# Beauty and the Beast - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=91882[/img] 
*Title: Beauty and the Beast* 

*Movie:* :3.5stars:
*Video:* :4stars:
*Audio:* :4stars:
*Extras:* :2stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*74



[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=91890[/img]*Summary*
The tale of “Beauty and the Beast” is one that’s old as time (hehe, sorry, I couldn’t resist), and one that has bene adapted a dozen different ways from the original fairy tale. It’s been put on film, into verse, into rhyme and on live stage productions as well with exceptional results. While I have an incredibly soft spot in my heart for Disney’s animated version (I can pretty much sing every song by heart), my favorite rendition of the romance between lady and beast is the 1946 version that Criterion has out on Blu-ray. However, no matter WHAT telling of the story, there is a strange habit for the creators to leave out some pieces of the original story, instead focusing on certain aspects of the fairy tale and missing out on others. Christophe Gans retelling of the tale is closer in detail to the original fairytale than most others that have come before it, but it is also not without pitfalls and weaknesses of its own. 

We all know the basic story by heart, but Christophe Gans retelling puts a more “classic” twist to the retelling. We open the film with an unknown woman reading a fairy tale to her two young children (it doesn’t take a genius to know that it’s actually Belle, despite not completely seeing her face) about a land far away in a time not so long ago. In this land there lived a rich merchant who lost his entire fortune due to some poor business decisions and a nasty sea storm taking his ships away from him. Left penniless and with nowhere else to go, this merchant leaves for the countryside with his 3 sons and 3 daughters. While the rest of the family starts to squabble and complain about their lack of finery, the youngest daughter, Belle, shines as the one saving grace of the family. A kind-hearted soul who thrives no matter what situation they’re in, and earns the coveted spot of daddy’s favorite as a result.

Sadly the eldest son owes a great amount of money to a local scoundrel, which leads to an event where Belle’s father has to escape his clutches and dives straight into the deep forest. There he runs into our titular beast, who threatens to enslave the old man for picking a rose. Giving him one day to say goodbye to his family, the beast sends him back on his way. Upon hearing the tale of woe, Belle slips out and returns to the castle alone, effectively taking her father’s punishment on her shoulders. There she becomes the prisoner of the Beat, lonely creature who has been cursed for centuries due to his own arrogance and lack of love for a woman who held him most dear. Here in the cursed castle of the prince turned beast, Belle and the monster learn that beauty is not what is without, but what is within. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=91898[/img]This 2014 rendition of the classic fairy tale really does stick closer to the source material than any other movie I’ve seen. Instead of the modern twist of having the Beast cursed by a witch for being basically a jerk, it’s a moving tale (told to Belle via a mysterious being of which I’ll not ruin the surprise of) of a man become so overcome by his own arrogance that he loses the very thing that makes his life worth living, and is cursed as a result. I absolutely adored that they made his curse last CENTURIES (something which was always a logical flaw in the Disney animated film where a prince and a castle were completely forgotten about by the villagers over the course of about a decade. Not exactly believable), but there is a disconnect in the second act. The beast is a lonely creature (played by Vincent Cassel) who is desperate for someone to love him so that he can break his curse. Instead of being angry and petulant, there is a horrible desperation to him that is pitiable as you start to realize he is just as much a victim in their little dance as he is the instigator. However, as pitiable as he is, Belle (played by the lovely Lea Seydoux) doesn’t go through a carefully documented change of heart for her captor like in other renditions. Up until the very end when she comes back there doesn’t seem to be any change in her opinion of the beast, and it’s all over with too quickly. The whole premise of the fairytale (that love comes from within and not what you look like) is almost completely ignored as her change from revulsion to love seems like someone just flipped a switch in her instead of an organic change of heart after spending time with the true him.

