions become far less relevant in the new movie). Belle makes it quite clear that she is independent and educated, and pushes for the same education to be provided to other girls. True, it remains the same classic love story, but it is a love based on accepting one another's differences, and that has always been the power of this tale.
The imagery and technology involved in this film are beautiful, the music is great, and the tale is as appropriate now as it has ever been. Definitely worth watching!
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