La Belle et la Bete

(Jean Cocteau, France 1946, 93 min., 35mm)

Noted playwright, artist, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau brings his eclectic vision to the screen in this adaptation of the famed children's fable. More poetry in motion than child's play, the film uses visual metaphors and hypnotic music (by Georges Auric) to transport the audience along with country maiden Belle (Josette Day) from the comforts of home to the terrific and mystifying castle of The Beast, played by Cocteau's muse, Jean Marais.