There’s a few odds and ends that feel a bit odd (like the scoundrel that her family owes money to and his ending), but overall the differing twist with the Beast’s curse and some fantastic acting by all involved make this version of “Beauty and the Beast” one of the more enjoyable NON Disney experiences out there. Vincent Cassel does wonders as the Beast, but it’s Lea Seydoux that just steals the show as the lovely and innocently sensual Belle. She exudes that inner beauty that the character is known for (despite the fairly non believable character shift in the third act), and the set design is one of the most unique and alluring aspects to the foreign film. 




*Rating:* 

Rated PG-13 for some fantasy violence, sensuality and partial nudity 




*Video* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=91906[/img]“Beauty and the Beast” comes to Blu-ray with a rather interesting looking 1080p encode. The style is rather different than what I was expecting, with large portions of the film looking drab and desaturated, with blues and greys dominating the colors. However, those drab moments are usually contrasted with sharp bursts of color, such as Belle’s ruby red lips, or the golden sparkle of the magical waters, or the blood red of a rose amidst the grey gnarled bushes. Belle’s dresses always standout against the drabness, acting as focal point for the eye, which is drawn to the lavishness amidst such squalor. Fine detailing is impressive, but never really AMAZINGLY sharp, as there seems to be an odd softness that accompanies the hazy fog that surrounds the castle. Black levels are strong and healthy, with only minimal banding to obstruct the view. It’s a nice looking encode, but one that is a bit strange compared to what we’re normally used to. 








*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=91914[/img]Shout Factory follows its usual pattern of proving both a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track AND a 2.0 DTS-HD MA lossless track as well, however this time it’s a PAIR of pairs (so to speak) as we get those two tracks in BOTH English and the original French language. Personally, I give the edge to the French track not only because I’m a fan of original audio tracks, but because it feels a bit richer and fuller than the English track for some reason (and the English sports some annoying dubs in French accents). The LFE is probably the strongest point in the mix, as the movie pounds away at the low end of the auditory spectrum from the crashing waves that open up the film, to the thundering footsteps of the giant rock men at the end of the film. On the flip side, while the LFE is pretty unrelenting throughout (there’s plenty of opportunities for heave bass), it doesn’t get as deep or guttural as I felt it could have. A slight oddity that just niggles at the back of your mind. Still, the changes in direction and the use of surrounds makes for a wildly engaging track on that end, with amazing shifting effects as well as a beautiful score that fills out all the remaining channels with grace and elegance. Dialog is strong and located firmly in the center of the track, sometimes pushing most of the effort into that channel and giving the surrounds a break for intermittent periods of time. 






*Extras* :2stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=91922[/img]
• Interview with Director Christophe Gans 
• Interview with Vincent Cassel 
• Interview with Léa Seydoux 
• Theatrical Trailer 









*Overall:* :3.5stars:

Will this version of “Beauty and the Beast” knock the Disney animated film or the 1946 French “original” off of their pedestals? No, but I have to say that I was really drawn to this one despite the mixed reviews, and was really glad Shout Factory pulled his one over to the states, as it is a fun watch with a different take on the story. The lavish French costuming is something that any fan of period pieces will love to death, and the inclusion of Lea Seydoux makes for an enthralling experience. I fully recognize that there are some distinct flaws to the storytelling, but the overall experience is still a highly enjoyable one. The Blu-ray sports some solid audio and video scores, but the extras are just a tad slim for my tastes (especially considering Shout is known for their abundance of extras). Definitely worth checking out in my opinion. 


*Additional Information:*

Starring: Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux, Andre Dussollier
Directed by: Christophe Gans
Written by: Sanda Vo-Anh, Christopher Gans
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0, French DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 2.0
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 113 Minutes 
Blu-ray Release Date: February 21st, 2017




*Buy Beauty and the Beast On Blu-ray at Amazon*





*Recommendation: Good Watch​*







More about Mike


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Thank you for the review. I need to catch this one and for sure the 1946 version as I hear it's really good. Loved the Disney one.

