Beyond appearances with Beauty and the Beast

Although we're all familiar with the Disney cartoon or the film adaptations, the original story originated in France in 1740 and was published in the collection of enchanted tales "La Jeune américaine, et les contes marins", by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Let's discover the story together, and how it has evolved over time.

From Beast to The Beast

In the original story, the term "beast" combines the two well-known meanings. Not only does the character look like an animal, he also lacks intelligence. The story is also much longer, as the transformation of the Beast into a prince takes place more or less in the middle.

In France, in 1756, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont began to modify the story and, above all, considerably shortened the scenario to produce the version we know today. Numerous versions were subsequently created throughout Europe.

Although today we think mainly of Walt Disney's hit film Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, the story had already been adapted several times for the big screen, and even in live action. In France, this was the case in 1946 with the film "Beauty and the Beast", produced by Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais and Josette Day.

In 1991, the film returned to cinemas in Disney cartoon format. The film became the face of the story "Beauty and the Beast", familiar to young children and their parents alike, with the castle, the forest and above all the living domestic objects such as Lumière, Cogsworth (Big Ben), Wardrobe, Mrs. Potts (Mrs. Samovar) and Featherduster (Plumette).

Live action adaptations

We're also familiar with the 2017 Hollywood film. Nevertheless, we must first mention the French production team's adaptation of Christoph Gans, in cinemas in 2014. This French film, starring Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux as the main characters, was a small success in France, and especially in Japan, where it topped the box office.

In 2017, Disney Studios revisited their 1991 version and adapted it into a live action format with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the lead roles. Beauty and the Beast" is directed by Bill Condon, best known for directing films 4 and 5 of the hit "Twilight" saga.

Stockholm syndrome?

Some modern critics seek to discredit the love story in the various films by reducing it to Stockholm syndrome. This syndrome occurs when a prisoner develops feelings for his guard, going so far as to defend him.

Before accepting the role in Bill Condon's film, Emma Watson studied the question to check whether the story would harm her feminist commitment. She came to the conclusion that the love between Belle and the Beast is genuine, and so accepted the role.

An eternal love

For centuries, the love story between Belle and the Beast has enchanted generation after generation around the world. You can prolong this enchantment with the many goodies from the franchise in our geek shop: