La Belle et La Bete
Yes, like many others last weekend, I made my way to a cinema to watch one of my childhood favourites: The Disney™ film ‘Beauty and The Beast’. I was surprised at my reactions to the film and wanted to share what I thought with you, let me know if you went to see it too! Did this adaptation of a classic exceed, meet or disappoint your expectations?
I must admit, as well as the usual apprehension that comes with the remake of a classic (and a childhood favourite), I was very much in two minds about this film. After growing up in a small french town/village, I was worried that Disney™ would Americanise the scenery too much. After hearing of the star-studded cast I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that the lead roles did not go to french actors. Was this film going to include any of its french heritage? I love Emma Watson’s work but could she pull off the portrayal of one of my favourite princess’?
Before entering the cinema; I decided to cut Emma some slack, as mentioned above, I love her work both as an actor and a UN ambassador, I felt she drew many parallels with Belles’ personality and backstory, boy is there backstory! Unlike the original which utilised stain glass windows to tell a simple and short story of the Beast's transformation and curse, this adaptation went beyond. Both the Beast and Belle receive enthralling backstories which enables you to understand the characters further and empathise/sympathise with their tales of woe. It builds character development and I’m grateful to Disney™ for answering questions I’ve had since early childhood.
To my surprise and to counter argue a few critics, Emma Watson CAN SING and all of the classic songs are included!! Yippee!! There are also some new songs in there too and am happy to report they sound like they were written for the original!! I felt like I was an infant again, singing along (in my head) with -what felt like- old friends. All the main characters are present, including the furniture of course, and the french accents that some donned were actually pretty good.
The parallels with the original animation are present, it’s basically the same plot and story we know and love, however, there are many small changes. (Psssst before you read on; don’t worry these are not major spoilers, although if you’re totally against any type of spoiler and have somehow managed to avoid any on social media; firstly bravo you and all your virtual mates!! Secondly, you may just want to skip to the end of this blog post).
My favourite changes ( also the ones that made most sense to the storyline) are: the ‘poche’ (also known as a pocket) was added to belle’s dress, Maurice and Belle’s house is located inside the town rather than the outskirts, and the castle crumbles as petals fall from the rose. I also have to mention that I'm proud of Disney for the multicultural cast that was featured, whilst all the main cast are white (as they were in the original) there is an inclusion of different races and skin tones within the secondary's and extras.
However there were a few small changes I didn’t like as much or thought were unnecessary: there are no sheep as w explore the village with Belle, ‘The Sound of Music’ moment Belle has on the hills outside the village, some of the secondary characters and extras look almost caricature. The number of books in the village library (AKA shelf), the lack of stained glass windows and the design of Madame de Garderobe (the wardrobe) just felt wrong.
Am I the only one that thinks so? What are your thoughts on the smaller changes? Did you notice any not mentioned above? Did any changes ruin or make the film for you?
Almost as soon as the film started, in fact during the first few scenes I was transported not to the locations in the films but a West End show. The performances felt very real like I could reach out and touch the characters on stage (this may be due to the fact I was in a front row seat and the cinema has kept most of its original medieval features). Did anyone else get the same feeling?
The songs, costumes, and scenery are quite simply perfect, the acting and comedic value that goes with it made an enthralling experience. As soon as the credits rolled; viewers were up on their feet and applauding, myself included (a very rare occurrence in cinemas, I’ve only done it, well not even a handful of times). I could have watched it again straight away and would watch it right now, or in fact at any point in the future!
Bravo to the Cast, Crew and Production team!!
I can honestly and happily give The Beauty and The Beast (2017) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5-star rating).
Hope you enjoyed this review, let me know what you thought of this film too!! Who was your favourite character in the new film? Was it the same character as the original? Please leave a comment or ask questions down below.
Thanks for reading xo
N.B. All views and opinions in this blogpost are my own. This post is not sponsored, not an advertisement, nor did i see this film for free; granted my mum paid for the cinema ticket as a little treat, Cheers mum!
