Beauty & the Beast: A Janeite's Review

March 27, 2017

Dear Jane,

In case you are not familiar with the story of "Beauty & the Beast," allow me to give you a short summary before I begin my above-mentioned review of this classic, tale as old as time, "boy meets girl" story...

Summary:

It is a truth universally acknowledged...just kidding! Please, read on, my friend.

Enchantress curses cruel, unfeeling Prince, transforming him into Man-Beast and his servants into household objects that retain the ability to speak. Girl is bookish outsider living in small town and has a Pompous Suitor. Girl's father gets lost and stumbles upon Man-Beast's Castle. Girl goes in search of Father. Girl saves Father and meets/is imprisoned by Man-Beast. Man-Beast learns to love Girl. Girl cares for Man-Beast but is eventually released from castle. Girl accidentally incites angry mob of villagers led by Pompous Suitor to attack Man-Beast's Castle. Pompous Suitor dies horrible death after trying to kill Man-Beast. Man-Beast fatally injured in fight with Pompous Suitor. Girl confesses love for Man-Beast as he lay dying. Enchantress lifts curse on reformed Man-Beast and his entire Castle. Excepting, Pompous Suitor, they all live happily ever after.

Well, maybe it is not a  classic "boy meets girl" situation, but that was easy enough to follow, was it not, Jane? 

Review:
Firstly, I would be living a falsehood if I did not confess that I was nervous to see this live-action retelling of "Beauty & the Beast" when first I heard of it. Like so many others, I love and live by the original, animated movie so, naturally, I was exceedingly worried that this new adaptation would not live up to its enchanting predecessor. Happily, "Beauty & the Beast," starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Prince-turned-Beast-turned-Prince again, was ever so lovely and had a great deal to offer fans of the original, dare I say, masterpiece.

In truth, Miss Watson did an admirable job portraying Belle, though her singing voice did leave something to be desired. This was most irksome to me in the opening scene when she set the stage with famed lyrics, "Little town. It's a quiet village..." That being said, she made up for her somewhat-lacking, musical moments with a beautifully vulnerable and grounded performance. She breathed new life into the Disney heroine with honesty and grace.

As the Beast/Prince, Dan Stevens, gave a riveting performance. He superlatively portrayed a man who went through a powerful transformation from opulent, unfeeling Prince to a man who learned to love (whether or not his love was returned) and care deeply for others. Mr. Stevens had an especially powerful scene in which he sang a new song called, "Evermore." After releasing Belle from her imprisonment, he explored, through song, both the torment and inspiration he felt after falling in love with her. Naturally, as I am a self-proclaimed, hopeless romantic, and a lover of melancholy power-ballads, I have been listening to this song over and over again, Jane. (This and "How Far I'll Go" from Disney's, "Moana." Naturally.)

The supporting characters were equally well cast with talented actors. Stand-out performers included the masterful, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, the wonderfully funny, Josh Gad as LeFou, the handsome (and surprisingly talented singer), Luke Evans as Gaston and finally, the divinely gifted, Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe.

As for the set and costumes, both were done very well, although, I was not a great admirer of the household objects- they seemed too object-like and stiff (this served to further the plot, but I still do not approve of it). Specifically, there was no warmth or personality in the faces of Lumiere or Cogsworth. It is also worth noting that the library in the beast's castle was as grand as could be and Belle's reaction when first she saw it was exactly that of a passionate bookworm. Additionally, I am sorry to say that I was rather disappointed in the costume design of Belle's famous, yellow dress. While the skirt of the dress was beautifully crafted and moved well throughout the dance, the bodice was very plain and not at all what one would imagine when one thinks of the original, iconic gown.  

Lastly, while I appreciate the creative team wanting to give more of a "backstory" for Belle's mother, I thought it was rather unnecessary and added unneeded time to the movie. I shall not spoil the cause of death for my gentle readers, but I will say that my reaction when I saw it was something along the lines of, "Well, of course that's how she died in the midst of 17th century Europe."

Overall, "Beauty & the Beast" abounded with loveliness and magic, and this Janeite cried multiple times (i.e. When Belle runs up that glorious hill, overlooking the French countryside, singing, "I want adventure in the great, wide somewhere..."; during the ballroom scene when they danced gracefully to Ms. Thompson's moving rendition of the title song; when Belle and the Beast kissed after his transformation...you know, any and all of the heartfelt moments).

In conclusion, I highly recommend this movie to my fellow Janeites and really anyone who has a heart, but before I leave off, allow me to answer three questions I believe you may still have about Disney's "Beauty & the Beast:"

1.) Is it magical?
Pardon my twenty-first century slang, but...YUP.
2.) Is it as "good" as the original?
Well, it is different, but that is not a bad thing! (But no, it is not as good as the original. It is HIGHLY enjoyable. But let us be honest, nothing can beat the original.)
3.) Will you, Yours Faithfully Amanda, go and see it with me?
Why, yes. Yes I will.

I do hope you are able to see this enchanting movie as soon as may be if you have not already!

Yours Faithfully,

Amanda

Picture Sources:
http://movies.disney.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beast-2017
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/342062534183471002/
https://lvlywallpapers.com/tag/beauty-and-the-beast-beast/