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> Thank you for the review. I need to catch this one and for sure the 1946 version as I hear it's really good. Loved the Disney one.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


it's a fun movie. the 1946 one is a FANTASTIC Criterion collection disc too. Well worth the purchase IMO


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> it's a fun movie. the 1946 one is a FANTASTIC Criterion collection disc too. Well worth the purchase IMO


I hear the special effects is pretty good considering it's a 1946 movie.

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> I hear the special effects is pretty good considering it's a 1946 movie.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk



they are, much more prosthetics used, but the black and white cinematography is much more forgiving in that aspect


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> they are, much more prosthetics used, but the black and white cinematography is much more forgiving in that aspect


I eventually want to own them all. My 5 year old daughter loves the Disney one. That's the only one we have on dvd since I bought it awhile back.
I'm thinking on getting it on bluray.

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> I eventually want to own them all. My 5 year old daughter loves the Disney one. That's the only one we have on dvd since I bought it awhile back.
> I'm thinking on getting it on bluray.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


It's a worthy goal. The Disney one is a bonafide classic for sure. I've seen it at least 15 times (not exaggerating)


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> It's a worthy goal. The Disney one is a bonafide classic for sure. I've seen it at least 15 times (not exaggerating)


I saw it at the theater years ago and a few times on dvd. Great indeed. I'm planning on seeing the new one that's coming out next month with the family.

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> I saw it at the theater years ago and a few times on dvd. Great indeed. I'm planning on seeing the new one that's coming out next month with the family.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


I've REALLY liked the Disney live action remakes like "Jungle Book" and "Cinderella", but I'm a little leary of the new "Beauty and the Beast". The other live action movies have had their own twists and take on the story, but the trailer for "Beauty" is making it seem like it's a carbon copy of the animated one. Not that that's a completely bad thing, but it doesn't look as "fresh" as the others, so I'm wondering if that will effect the experience (though don't get me wrong I'll still be seeing it because my wife will MAKE me see it day one lol).


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> I've REALLY liked the Disney live action remakes like "Jungle Book" and "Cinderella", but I'm a little leary of the new "Beauty and the Beast". The other live action movies have had their own twists and take on the story, but the trailer for "Beauty" is making it seem like it's a carbon copy of the animated one. Not that that's a completely bad thing, but it doesn't look as "fresh" as the others, so I'm wondering if that will effect the experience (though don't get me wrong I'll still be seeing it because my wife will MAKE me see it day one lol).


I bought the latest remake of the jungle book before Christmas and still haven't seen it. 

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> I bought the latest remake of the jungle book before Christmas and still haven't seen it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


tsk tsk, get on it brutha!


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> tsk tsk, get on it brutha!


I will. For films like that I usually wait for my kids to watch it together but for some reason when I bring up jungle book they say NO not that one. 
I'm gonna just have to skip them and watch it on my own.

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> I will. For films like that I usually wait for my kids to watch it together but for some reason when I bring up jungle book they say NO not that one.
> I'm gonna just have to skip them and watch it on my own.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


ahhh, that makes sense. I do that with my nephews and nieces when I get these films in. They love it when Uncle mike has the latest animated or Disney flick to show them.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> ahhh, that makes sense. I do that with my nephews and nieces when I get these films in. They love it when Uncle mike has the latest animated or Disney flick to show them.


I'm sure they do. It's amazing watching the kids smile as they watch a movie. You can't help but wonder what fantasy is going through their mind. I remember those years as a child. A movie that stands out is The Last Unicorn and The Secret of Nimh. 

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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

asere said:


> I'm sure they do. It's amazing watching the kids smile as they watch a movie. You can't help but wonder what fantasy is going through their mind. I remember those years as a child. A movie that stands out is The Last Unicorn and The Secret of Nimh.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


yeah, it's one of those little joys. I have no kids of my own (I can't medically due to some medical issues) but I love to see them have a blast with them. Makes my review job a bit easier too


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## opell (Feb 18, 2017)

I'm surprise with the reviews. I'm kinda expecting all five stars with this movie.


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