It is a credit to Cocteau's genius (and to that of his collaborators) that he has taken the unreal world of a fairy tale and made it as real as the world around us.
Comment
01/01/00
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
95
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:40
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: Visionary filmmaker and poet Jean Cocteau responded to the terrors and creative constraints of occupied France with this elaborately realized take on the classic fairy tale BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.... [More]
Starring: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Marcel Andre, Mila Parely
Director: Jean Cocteau
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Beauty and the Beast
No review available.
05/12/05
Cocteau’s poetic aesthetic...the matter-of-fact extravagance...an otherworldly ambience...[combine to] strike an uncomplicated chord within us, directly connected to the wondrous nightmares of childhood.
12/16/02
The first known cinematic telling of the classic story... [still] seems years ahead of its time.
10/14/02
Jean Cocteau's frighteningly beautiful surrealist take on the classic story is a potent antidote if Disney's given you one swig too many of the sweet stuff.
01/01/00
No review available.
08/22/03
Lovely.
06/14/08
Littering his film with wonderfully evocative shots of steam rising off of the simmering Beast, Jean Cocteau accentuates his seething animal intensity.
03/03/04
Elegant and mesmerizing.
07/25/03
It sets the benchmark in elegance for such fantasy films.
11/24/06
No review available.
07/17/05
The film is invaluable as a piece of history, but it hasn't stood the test of time.
02/28/03
One of the greatest fairy tales ever made. Pure film magic in any language.
08/22/02
A rich and vivid telling of the classic story under the elegant direction of Jean Cocteau.
07/11/03
A work of magic that makes the Broadway adaptation look like overproduced swill.
07/29/02
No review available.
06/04/04
Amazing, enchanting, a masterpiece
01/12/03
A daring artist, working in a difficult time of shortages and old equipment, convened 'a little village of workmen' and packaged a dream for the ages.
11/14/02
Top CriticJosette Day and Marais are perfect in their roles, making this one of Cocteau's best films.
11/26/02
Has lost none of its power to amaze and enthrall. And this magical adaptation of the much-filmed Jean-Marie Leprince de Beaumont tale clearly inspired much of the imagery for the Disney version.
06/07/07
Latest News for Beauty and the Beast
March 13, 2006:
Ebert & Roeper: "V For Vendetta" Dark, Thoughtful, And That's Good
On their weekly syndicated show "Ebert & Roeper," Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper gave early reviews of "V For Vendetta" -- and gave the comic adaptation... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds