Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie of 2017, this version fixes all of the story problems, keeps all of the characters and plot points while giving them depth, and makes me think of the 1991 animated film, but feels fresh. Beauty and the Beast is directed by Bill Condon who previously directed Dreamgirls (2006) and Chicago (2002). He has a masterful touch, expanding on the musical and giving it proper scope. The screenplay again expands on the animated story with Stephen Chbosky, who wrote the screenplay for Rent (2005), still one of the best stage to film musicals, and Evan Spiliotopoulos who has written the Disney direct to videos and The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016). So, we have an introduction by a female narrator explaining about the prince (Dan Stevens). He is currently David Haller in Legion, but I remember him as the hilarious Lancelot in 2014's Night at the Museum 3. We see him in closeup getting make-up for a party. He does not get a name, but he is Prince Ardent in the Cocteau film. It sort of reminds me of the mirror ball in Labyrinth, beautiful, but strange.
The first song is by Madame Garderobe (Audra McDonald). We get a glimpse of the servants before their transformations. They are interrupted by the arrival of an old woman who has brought a rose for the prince. He rejects it and she reveals herself as the Enchantress (Hattie Morahan); glowing and beautiful. This scares off the dancers and she transforms him. It is explained that the enchantment has made the nearby town of Villeneuve, named after the original author, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, forget it’s existence. Also, to turn it into eternal winter, hey Elsa!, and transform the servants into knick knacks and furniture. The reason why is answered here; they are not exactly innocent supporting the prince. This shifts to Villeneuve where we get Belle, of course which means literally means “beauty” (possibly a nod to the 1946 Cocteau film), and the rest of the townspeople. Of course, Emma Watson is known as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, but this is a more leading role and it seems closest to Watson as a person. I prefer her singing to Paige O’Hara since it is more of an innocent girl, than songstress.
Belle’s captivity and why she stays are all played out reasonably in the film. The song, “Belle”, shows how strange the townspeople think of her, and Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad), “The fool” in French, ride in to try to impress Belle. This duo made me laugh whenever they show up on screen. The criticism with Gad’s character is folie, it is brief moments that lasts maybe fifteen seconds. Interestingly, Gaston is a captain who is a veteran from some war, without it, he is restless and thinks the conquest of Belle is the answer. Belle is headed to return a book to Pere Robert (Ray Fearon) who supports her love of reading, but he has about five books. It was always strange in the cartoon how Belle could be a reader in a town of illiterates. This in contrast to the Beast's library. At her home is her father, Maurice (Kevin Kline) sings a sad song, original for the film, “How Does a Moment Last Forever” about his wife and child whom he recreates as figures in a music box. The new songs (from original composer Alan Menken and his collaborator Tim Rice) really add to the characters and the story. I also noted that they don’t use the additional songs from the Broadway production.
Belle returns home and is troubled by the townspeople’s opinion, but Maurice tells his daughter about another woman people thought was strange, her mother!, and how she changed the Parisians. The lost mother is a great part of Belle's character. Gaston finds contempt for the beggar woman Agathe (I won’t reveal who plays her, it would be a big spoiler!), but Belle has compassion for her. Belle has her Sound of Music moment and then we get the “Gaston" song with LeFou leading the song. Belle has Maurice find her a rose when he is out selling his music boxes (this is from the original 1740 French tale). He takes Philippe, his horse, and rides out into the forest when a storm hits. A lightning bolt hits a tree and Maurice turns the horse down the dark path. It turns into winter and they are frightened by wolves and end up at the castle.
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| Rose prop from the film at the El Capitan Theatre, 2017. |
It is a nice gradual introduction to the animated knick knacks, there is the candlestick, Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and clock, Cogsworth (Ian McKellan). It is great to hear Ewan McGregor sing since Moulin Rouge (2001). The comic duo is the same as Gaston and le Fou; I was laughing at all of their scenes. Lumiere flirts with the swan-headed duster, Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), and their new forms brings some of the sadness for the servants. Maurice gets startled by the talking tea cup, Chip (Nathan Mack), and runs away from the castle. The tea pot, Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), sees her son and the fleeing Maurice who stops to get a rose for his daughter. This is seen by the Beast and his shadow falls on Maurice. Philippe escapes and returns to Villeneuve. Belle sees the return of her family’s horse and has him take her to the castle. She enters the castle and picks up the candlestick to find her father. Belle hears him coughing in the cell up the stairs.
The Beast leaps down and she is shocked that the Beast considers her father a thief. So she takes his place fearing for his health. At her room is the sleepy wardrobe, Madame de Garderobe, her husband is now the harpsichord, Maestro Cadenza (Stanley Tucci). We later get what happened to Belle’s mother and the Beast’s parents. The CG spectacle of “Be Our Guest” is instead replaced by classic MGM musical numbers. Dan Stevens gets to sing in “Something There” and a new song, “Evermore”, I actually wanted more songs by Dan Stevens. I always thought that “Beauty and the Beast” should be taken up by Belle and the Beast as a duet. I do like Emma Thompson’s singing which I remember from the Pixar film, Brave (2012), but I would prefer her singing as an intro and maybe at the end. The ballroom scene is stunning and magical, kudos to choreographer, Anthony Van Laast, who also helped with the “Be Our Guest” number and other dance sequences. Another filmmaker who helped realize the animation to real life was costume designer Jacqueline Durran who worked on Anna Karenina (2012) with the ballroom costumes. This film is a bright rose for 2017.
Five Enchanted Mirrors out of Five!
#DisneyBeautyandtheBeast, #BillCondon, #EmmaWatson, #DanStevens
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