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| Imbd |
I must admit, as well as the usual apprehension that comes with the remake of a classic (and a childhood favourite), I was very much in two minds about this film. After growing up in a small french town/village, I was worried that Disney™ would Americanise the scenery too much. After hearing of the star-studded cast I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that the lead roles did not go to french actors. Was this film going to include any of its french heritage? I love Emma Watson’s work but could she pull off the portrayal of one of my favourite princess’?
Before entering the cinema; I decided to cut Emma some slack, as mentioned above, I love her work both as an actor and a UN ambassador, I felt she drew many parallels with Belles’ personality and backstory, boy is there backstory! Unlike the original which utilised stain glass windows to tell a simple and short story of the Beast's transformation and curse, this adaptation went beyond. Both the Beast and Belle receive enthralling backstories which enables you to understand the characters further and empathise/sympathise with their tales of woe. It builds character development and I’m grateful to Disney™ for answering questions I’ve had since early childhood.
 |
| Imbd |
To my surprise and to counter argue a few critics, Emma Watson CAN SING and all of the classic songs are included!! Yippee!! There are also some new songs in there too and am happy to report they sound like they were written for the original!! I felt like I was an infant again, singing along (in my head) with -what felt like- old friends. All the main characters are present, including the furniture of course, and the french accents that some donned were actually pretty good.
The parallels with the original animation are present, it’s basically the same plot and story we know and love, however, there are many small changes. (Psssst before you read on; don’t worry these are not major spoilers, although if you’re totally against any type of spoiler and have somehow managed to avoid any on social media; firstly bravo you and all your virtual mates!! Secondly, you may just want to skip to the end of this blog post).
My favourite changes ( also the ones that made most sense to the storyline) are: the ‘poche’ (also known as a pocket) was added to belle’s dress, Maurice and Belle’s house is located inside the town rather than the outskirts, and the castle crumbles as petals fall from the rose. I also have to mention that I'm proud of Disney for the multicultural cast that was featured, whilst all the main cast are white (as they were in the original) there is an inclusion of different races and skin tones within the secondary's and extras.
However there were a few small changes I didn’t like as much or thought were unnecessary: there are no sheep as w explore the village with Belle, ‘The Sound of Music’ moment Belle has on the hills outside the village, some of the secondary characters and extras look almost caricature. The number of books in the village library (AKA shelf), the lack of stained glass windows and the design of Madame de Garderobe (the wardrobe) just felt wrong.
 |
Oh My Disney! and Imbd
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Am I the only one that thinks so? What are your thoughts on the smaller changes? Did you notice any not mentioned above? Did any changes ruin or make the film for you?
Almost as soon as the film started, in fact during the first few scenes I was transported not to the locations in the films but a West End show. The performances felt very real like I could reach out and touch the characters on stage (this may be due to the fact I was in a front row seat and the cinema has kept most of its original medieval features). Did anyone else get the same feeling?
The songs, costumes, and scenery are quite simply perfect, the acting and comedic value that goes with it made an enthralling experience. As soon as the credits rolled; viewers were up on their feet and applauding, myself included (a very rare occurrence in cinemas, I’ve only done it, well not even a handful of times). I could have watched it again straight away and would watch it right now, or in fact at any point in the future!
Bravo to the Cast, Crew and Production team!!
I can honestly and happily give The Beauty and The Beast (2017) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5-star rating).
 |
| @frenchieintheclouds |
Hope you enjoyed this review, let me know what you thought of this film too!! Who was your favourite character in the new film? Was it the same character as the original? Please leave a comment or ask questions down below.
Thanks for reading xo
N.B. All views and opinions in this blogpost are my own. This post is not sponsored, not an advertisement, nor did i see this film for free; granted my mum paid for the cinema ticket as a little treat, Cheers mum!
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